Here’s a poser: Name the dishes that come to your mind at the mention of Gujarati and Rajasthani cuisine? Dhokla, Khandvi, Gujarati Khadi, Undhiyu, Khichdi, Kachori,… We haven’t even scratched the surface yet. A visit to Khandani Rajdhani can tantalise your taste buds with authentic and timeless delicacies from the interiors of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Lavish thalis are the USP of this restaurant and they boast of offering 22,464 items served in 72 rotating menus. On a rough count, each menu offers 30 items — from welcome drink to accompaniments in form of pickles, papads, salads, chutneys, entrees, bread basket, rice bowls, dals, vegetables and desserts. Forget the count, the Rajdhani team knows how to make your dining experience a memorable one with authentic cuisine and prompt service in a welcoming ambience.
The menu is fixed — a thali that has a mix of Gujarati and Rajasthani specialties, saving you the trouble of browsing through an elaborate menu and deciding on what to eat. The list of items served as part of the thali is written on a slate near the entrance. One look at the list and you know this is the place to be if you have a large appetitive.
Once you are seated, the staff brings you a traditional copper jug and a basin for hand wash. The meal begins with an assortment of khatta-meeta chutneys (mint, ginger, tamarind, garlic, mango) served alongside farsans or entrees — Kachori Wali Dal Dhokli and Dudhi Muthiya. Chaas or the spiced buttermilk is served alongside.
The bread basket, dal and subzis follow. The palm-sized flat breads keep coming your way as you lose count of the numbers you’ve had in each variety — the regular fluffy wheat phulkas, palak puris with a hint of spice, Bajra Rotla (rotis made with finger millet flour) and Bhakri (a thick roti made with wheat and millet flour). It’s a relief to move away from the staple dals such as dal makhani and dal tadka and treat yourself to Hari Moong Ki Dal (made with whole green gram) and Surti Dal (a dal made from split red gram and sweetened with a pinch of jaggery). The thali offers Paneer Palak, Moong Ugella (green gram tossed with thin beans), Chouli Dhokli (a dhokli prepared with black beans) and Gujarati kadhi.
As you make your way through the number of dals and subzis with the rotis, the staff reminds you there’s much more to come. Moong dal khichdi and rice are also part of the thali. After all this, if you still are game for dessert, you are given an option to choose from three desserts of the day — fruit custard, Badam Bhog or Chiku Halwa.
The meal served here is fit for the kings but not all of us have an appetite for a royal meal. If small servings and limited dishes are what you prefer, consider takeaway options in the form of ‘meal boxes’ with specified number of entrees, breads, rice and subzi. A regular thali is priced at Rs. 240, justifying the number of flavourful items served in each meal.
Khandani Rajdhani
Where : Level -1, Uptown Banjara, Road no. 3, Opp. Reddy’s Laboratories, Banjara Hills.
Timings : 11.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m.; 7 to 11 p.m.
USP : Gujarati and Rajasthani thali
Meal for two : Rs. 500 (approx)
Contact : 040 64593998
