Rajdhani
in the Phoenix Market City, Whitefield

A "Khandani" Vegetarian Thali Restaurant, Rajdhani is all about passion and nostalgia of the heritage of traditional vegetarian Indian cooking which the Mirah Hospitality is trying to revive and doing it very successfully. Usually this type of cuisine is hyped and the taste one gets is a watered down version but at Rajdhani the effort in retaining the authentic taste and flavor notches many brownie points.

At the launch, of their 7th Bangalore outlet at the Phoenix Mall on 6th Jan 2012, with 72 covers, the ambience came alive with Kachi Ghodi dance, Ghumar Dance and folk singers who specially came from Jaipur. Rajdani is the flagship brand of Mirah Hospitality with Rs65 Cr turnover. They propose to open another 5 restaurants in Bangalore as the response is very encouraging especially from the Corporates. This is their 33rd dining space across India.

The reminiscence goes back 30 years when a Marwari family based in Mumbai wanted to cater to the homesick community for authentic Marwar food. They opened their first dining space at Crawford market as a dining hall concept. "It was only in 2005, with the mall culture that we wanted to make use of this concept, as it had all the possible infrastructure." says Aji Nair, AVP- F& B, the think tank behind the success of the plated concept of Rajdhani. He further adds that since it is khandani, (tradition) arthi (waving of the lamp) is made to the food as an offering to the gods and then only served. "Our chefs known as Maharaj are crucial to the cooking process. There are 6-7 such chefs with 35 years experience and thus there is no monotony in the menu. We respond to the guest feedback in all earnestness. Seasonal food is our USP as in Rajasthan. We are planning to have a mango festival in April-May. Also we are celebrating the festival of Makar Sankranthi from 12-14th Jan. And a Roti festival is in the offing."

The food is served on a large steel plate- THALI with a line up of katoris (that really BOWLed me). With a flourish the waiter brings water to one's table to wash the hands in style in a vintage look-alike water jug and bowl. The pampering that starts from here is never ending. There were 2 welcome drinks of jaljeera (little salty) and thandai- a milk drink of cashew paste and garnished with lots of slivers of almonds, signaling that compromises will not be entertained. It was a light drink in spite of the cashews and almonds that I again asked for it as a parting shot on my long drive back to the South of the City. Though a bit sweet the sweetness grows on you as you savour it.

Then come the Starters-
Samosa- a medium sized one fortunately (as i dread the king size Punjabi ones)
Dhokla- This is rice based and in fact i would rate this on a higher level to the ubiquitous besan dhokla.

Cheese balls served with green chutney and sweet chutney. Well matched as the cheese welded nicely with the minimal of spices. Crispy and looked like it had a potato mix in it. The sweet chutney had the right proportions of dates and tamarind and the starters set a robust appetite for the main course.

Thali
Instead of salt and pickle that is served in the South we were served with a slice of lime, salad of onion, beet and carrot with sweet and green chutney.
Mutter Paneer- Surprisingly it had cabbage gravy mixed with sweet and sour curds with chilly powder. No other spices are added and this unique dish stood out from the usual Peas/paneer served elsewhere.
Aloo Palak- Aloo was well cooked but firm in tomato and cashew gravy which was subtle and delicate with shreds of soft palak.
Bhendi Chiria- Bhendi is slit lengthwise, deep fried but very green and retained its tangy taste that perfectly blended with tomatoes and onion that usually are the show stealers, but no chance here.
Chouli masala (Alasande kaLu) - The perfectly cooked Chouli was in a coconut and cashew gravy.
Phulka Roti, Methi Thepla and Bajra Rotla were from the bread basket. The Rotla has to be tasted with butter and Jaggery. I was a bit hesitant but surprisingly it was fantastic and tweaked the Rotla.
Kadi, Sweet dhal and Spicy Dhal. Very good indeed. Though it is only cooked yellow dhal, it was kept to the basics.
Khichdi- This Rajasthani variant is a rice and dhal combo with vegetables like peas, carrot, beans, tomatoes, green chilies, served with ghee. Is heavenly because of the added vegetables.
A Raj-Gujju Thali can be complete only with pickles.
Chilly pickle which is the Chef's special- with the burst and coarsely ground mustard adding its signature flavour to the fiery chilly.
Mango Pickle- Firm and well marinated. The mustard kick again weaved its magic.
Garlic Pickle of garlic and tomato paste. One has to deeply feel the pungency of the garlic as it was very delicate.

The masalas that are liberally used are cumin, coriander, chilly and pepper powders, the dhals used are all from the region of Marwar. Butter milk is served as the chilly is fat soluble and not to be washed down with water and also to cool the insides.

For the desserts we had
The invitingly soft and warm Gulab jamoons, (another helping and I would have fallen asleep) Anjoori basundi - mini rosogollas in a bed of milk and mawa (rabri) that was not layered but with a smooth texture and not heavy and Raj bhog, a Bengali sweet. Even here they have thoughtfully made a combo of hot and cold sweets.

The menu is thoughtfully laid out and much care has been taken. The sign language for the repeat helping that is specially employed is a throw back to the Marwari tradition of bidding without a sound -only by a special sign language.

The Chef tells me that all the waiters give a hand in the kitchen adhering to the Rajadhani standards. Cooks from the specific regions of Rajasthan prepare the distinct cuisines with minute attention to detail. Maharaj Heera Ram tells me the food is cooked on slow mode (slow cooked labour of love???) so that the taste is retained. "We do not believe in recipe cooking. I supervise all the Rajdhani outlets in Bangalore" says he and I can feel the immense pride of being a part of this hotel.

This is basically a lunch (12-4pm) and dinner (7-11pm) place. Rajadhani is just not food alone. It's about pricing, location, styling, substance, service and concept and Rajdhani scores handsomely in all areas. The lunch thali is priced at rs225/=, and the dinner thali @ rs250/= and this is a Steal as compared to recently opened similar thali concept restaurants. Home delivery and outdoor catering for weddings and get togethers are undertaken. It is predominantly Rajasthani and Gujarati fare.

At all their outlets, there are 2 green veggies, a potato based item, and one legume based served. This is the combo of what makes the Thali. With nearly 32 dishes being served it sets the taste buds tingling. There is no menu card as there are 72 rotating menus with 22,464 different delicacies to relish. Everything about this restaurant feels good, looks good and tastes good. It strikes a perfect balance between the demands of traditional cooking and the needs of urban consumption.

Two ladies from Mumbai who are die hard fans of Rajdhani were pleasantly surprised to see the opening of their favourite restaurant at the Phoenix Mall and their meal being complimentary. "It is a wonderful unforgettable Friday" was their parting shot after we bid adieu.

Recently Rajdhani won the HT City Crystal Award 2011 and the TOI Best Vegetarian stand alone restaurant-2011, besides many accolades in food fests and online contests.
Pheeka, Meekha and teekha-is what Rajdhani is all about and the ensemble is simply scrumptious. For the entire team at the Rajdhani, it is the connect with the customers that drives them to keep the Khandani service vibrant and novel.

Ambience 3.5
Service 4.5
Food 4.5
Value for money 5.0

Contact person Pranali Arora-9769905979

Githa .U.Badikillaya