• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

By Root 2314 0

platter), or ask for regional specialties like ker sangri (spicy capers and desert beans) and laal maas (spicy meat curry), which aren’t on the menu; main courses start at Rs 150, and a nonvegetarian thali is Rs 400. Another tourist-oriented place, with a firmer focus on food and a more stylish ambience, is Spice Court (Hari Bhawan, Achrol House, Jacob Rd., Civil Lines; 0141/222-0202; www.spicecourtindia.com), which has a pretty all-encompassing menu but also offers regional Rajasthani specialties, served at tables designed like large display cabinets for spices and other dry food ingredients. It’s also well located for shoppers, being right near Cottons, a great little place to pick up cool, summery garments.

If it’s atmosphere you’re after, not to mention a highly memorable visual experience, grab a late lunch and linger for a sundowner at the Rambagh Palace’s Verandah overlooking the Rambagh’s lawns where Rajasthani musicians and dancers serve as predinner entertainment. Or get there early evening, having reserved dinner at Rambagh Palace’s swanky Suvarna Mahal (see below).

LMB (Laxmi Misthan Bhandar) INDIAN/VEGETARIAN/SWEET SHOP If you’re headed for Johari Bazaar to shop, make sure you stop at this renowned local hangout. Anyone with even half a sweet tooth shouldn’t miss stepping out of the madness of the bazaar into this cool oasis—even if it’s just to salivate over the huge selection of sweets beautifully (and hygienically) displayed behind glass counters in the sweet (mithai) shop section. Beyond the takeout area lies the large air-conditioned restaurant; it remains strictly vegetarian, and no onion or garlic (believed to inflame the senses) is used in food preparation; no alcohol is served either. Try the freshly prepared samosas or potato and cashew-nut tikkis, and wash them down with delicious lassis (yogurt drinks) or pomegranate juice. For an authentic, filling meal, order the Rajasthani thali, which begins with tangy papad mangori soup and includes traditional ker sangri, Rajasthani kadhi (dumplings in a yogurt sauce), five different vegetables, and three kinds of bread.

Johari Bazaar. 0141/256-5844. Rs 80–Rs 350 AE, MC, V. Daily 8am–11pm. Snacks only 4–7pm.

Niros NORTH INDIAN/CHINESE Although the name sounds terribly inauthentic, and the appalling covers of ’80s pop songs are almost unbearable, this remains the favored haunt of extended bourgeois Indian families, visiting Bollywood celebs, and foreign travelers, all drawn by its reputation for excellent food. Well-situated on the shopping route, Niros does typical Rajasthani dishes. And, if your stomach is starting to curdle from the traditional (and liberal) use of ghee as a cooking medium, you’ll be happy to know that Niros’s chefs use only refined soybean oil. House specialties include laal maas (mutton cooked in spicy red gravy) and reshmi kebab (mutton marinated in traditional spices and chargrilled). The korma dishes are all prepared in a deliciously creamy cashew-nut-based sauce, while the ever-popular chicken tikka masala is spicier than usual. You certainly won’t want for choice: The numbered menu runs right up to 286! Forego dessert and head across the street to Lassiwalla (see box below).

M.I. Rd. 0141/237-4493 or 0141/221-8520. www.nirosindia.com. Rs 85–Rs 500. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 10am–11pm.

Surya Mahal INDIAN/INTERNATIONAL This fine dining restaurant at Rajvilās vies with Survana Mahal as the most romantic place to have dinner in Jaipur. Lit by huge burning braziers, the courtyard features a raised platform where beautiful Rajasthani women give a short performance of their traditional dance (Sept 15–Mar only). Apart from the live entertainment—and there’s always melodic musical accompaniment—cuisine is excellent. You can sample the tastes of the region with a Rajasthani thali (multicourse platter), or order the laal maas (lamb braised with Mathania chilies and yogurt, and smoked with cloves and garlic) or the shammi kebab, minced lamb flavored with mace and cardamom and then filled with hung yogurt. Or you can give the Indian dishes a break,