Royal Repast

This unusual restaurant is set in the former prime minister of Udaipur’s residence, and is still run by his descendants. There is an inner courtyard with outside seating, as well as several small dining rooms inside. The menu features Rajasthan cuisine, as well as some more general pan-Indian dishes. There was a token choice of a few Indian wines, without vintages listed e.g. Sula Cabernet/Shiraz at INR 1850 (£21) compared to a shop price of about £13. 

After some popadoms that had a texture troublingly reminiscent of cardboard we began with tandoori aloo, potatoes stuffed with nuts and paneer before being cooked in the tandoor. This was very good, the potatoes precisely cooked, the filling having a nutty crunch, the spicing quite lively (14/20). Also good was murgh dahi bootha, generous chunks of chicken marinated in garlic, yoghurt and spices and cooked in the tandoor. The meat was tender and had nicely absorbed the flavour of the spices (14/20).

For the main course, chicken biryani was very good, the rice grains distinct and fragrant, the chunks of chicken nicely cooked and avoiding dryness (14/20). Egg biryani was also very enjoyable, the eggs tasting very fresh, served with yoghurt (14/20). A side dish of palak paneer was particularly nice, the paneer soft and fluffy and the spinach creamy (14/20). Naan bread was supple and fresh (14/20) and incidentally priced at just INR 50 (58p).

Service was good, and the bill came to an almost embarrassingly cheap INR 2671 (£31) for two, so just over £15 a head, including copious amounts of beer. The food element was £10 per person for more food than we could finish. This is definitely a place to try if you are visiting Udaipur.