Eat Like Ushi

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.

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.

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.