Shankara Vegis, Agra 01-2015

The mainly pedestrian streets to the south of the Taj Mahal leaves luxury far behind. Given that most people only stay one night in Agra, I thought it would be fine. Needless to say the extremely basic accommodation is... extremely basic. Similarly the food options around the West Gate entrance (the East Gate is a nicer area apparently) are limited and known more for the rooftops that give a very overstated view of the Taj Mahal than the flavours themselves.

Of these options, Shankara seemed to be the best reputed using a combination of Lonely Planet, Tripadvisor (#8 in Agra) and various other websites. I must admit that in the darkness of 7pm, I couldn't be sure where in the distance the Taj Mahal was. If all the rooftop views are similar, I'm unsure why people talk about it so much. Anyway at least the food at Shakara is good and known for cheap thali.

- Shankara New Special Thali – best parts were the Zeera fried rice (spiced like biryani), a simple paneer and delicious mixed vegetable curry;
- Special Thali - a simpler version but with plain rice and without the vegetable curry;
- Spiced chai – more like black tea and sugar than any spices.

Next time I would order the Shankara New Special Thali - for $1 extra it's a much more satisfying and flavoursome meal. Maybe I'd also try earlier around sunset time to see if the rooftop view is better and have a few drinks (although going to the Mehtab Bagh park has a nicer Taj Mahal view if you have the time to get there). There was also a street cart just opposite Shankara serving noodles which had a huge line of locals queuing up. Street food can be dangerous but I think this one would likely be safe and delicious.