Jaiwana Haveli is one of the highest rated places on booking.com, TA and general reviews for the entire combination of accommodation, food and views. I have to admit the corner rooms are outstanding and spacious and the location is excellent. There is a big premium for these things especially compared to typical India prices, but when the alternative option is the Lake Palace Hotel for $900 per night, this is a better alternative for the common person.
Food is served in the restaurant up on level 5 and rising up the stone stairwells assists the appetite. The wait staff are a great and hospitable couple of guys who smile, greet and bring you food.
Overall the breakfast was outstanding. For someone who can eat a lot, the Rs. 350 (which I paid as part of the room fee on booking.com) made it worth it. For a smaller eater, selecting a few things off the menu might be better but I can't imagine a better breakfast place in Udaipur.
- Matari Poha (traditional specialty of rice flakes cooked with green peas, onions & spiced with turmeric) - outstanding collection of flavours (sweet, sour, tangy, spicy) and textures (soft, crispy, chewy) combined into the perfect snack or meal component;
- Two Farm Fresh Eggs (boiled)
- Stuffed Paratha with Yogurt (unleavened whole wheat bread shallow fried on a griddle served with pickle chutney) - good quality thick paratha which served as a carrier for the excellent chilli pickles which I tried for the first time here;
- Seasonal Fresh Fruit Platter - pineapple, papaya, pomegranate, banana, canteloupe, mandarin all fresh;
- Chai Masala Tea - mildly spiced but good to complete the meal.
With these expectations, the last dinner in Udaipur was conveniently at the same place. Unfortunately the restaurant doesn't open in time for the winter sunset and so taking advantage of the rooftop view for this reason is limiting. You do pay a premium for the privelege which dampens the experience slightly. Every night there is a traditional dance and music show closeby at Bangore ki Haveli 7pm which I didn't get to see, but you can hear it from Jaiwana Haveli each evening and even see glimpses of it from the high vantage point.
- Chicken Tikka - reasonably tender meat mildly spiced but nothing special;
- Arbi Ki Shabzi (taro curry)
- Kashmiri Pulao
- Garlic Naan - given the quality of the breakfast paratha, I had high hopes for the bread. It had nice slices of garlic with some of the shoots embedded under a coating of butter. Not bad at all.
Unfortunately the dinner didn't live up to the expectations set by breakfast. It wasn't bad, just not as good and the high dining prices didn't seem value for money. Nonetheless considering the slight difficulty I had in finding dinner places closeby that appealed to me (other than Ambrai and the elusive Charcoal), a meal here is certainly convenient if staying nearby and adequate enough.