Rooftop Restaurant at Hotel Udaigarh, Udaipur

My wife and I were in Udaipur during the Republic day weekend. On the second day of our sightseeing we got back to our Hotel quite late and did not find time to have dinner on our way back. Having read about the Rooftop Restaurant at Hotel Udaigarh, we decided to check it out. The Rooftop Restaurant at Hotel Udaigarh is located on the 4th floor and has beautiful views of Lake Pichola in the background. Both dine-in and room service is available at the restaurant until 10:30pm in the night for the convenience of hotel guests.

We walked in around 930-45pm all set for a good meal and ordered Veg Soup for an appetiser. The Steward split it into two and it was a warm, mild & tasty concoction on a winter night. The Murg Tikka Lehsuni was slightly cold but it had been spiced nicely. We loved how it was garnished with coriander leaves. A tomato skin beautifully shaped in the form of a red leaf was also placed alongside.

The Chicken Noodle was way tastier than the Veg one and had shredded chicken pieces that tasted heavenly. Veg Noodle was a little disappointing because it didn’t have the required spicyness or flavour.

What struck us as customers was that a Rs 35 MRP can of Coke was charged to us at Rs 60.

The food was average and not dazzling or entirely memorable but the ambience and beautiful weather/scenery made it worth the experience. You can check out this restaurant at Hotel Udaigarh by opting in for complimentary breakfast. The breakfast menu lets you choose between Corn flakes & milk, Bread & Masala Omelette, Stuffed Paratha & Yoghurt, a plate of fruit salad and hot Tea or Coffee. The complimentary breakfast is totally worth it.

Have a nice stay and happy eating out to all the tourists in Udaipur. :)

Udaipur Tours and Taxi, Udaipur City, Zip Code 313001, India

My wife and I were looking for a taxi service in Udaipur for the Republic day weekend. When we called the owner, Lalit Babu, he gave us a very reasonable quote of Rs 6700 for a 3 day package tour of Udaipur and Mount Abu. He e-mailed us a detailed itinerary within minutes. When we reached Udaipur, his driver was there to receive us at the Railway Station. Lalitji had promised that his package includes Parking and Toll charges. At Maharana Pratap Smarak, his driver inadvertently asked for Parking and we paid up. By the time we came back from the museum, his driver promptly refunded the parking fee. So Lalit ji is a man of his words and please reach out to him whenever you plan a trip to Udaipur. Not only are Lalitji and his driver partners good human beings, they will also plan out your day in a very systematic and hassle-free way. So you will have a very smooth and organised trip with your family. Cheers to Lalitji and his drivers Naveen and Phool Chand.

Krishna Dal Bati Restro, Udaipur City

My wife and I were in Udaipur during the Republic Day weekend. On our first day of sightseeing, we asked our Driver, if he would like to recommend an eatery for ‘local rajasthani’ cuisine. His prompt reply was ‘Krishna Dal Bati Restro’ for a ‘Dal Bati Churma Thali’. There are two reasons why he would have said that, 1) that the place is genuinely famous for its local cuisine or 2) that the restaurant management has good professional relationships with these Tour and Taxi operators in the city. Nevertheless, we were game for some good food in Udaipur. After we winded up our sightseeing near the Fateh Sagar lake, the driver brought us to what looked like a quiet building away from the noise of city traffic.

As you climb up the stairs, there are photos hung on the wall, a poster warns you to mind your head and on the first floor you make your way inside the restaurant. There are basic tables and chairs and if you are two people in a group, the young lads (stewards) will discourage you from occupying a table for 4 or 6. There are smaller tables for 2 near the entrance corner and the end wall where you will be firmly guided to take a seat (fairly understandable considering if 2 guests occupy a table for 4/6, it will increase waiting time for families and may result in revenue loss for the Restro). The Stewards are all young 20 something boys who are busy guiding guests to their tables (later a young man who looked like a manager also served guests) and giving them firm instructions. Twice I observed, the Stewards were warning guests that we do not allow sharing from a Thali, which in other words meant two people are not allowed to eat from the same plate, oops! [(another revenue loss checkpoint ;)]

We entered around 8pm when guests had just started to roll-in for their dinner. We were given a table near the entrance and having understood their viewpoint, we happily complied. A large thali (plate) with multiple bowls was placed before us. One by one the bowls were filled with Churma [sweet dish made from wheat flour (aata), sugar (cheeni) and clarified butter (ghee)], Dal (thick lentil soup), Gatte ki subzi (curry made from Gram flour) and Cucumber/Carrot salad. A spoon each of Green Chutney (Coriander leaves paste with lemon juice) and Red Chutney (a paste of chilli and garlic) was also put on the plate. A plate of Papad (Lentil based snack) was kept at the side. One Steward crushed the Bati (wheat flour balls) in the middle of the plate and poured a spoonful of clarified butter (ghee) on it. He also advised us to mix Dal/Subzi in it before enjoying the concoction.

At the end, we were served a glass of fresh Salted Buttermilk (chhachh) to complete the meal. While it was not dazzling, it was a good experience for me as I was fairly new to the Dal Bati Churma experience in Rajasthan. Guests can ask for as many portions of the Dal, bati, churma, curry, salad and Chhachh as possible. I was wary of too much ghee in my meal so I asked for Salad and Chhachh to keep my meal balanced.

I felt there was too much ghee in the churma to the point of it being greasy, the dal was almost dull and without a spicy flavour, the bati was crushed beyond recognition or texture so much that it appeared you were dealing with another churma, this time a salted one. Guests should be allowed to eat the bati as they desire, but the stewards insisted on eating it the way it is locally eaten [(damn ;)]. Gatte ki subzi was another disappointment as it was as dull as the dal, devoid of a salty/spicy flavour so common in indian curries. The Green chutney was fun because of the lemon juice in it and the red chutney remotely resembled the Schezwan sauce served with Momos and chinese food in the cities except that this one also had very little salt in it.

The only 4 items that I enjoyed in the thali were Papad, Salad, Green Chutney and Chhachh [lol :)].

I would go with a rating of 3 out of 5 for Krishna Dal Bati as it was an underwhelming experience for me. I hope you and your family have a good experience if and when you choose to visit this place. Happy eating out!

P.S. The restaurant is clean, all the food items are fresh and the young staff is a little less friendly but they serve you to your heart’s content. Last but not the least and a good indicator of hygiene in a restaurant, the loos are clean (you never know when you would need one)! :P

Hotel Udaigarh, Lake Pichola, Udaipur

Hotel Udaigarh is a beautiful property in Udaipur. Located on the edge of famous Lake Pichola, it gives you breathtaking views of the Lake, Jagmandir, The Taj Lake Palace Hotel, Oberoi Udaivilas Hotel and the Aravali ranges from the rooftop restaurant. There is a clean and well-maintained swimming pool on the top floor where you can have fun with your family in the summer months.

The rooftop restaurant provides you complimentary breakfast (you get to choose breakfast at the time of booking) of Bread-Omelette, Paranthas/Yoghurt, Fruit Salad and Hot tea/coffee. Besides, it also serves Chinese, Italian, Continental and North Indian cuisine to its guests.

Free Wi-Fi, On demand Bottled Water, Running hot water during the winter (3 hours each in the morning and evening), Daily Newspaper, Current Magazines and a few Novels are all available at the property.

The best part, City Palace Museum, Boat Ride to the Jag Mandir Palace, Udaipur’s famous Rajasthani Folk dance at the Bagore ki Haveli and Jagdish Temple are all within comfortable walking distance from the property. The Hathi Pole local market (Handicrafts/Textiles/Paintings/Statues) is a Kilometre from the Hotel.

Pradeep and Nikhil Bhai at the reception desk are very helpful and happily guide you towards the city attractions. They will draw up itineraries for your sightseeing and also book taxis for you both within Udaipur or Mount Abu.

The property is clean, well-maintained and smells good throughout your stay.

A few negative points which can be improved:

The standard AC rooms are small in size and I would urge you to think big when you choose this property and book rooms from the Royal Deluxe category. A few thousand bucks more will save you from the cramped feeling in a standard room.

The daily housekeeping guys were not seen. Our towels were not changed, the room was not dusted/cleaned in our absence, maybe guests have to proactively request for the same at the reception desk.

The rooftop restaurant can be a little expensive for budget travellers. A can of Coke with a printed MRP of Rs 35 was billed to us at Rs 60 (Hotel Management, please take note, it is not entirely advisable to sell Coke at almost double the MRP. Consumer court might knock at your door). A cup of coffee will leave you poorer by Rs 90 and so on.

Your taxi wallah will leave you at Sheetla Mata Gate from where you will have to trek for 10 minutes to reach your hotel. Or you will have to hire an autowallah for 80-100 bucks for a One kilometre distance.

Having said that, the property is beautiful and the staff are warm and friendly so you must opt for Udaigarh whenever you are in Udaipur. Happy travelling!! :)

Padmaavat Review

The ongoing protests and PILs in the Supreme Court have ensured the producers are laughing all the way to the Bank. Sanjay Bhansali’s Period film ‘Padmaavat’ has grossed 231 crores on the 14th day of its release.

The film has lived up to the hype with audiences mesmerised by its scale and poetic story of Rajput honour, valour and Alauddin Khilji’s deceit.

The story is loosely based on Sufi Poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s poem ‘Padmavat’ which was written in 1540 AD almost 224 years after Mughal Emperor Alauddin Khilji (1296-1316 AD) ceased to be the Sultan of Delhi.

The plot is fairly simple. Maharawal Ratan Singh, the King of Chittor banishes one of his courtiers, Raghav Chetan on grounds of unethical behaviour. This man vows revenge and aligns with the Sultan of Delhi so the Rajput prince can be brought to his knees. Raghav provokes Khilji, feeding him stories about the unparalleled beauty of Ratan Singh’s wife Rani Padmavati.

Khilji, the emperor with a massive army declares war on Chittor and deceitfully captures Ratan Singh, making him a prisoner in Delhi. Rani Padmavati with her commandants Gora and Badal free Ratan Singh but the Sultan has still not glimpsed the Queen so he returns to Chittor, this time with a bigger army. Ratan Singh attains martyrdom in the battle and before Khilji can enter the palace, Rani Padmavati performs Jauhar (Self-immolation) with thousands of Rajput women.

Interestingly, I was in Udaipur last month and all these events have been preserved in the form of paintings (refer to the attached pics) in a museum called ‘Maharana Paratap Smarak’ near the Fateh Sagar Lake.

The battle scenes are impressive and at one point when Ratan Singh charges at Alauddin Khilji, one can easily compare the grandeur to big scale Hollywood movies like Brad Pitt’s ‘Troy’.

The songs like all of Bhansali’s past efforts are beautiful and you end up humming them long after the movie is over. The length could have been made effective by trimming the unrelatable song between Khilji and his assistant Malik Gafur. Acting by all the lead actors Ranveer, Deepika, Shahid and Aditi Rao Hydari is commendable.

I would rate the movie a 4 out of 5 stars for the grandeur, moving historical fiction and sheer scale of its scenes. This one is not to be missed by fans of Indian history and cinema. Go Padmaavat!

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Master Refreshment, Main Najafgarh Road (Near Arya Samaj Road), Uttam Nagar

My wife and I were in Arya Samaj Road, a busy, central market for Uttam Nagar residents. We felt like having dinner and stepped inside what looked like a South Indian restaurant. Ordered Mix Veg Uttapam and Veg Chowmein. I requested the guy who took the order to clean the table and he ended up using an already soiled cloth to do the same. The food arrived soon enough. First bite into the Uttapam and you could feel the batter or the oil it was prepared in was not of good quality. The Sambar until it was hot didn't taste like it had tamarind in it. There was no turmeric powder in the Sambar as well, as is clearly visible in the pic I have uploaded. The chutney was average and not very tasty or outstanding. The Veg noodles did not have salt in it. The ketchup they served with the noodles was also of low quality. The tastiest item during the meal was a small bottle of Coke I ordered to dispose off the bad experience. Please avoid this outlet even if you are starving after some hectic shopping. The food will likely spoil your weekend outing. These guys have put a tumbler outside their premises on the Main road for customers to wash their hands. Totally repulsive setup, hygiene and food experience. Because of the dubious oil/food, you are likely to get bad vibes from your digestive system before going to bed. We promised each other never to step in here again. Good luck!!

The Village Cafe, Vodafone Belvedere Rapid Metro Station, DLF Cyber City

 I had skipped dinner at office and was starving at logoff time when hunger pangs got the better of me. Walked into a dhaba style restaurant inside the Vodafone Belvedere Rapid Metro Station. Ordered desi Gobi Pyaaz Parantha and Egg Bhurji for that quick late night meal. 

The first disappointment when the food arrived was that the Parantha was a Tandoor Parantha and not a Tawa Parantha. The second disappointment was that the Parantha was 100% made of Maida (refined flour)and not wholesome aata (Wheat flour). The Gobi-Pyaaz stuffing was also rare and not enough to make up for the fat layer of Maida visible in the bread. I asked the staff at the counter and he politely replied that we don't serve Tawa Parantha at all. I have a feeling that they also don't serve Aata (wholesome wheat) Paranthas.

The Egg Bhurji was decent and you could balance the stingy Gobi-Pyaaz stuffing with the taste of piping hot Bhurji. I noticed the waiter carefully cleaned the spoon before inserting it in the bowl at the time of serving. Unfortunately the bowl that the Egg Bhurji has been served in does not look as clean, please refer to the uploaded pics. 

You could help yourself to a box of Mixed Pickles (achar) to spice up the taste of Paranthas. The Achar is hidden behind the Bhurji bowl. :)

Overall its a decent place for some economical north Indian/chinese food, given that everything is so costly in nearby Cyber Hub. Please walk-in without any expectations and you may be surprised with some of their dishes. Happy eating-out to all the foodies on Zomato. Cheers!!

Jamie's Pizzeria by Jamie Oliver (Pacific Mall, Subhash Nagar, New Delhi)

If you are looking for authentic Italian cuisine, this is the place to be in.

Located in the Posh Pacific Mall, 5 minutes from the Subhash Nagar Metro Station (for convenient public transport), this outlet is full of friendly people who you can quiz on ingredients, dishes and its relevance to Indian food.

The Republic Day Sale is here so one can grab great deals at the Mall. Post shopping, when hunger pangs nag you, please drop by this outlet and enjoy some fun time with your family and friends. Saurav, the friendly steward at the entrance guided us through the menu, informing us about the different italian dishes. Sandeep took our order and patiently explained what would be a better choice in terms of ingredients in the dishes. With his help, we zeroed on 'Roasted Vegetable Lasagne' and 'Chicken Peperonata Regular Pizza'.

When the Lasagne arrived, we were intrigued by green leaves as a topping. We quizzed Sandeep, if these were Basil leaves and he said these were rocket leaves. Having never heard the name Rocket leaves, we were inquisitive if there was a hindi name to it or if we used it in our Indian dishes. He smiled and informed we call them 'Tarmari ka Patta' in Hindi and he managed to find the meaning on the internet. Both of us had a good laugh at the brief discussion and it set a good tone for the meal. Sandeep warned us about how hot the Lasagne plate would be since it came straight out of the oven.

The Lasagne with Peppers, tomato, chewy Mozzarella and Rocket leaves was fun. So was the Chicken Pizza with Black Olives and layers of shredded chicken. The ambience is warm, colorful and relaxed with graphitti on the walls and a happy, friendly team serving its customers.

Overall, a wonderful place for authentic Italian cuisine that you must try out with your family and friends. Happy eating to all the Zomans!! :)

Wow! Momo, DLF Cyber City (Cyber Hub Food Court)

The best Steamed Chicken Momos in Delhi NCR so far.

Wow! Momo is a welcome addition to the Foodie landscape in India and kudos to the founders for having imagined and delivered such a beautiful chain around our favorite snack - Momos.

Fridays are fun for working professionals (in anticipation of a relaxed weekend). And if your office happens to be in Cyber Hub, you can feel the weekend celebration in the air. The place is full of the weekend crowd having a good time with family and friends.

Walked into the Food Court for a quick bite. Zeroed on Momos and found smiling faces at the Wow! Momo counter. Ordered Steamed Chicken Momos so you could quickly get back to work. Foodies, please use Paytm as a payment option and you get a 3.5% Cashback (not a bad deal at all). The lady (friendly) at the counter took my order and within minutes the hot, spicy Momos were in front of me. The Momos come with a spicy Schezwan sauce and Green Chutney. 

Hot momos with ample chicken stuffing and a totally melt-in-your-mouth texture make them irresistible. The sauces are ofcourse mandatory and add to the fun, spicyness.

Overall, a great experience for the nth time, have had great meals before at WM but haven't had the time to write about it. Forvever, great food, friendly, co-operative staff (they smile when they serve), a perfectly colorful ambience and fantastic options on the menu make WM a compelling place that you can go to again and again and have a wonderful time. Cheers!!

PS: Ram Milan Yadav brought a feedback form in between the meal and I happily obliged with an excellent feedback.

Thank you Wow! Momo. :)

Dinner at Chili's, Connaught Place New Delhi

My wife and I were in Connaught Place on 1st Jan, soaking in the New Year revelry around us. We had planned a dinner and were looking for an exciting place when we bumped into Chili's. The lady at the desk outside had a very picturesque menu and the food (mainly American & Mexican) looked very inviting. We walked in and were quickly offered a table (it’s a relief when you don't have to wait outside for a table). The GT Road outlet next door told us there was a waiting time of 45 minutes, phew!!

Karan, the associate who served us, was patient enough for us to decide on the dishes. We ordered 'Non-Veg Triple Dipper', Cajun Chicken Burger and Colas. Karan helped us decide which of the five options on the Dipper were more spicy. Karan quickly served the Colas (customers are encouraged to ask for refills). While we were sipping our beverages, the Triple Dipper arrived with 'Egg Rolls, Chicken Crispers and Boneless Chicken Wings in Hot Sauce. These came with 3 different types of Dips and 4 Slices of Carrot. The Cajun Burger came with Fries and a small bowl of Cucumber and Radish pickles. Karan brought us two small bowls of Hot Sauce (which tasted a little like spicy gravy) so the mildly spicy Crispers and Egg-Rolls could be enjoyed better.

It was time to dig in and enjoy the spread before us. The Boneless wings in Hot Sauce were sour and tasty and one can enjoy these with the 3 dips available. The Crispers had to be dipped in the Spicy Gravy for better enjoyment and the Egg Rolls were mild according to Indian standards of taste and flavor. The Cajun Burger had a thick Chicken patty that lacked flavor and was a little cold. It was sparsely sprinkled with chopped onion, a slice of tomato and a few pickles. We asked for a refill of our beverages and finished our meal with ease.

The outlet has good music playing in the background, the staff members are warm and polite with great service standards. The ambience is bright and colorful with graphitti visible on the walls. I would love to go back and enjoy many more dishes from their menu. Thank you for hosting us and making our evening a memorable one. :)

PS: Please make sure the food is warm enough during the winters. Both the dishes were cold minutes after they were served to us and that affected the food experience a little.