Eat Like Ushi

Jet Airways decided to screw my flight. After changing the Udaipur to Delhi flight time, the connecting Delhi to Varanasi was going to be missed. Given there were no options available, I started looking for last minute Delhi accommodation and things to do. The first couple of days there were quite uninspiring and even though I really wanted to see Humayun's Tomb, it wasn't such a strong force to drag me back into the heart of New Delhi.

Reading around I had to decide to either to stay at one of the most luxurious hotels Dusit Devarana near the airport or explore a lesser trodden region Hauz Khas. The reviews of the area are mixed - apparently it used to be a lovely local neighbourhood but in the last few years the more affluent have tried to be bohemian and taken over the area to be seen. As a result a lot of the local restaurants have closed down due to council enforcement.

After arriving and wandering through the deer park, Hauz Khas Village was actually a relaxing area to walk through. There isn't much traffic, smells of cooking fill the air and there's some nice shopping too. Food options in the area included Bombay bhelpuriwala, Navedyam (cheap South Indian), Desiya (moderate pan Indian), Golconda Bowl (higher end Hyderabad). In the end Coast Cafe took the honours with the reputation for excellent Malabar food in a nice setting overlooking the park.

- Fresh Orange & Basil Burst - very fresh orange juice with some basil;
- Summer Fix Masala Butter Milk (with ginger, mint leaf, green chilli) - my first experience drinking buttermilk and not one I'll do again. Intensely strong like drinking sour thin liquid fat. I can't do it;
- Appam & Egg White Appam - really interesting bread alternative with a soft yeasty shell and slight sour tang. The warm egg white froth version didn't add anything special so I wouldn't go for that again;
- Coast Cafe Prawn Moilee (Kerala prawn moilee in coconut milk) - 5 prawns cooked to retain some crunch in a delicious coconut and prawn flavoured creamy sauce. This was excellent;
- Mum's Aubergine Cokum Curry (home-style spicy Kerala curry) - 5 pieces eggplant in a relatively mild tomato curry. Although advertised as the spiciest curry, it wasn't hot;
- Sukha Mutton Fry - dry spicy mutton (but very tolerable) with a good savoury flavour and did not have a strong mutton taste;
- Malabar Paratha - very flaky and great;
- Coast Cafe Masala Cappuccino (masala chai lover's cappuccino) - a mild blend of chai and coffee.

The prices here are higher than average which reflects the upmarket setting, the upmarket clientele (for lunch it was almost all young or middle-aged Indian women dressed well) and perhaps the gourmet trend. Having said that, the food was great and I would happily come back.

Next time I would order the Prawn Moilee to eat with lots of paratha. The appam is different to try but on a second visit I'd stick to what I like. There's some other fish and meat curries on the menu I'd have also to complete the meal. I don't think the meat fries or grilled fish is necessary.

It was a little depressing that on the 2nd night (of 4) I didn't have anywhere specific in mind for dinner. Night 3 ended up staying in the hotel room eating room and night 4 in the hotel restaurant of Jaiwana Haveli. For night 2 I thought it would be easy enough to walk around and find something good. I didn't particularly want to eat at any of the rooftop restaurants as night 4 would be enough for that, the premium associated with a rooftop didn't appeal to me and given it is nighttime the view has mostly passed.

In the end I was trying to find Charcoal by Pratap Bhawan which had some early TA reviews and was nearby. Incredibly after about 30mins of walking in circles I couldn't find it. I should've pre-empted this by marking it on a map or my phone but I didn't and I paid the price of indignance.

In the end a very local looking place filled with all Indians was the walk-in choice.

- Mixed fruit lassi – mainly pineapple with lots of sugar crystals evident;
- Orange juice – apparently freshly squeezed but very thin. I wonder if they added water and sugar;
- Vegetable Pulao – very nice rice dish peppered with intermittent sweetness from pineapple and minimal oil;
- Anna 92 Special – vegetable kofta in a green spinach and red tomato curry;
- Bhindi Fried - delicious dish of fried okra, onions and spices. Very flavoursome;
- pickles - first place I'd found the complimentary chilli pickles on the table and I was happy. A new addition to my Indian eating repertoire from Udaipur;
- Vegetable Biryani – wet rice mix with vegetables. The pulao was much better.

I wondered after this meal if I prefer pulao or biryani. My favourite biryanis have not been heavy or wet so maybe that is the issue. In any case the food here is cheap, satisfying and tailored to locals. I like how they use some ingredients that I hadn't come across in previous places (or maybe I had but just hadn't ordered them).

Looking for coffee in Udaipur was always going to be difficult. Surprisingly there are 3 places that are meant to live up to Australian standard - Jheel's, Cafe Edelweiss (the German bakery with perpetual tourists) and another near Queen Cafe of which I forget the name.

Jheel's was the most convenient and the nicest waterside setting.

- Mango Smoothie - wanted litchi but it wasn't available. As far as I'm aware the mango wasn't from fresh and the smoothie didn't taste fruity;
- Iced Latte - slightly watery coffee, not very strong or thick;
- Caramel Walnut Pie - room temperature, sweet, adequate.

Unfortunately the food and drinks weren't particularly good. Adding that it took 30mins (there were 5 other people none of whom were expecting any food or drinks) to get a smoothie and an iced latte I would try somewhere else next time. Having said that, the lake setting watching the bridge, people wash and bathe and the occasional boat go past is quite nice and something the other places don't have.

On a lazy day walking around town with nothing planned, the western area around Ambrai ghat had everything from water to random cows, streets, local stores and families. It was hungry work. Lunch options included the very local home known as Queen Cafe, the highly advertised Millets of Mewar (organic, vegan) or TA #1 Cafe Satori (Italian, pizza).

The decision was made to support the local Indian family and so Queen it was. The seating area upstairs happened to be where the family's children were watching TV. They challenged me to some games of chess whilst waiting for the food to arrive and the interaction made this a memorable meal in itself.

- Kesar Lassi (saffron) - sweet lassi with dried fruit and desiccated coconut. Couldn't detect saffron but I don't know if I ever have in any dish;
- Coffee Lassi
- Pumpkin Curry - the famous dish that people come here for. The pumpkin is soft and well cooked with very mild flavour;
- Hyderbadi Biryani (with spinach & coconut) - similarly mild flavoured;
- Chocolate Ball - this was a delicious dense ball of soft chocolate coated in coconut. When it gets offered to you, just have one each.

The food was served with a small container of homemade special masala mix using 40 or so spices. It combines mainly savoury and spicy and adds a big kick to the food which I'd have to admit was slightly plain otherwise. It seems like everyday home cooking and a different taste and environment to the day-after-day of Indian restaurants.

JMB is a sweet shop near the train station. I wouldn't advise walking there once you move into the lake region (due to distance and general traffic) so plan it for day with a driver. The sweets are available fresh and also boxed to take away. My preference isn't for sweets so I can't really advise on them other than the ones with pistachio were honeyed over and too sweet for me. I think I prefer my pistachio dessert in gelato or Turkish baclava.

However they are possibly even more known for kachori, particularly the pyaaz kind. I'm not sure what pyaaz is, but the kachori was sensational. Crispy hot pastry with a filling rich in crunchy cumin and coriander seeds and an unusual hint of tangy sweetness lingering at the end. Perhaps it is caramelised onion? I'm not sure but it's great. 

If I'm ever back in Udaipur I'll swing through between arriving at the train station and getting an auto-tuktuk to the accommodation.

As soon as I showed the driver Harmindra the first page printout of this article (http://udaipurtimes.com/9-best-places-to-have-your-breakfast/), he instantly knew where to go. In fact he regularly takes his daytrip clients there for a nice filling breakfast.

I remember my first (and probably only other) experience with aloo paratha. Union House in Melbourne Uni has/had a ground floor curry place that served these huge aloo parathas - naan filled with big chunks of boiled potato. Back when I had them as lunch or a late afternoon snack in 2000-2002, I think I could get one for $1.50 (or even 2 for the price of 1 in the late afternoon). Those were the days. But those memories quickly faded as I tried the best aloo paratha in Udaipur. There is no comparison for quality or taste - Melbourne Uni paratha tastes like potato, Udaipur paratha tastes like flavour and satisfaction.

Upon arrival the surrounding mob of locals looked impressed that tourists were approaching. Harmindra gave the page printout to the owner, he showed it to the crowd and everyone cheered.

There are 3 parathas to pick from - aloo (potato), cauliflower and radish. You get 2 parathas, a massive slab of ghee or butter and a bowl of dal for Rs. 50. Wow.

- Aloo Paratha – a smooth potato blend served hot wedged between crispy wheat discs;
- Cauliflower Paratha - a different texture to potato with more crumble and a very mild flavour;
- Dal - incredibly good full flavoured dal. Look at the colour to see how different it is to the typical. As good as the paratha was, it was the vessel to transport the dal to my mouth.

Next time I would order either two aloo paratha or try one with radish. I'd ask for less (or even no) butter. I'd attempt to dedicate a day to getting to the other 8 places listed on that page but most of them aren't that convenient to walk to.

During the daytrip around Udaipur on the auto-tuktuk, the driver Harmindra stopped off at a very local looking place for lunch. I'm very doubtful that any tourist would be wandering in the area, let alone pick this as the place to try. It's possible the staff may have even been surprised to see non-Indians coming in, or maybe I just imagined that.

In any case the prices are cheap and the food is nice and I didn't get sick. What more can you ask for?

- Vegetarian Biryani - it must have been a Kashmiri version topped with cashews and shredded cheese. The intensely red-coloured rice was a little oily and was dotted with vegetables and paneer;
- Shiv Shakti Special - I'm not entirely sure what the special was. It seemed to be a green pea curry and a tomato-based paneer curry. The pea was more my type and a little hotter;
- Garlic Naan - this was a visual delight with the burnt diced garlic and herbs unlike any I'd seen previously. As expected it tasted well garlicky, just like garlic naan should;
- Kashmiri Naan - I've previously had Kashmiri Naan and I think the description of dried fruit and nuts appealed to me more than the actual product. This was fine but it reinforced that idea. I prefer garlic (or plain);
- Special Lassi - a very rich sweet thick lassi filled with dried fruit and nuts (Kashmiri again?). The only disappointment was crunching palpable sugar crystals which I think the drink can do without.

I wouldn't go out of my way to find this place, but if a driver takes you here I wouldn't be disappointed.

Once upon a time in London I ended up at a place called MEATmarket in Covent Garden up above the stalls. It was a spin-off from one of the best London burger places that had started out as a food van called MEATliquor (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/meatliquor-london-03-2012). Other than burgers, they also had gourmet slick hot dogs on the menu and an exceptional chilli cheese fries that I tried to recreate from their cookbook with limited success. 

If you combine Brodburger and Broddog menus and story, perhaps you have the same fairytale on the other side of the world.

Brodburger surpassed my expectations in terms of burger taste and quality. It is a different burger to those rampaging around London and MEATliquor but not necessarily inferior. Brodburger is a cleaner burger that is a great version with standard ingredients; MEATliquor is a dirty burger with grease and filth. The best hotdog I've eaten (admittedly my experience is limited to Germany, Poland, Australia, UK and Norway) was on one solitary occasion at MEATmarket which consisted a deep-fried bacon wrapped pork frank topped with mustard, onions, danish sauce and spicy relish. I wondered and prayed if Broddogs could deliver something that I could remember 2.5 years later.

The setting is cool - a bright red van serving in the same courtyard as a shakes van, a coffee van, Peruvian van and a few others (all closed on Tuesday evenings if you're planning to visit meaning you can either get a dog or a 10" pizza).

- Broddog (spicy kransky with bacon, coleslaw, pickles, ketchup, corn relish topped with sweet potato ribbons & shaved gruyere cheese) - kransky is flavoursome with a touch of chilli and the other ingredients compliment it well. It's pretty decent overall but not as exciting as in my dreams (or unreasonable expectations);
- Omi Dog (Vienna frankfurt salad with white onion, gruyere cheese & Omi's secret mayonnaise dressing) - didn't particularly like this dog for a few reasons; The frankfurt is sliced and mixed with the dressing meaning that is gets cold really fast. The frankfurt also has less intrinsic flavour than the kransky meaning you get a bit of frankfurt taste, a bit of onion texture and overall a cheese mayo flavour;
- Cheesy Chilli Chips (beef chilli, fondue cheese sauce & grated gruyere cheese) - a good interpretation with Brodburger's good quality chips with some strong beef mince and cheese. Overall the amount of chilli and cheese are too small for the amount of chips meaning most chips are eaten plain.

Next time I would order the New Yorker with Cheesy Chilli Chips or the Chilli Cheese Dog (with kransky) with plain chips. I think my favourite tastes of the meal were the kransky and the parts of the chips that had chilli on them. Overall I think the satisfaction:price ratio is much higher at Brodburger and I'd only cross town for Broddogs again if the other stalls were open so I could try a variety of things at the same time.

In the heart of the Pink City, LMB is a well known institution. It is reasonably close to the tourist sites of the City Palace, Jantar Mantar and the Palace of Winds making it a convenient lunch place.

LMB is known for two things - a thali that has the largest number of components (16!!) and a sweet shop foyer before the restaurant that is known for paneer, tikkis and kulfa.

The dishes were fine without anything being particularly outstanding. It did allow me to try the Rajasthani combination of dal-bati-churma with allows a combination of a fried wheat ball, sugary dip and savoury dal. I will admit the main reason I ate here was for the impressively large variety of things and the meal was satisfactory enough.

After filling up there was only enough stomach room to try one thing from the sweet shop, so it had to be the paneer ghewar (honeycomb cake soaked in treacle). It was a room temperature crispy lattice soaked in syrup. They offered me a whole one (which is huge) but I'm happy they allowed me to purchase a weight-based small piece. The intense sugar meant that I was happy just to have two spoonfuls and leave the rest.

I didn't really find many good options online for eating in the Pink City. The only other on my list was Samrat Sweets which specialised in kachori and samosas. Given that you are generally there around lunch time, I think I would try there next time (as the reputation is extremely good) and just snack up.

Udaipur is India's most romantic city. Within it, the Lake Palace is probably the most romantic place to stay and eat. However for anyone that doesn't want to pay the $800 per night minimum for the privilege of visiting the island, Ambrai would be the most lovely setting to enjoy. The atmosphere is a combination of things - you can see the City Fort and Lake Palace surrounded by the peaceful waters. People bathe in Ambrai ghat as the sun sets.

Turning up unannounced at 6pm ended up well with the last table next to the water available. The colours of the view change throughout the meal - the sunlight disappearing over the city, the dusk hue that welcomes in the night, then the bright lights illuminating the Fort and Lake Palace. On this night Jagmandir Island was hosting a wedding so there were additional lights filling the view and the skies. The food is very good too and no complaints there either. The prices are more expensive than the typical but you're paying for the view, the setting and the location in a tourist hotel.

- Lal Maans (Rajasthani delicacy of mutton with bone cooked in thick Indian spicy gravy garnished with chopped coriander leaves) – supposedly the "perfect" laal mass per reviews and recommendations. It was a very simple, minimally spicy version with some tender meat but also some not so. I think the version at Handi was better and more authentic (although that one was too spicy);
- Ambrai Special Fish (boneless fish in special Indian gravy) – delicious, sweet from some lovely cherries, with the fish heavily cooked but not dry. Best dish of the lot;
- Baigan Bharta (eggplant roasted & cooked with tomatoes, onion, dry spices) – very smokey flavour;
- Garlic Naan (white flour bread stuffed with fresh garlic & topped with butter) & Lachha Naan (multi-layered flour bread baked in clay oven) - as most places in India these were delicious. Not the best I had, but no complaints.

What did disappoint was the service. There wasn't a smile to be had nor any friendly attitude. Service isn't something that I generally rate restaurants upon, but given the prices and clientele it is something that should be better. This was exemplified when paying the bill. For a Rs. 2000 bill I tipped Rs. 200 (which is very generous given the service we had and the guides suggesting 5-10%) - upon seeing this, the waiter looked unimpressedly down and said "is that the tip?" When I said yes, he said nothing, took it and walked off.

I'll happily go back for the food and setting. There's a corner table right on the edge of the dining area where the water edges meet and I'd book that for 2-4 people next time in advance. If the service hasn't improved then I'd be tempted to tip nothing.