Chokhi Dhani Restaurant

Telephone: 2770555, 5142122

Covers :

Meal for Two: Rs.450 approximately

Credit Cards:

Mention Rajasthani food and everyone, whether from Jaipur or not, brightens up and says Chokhi Dhani. The name means roughly, the excellent hamlet, and no attempt has been spared to convert this place into a kind of Rajasthan for Beginners. Thus, as soon as you enter, you are greeted with a bright red tikka, and bestrewn with flowers. Inside, you have young women dancing with pots on their heads, street acrobats with children spinning on poles, young boys dancing to folk tunes, camel rides, cotton candy on sticks, hookahs being passed around and a haat (market) selling everything from printed bed covers to silver jewellery and the ubiquitous miniatures.

Since we were in search of Rajasthani food, we went off to the hut in which it was being served on the floor. After taking off our footwear and returning a series of energetic "Namastes", we sat down on the floor to be served. Some chairs are available for the old and the infirm and though we were tempted we resisted and decided to challenge our cartilage.

Water is served in clay tumblers. A set meal is laid out in front of you. Two marble-sized receptacles contain the desi ghee with which you sprinkle any and everything you choose. (A nice idea so that the weight watchers can simply eschew it). Daal, gatti (besan dumplings in daal) various vegetables and three kinds of bread are then served. Afterwards you are given khichdo (daal and rice cooked together). Move quickly to prevent the server from sprinkling it with a lavish serving of ghee and powdered sugar.

The groans with which we rose came partially out of osseous pain and partly out of gastronomic excess.