The Lake-city of Udaipur had enthralled me ever since I first saw it. I loved the City Palace, the Jag Mandir, the shops selling the Knick-Knacks, the undulating cobbled streets of Lal Ghat, the hearty thaalis at Nataraj and of course, the eateries lining the Lake Pichola. I consciously took out the time to visit the best places to eat, and here’s my take on three of the fancy dining options by the Lake.

Upre by 1559 AD : 

This place featured in most of the food blogs I read before visiting Udaipur this time. And all of them raved about the breath-taking view that it offers. I was awe-struck, to say the least, from the moment I entered.

Now I had a bad experience here. There were a few empty tables but was told that they were reserved, and that I will have to wait for around half an hour. I was in no particular hurry and hence agreed to wait. Within ten minutes, I was told that a table is empty but I found it to be on the second roof-top and didn’t offer the view that the place is known for. I told the man at the helm that I didn’t mind waiting a little more, but would prefer to be seated at one of the tables at the main area. This is when he asked me for an extra two hundred bucks for it. Well I was really taken aback, but was in a very good mood and hence agreed. But this really was very strange. Also, he insisted that I pay that convenience charge aka bribe right then and not with the bill.
Anyway, I ordered Rajasthani Polao, Kulcha and Jungli Maas and soaked in as much of everything around as I could, while waiting for the food to arrive.
The slow-cooked mutton was not only soft and juicy, but was a powerhouse of flavors too. It was amply spicy and there was quite a bit of heat in the after taste. The Kulcha was okayish but the Polao could have definitely been a lot better.
However, the ambiance made up for all the glitches and I came back a happy woman.

Ambrai- Amet Haveli :

I went in here after a morning at the City Palace, and by the time I reached, it was post lunch time and hence only snacks were available. I ordered sandwiches, cold coffee and fritters. But this place is hardly about the food. The beautiful lake right beside makes for the loveliest of settings. An ambiance like this transports one to another plane altogether, and no one should miss this place, if in Udaipur. Any attempt to describe it would be too futile, so I wouldn’t even go into it.
But honestly, the food is barely passable, though the coffee was good. The staff is very polite though.

Raas Leela:

Yet another lake-view restaurant in Udaipur, it’s right by the side of Pichola and offers a stunning view. The white tents looked very tempting too.
I went in expecting just a lovely view, but was pleasantly surprised by the superbly made laal mans, which is mutton in a thick red chilli gravy.
However, this is a little difficult to locate and they only had tap water as an alternative to bottled water.

Apart from these, there are innumerable cafes on roof-tops and those are the places I headed to for my evening tea. And they were, in no way, less spectacular.

Devpurna, in her own words is “The forever hungry Bong lady. Might just be the easiest female to understand – give me food, and I will be happy!”
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