La Benito

If you’re walking around the Race Course area in Vadodara, you’ll find us on the first floor of the Shantanam Complex. We are right on INOX Road, which is a pretty popular spot for people heading to the movies. Being opposite Yes Bank and right beside TBZ makes us easy to find if you know the landmarks. La Benito isn't a huge place, but being up on the first floor gives us a bit of a view of the street below. We spend a lot of time watching the cars pull in and out of the complex parking lot. The restaurant itself has a simple layout. We tried to make it comfortable without going overboard with decorations. Usually, the mornings are spent getting the tables set and making sure the kitchen is stocked for the lunch rush. It gets quite busy when a movie lets out nearby, and suddenly all the tables are full. We’re just a small crew here, so when it’s busy, everyone is doing a bit of everything—taking orders, clearing plates, and helping out in the back. The air conditioning is always running because Vadodara gets so hot, and we want people to feel okay when they sit down. It’s a straightforward job. We don’t have any big speeches about what we do; we just come in, open the doors, and start cooking whatever is on the menu for the day. It’s just a local spot in a busy complex.