While the tourist scene ensures that Jaipur's crawling with hotels and their attendant restaurants, when it comes to superlative dining, meat-eaters find the city woefully short of good options.
If you are not averse to slumming, Kallu Islami Hotel in Ramganj Bazar of the walled city is the place for you. This place has two sections. While the one outside serves food cooked in a dubious medium (presumably vanaspati), the one inside serves food cooked in desi ghee.
While I personally don't care much for food cooked in ghee, it at least ensures that you don't come back with a sour throat or an upset tummy. They serve an absolutely rocking "Nalli chaap", which in another city would be called "Nalli Korma" and certainly does not contain any muttonchops.
The is mutton cooked to perfection in freshly ground spices. Coupled with the trademark Muslim tandoori roti, this makes for a lip-smacking combo. They also serve a very decent "Leg Piece", which is a whole leg of chicken cooked in a spicy gravy and occasionally have on offer "Teetar" which is worth a try. Two can eat here for under Rs 200 but you have to be willing to turn a blind eye to the surroundings.
Nero's is probably the safest eatery in town. It serves very decent fair in decent-enough ambience. They tend to play it safe with their food, which makes it rather unadventurous for me. However, they do make an outstanding "Rajasthani Lamb Sula", which is skewered mutton in mild local spices.
Their "Chicken Stroganoff" is also worthy of special mention from their fairly extensive continental menu. Two can dine here for around Rs 700-800 if you exclude alcohol.
"Peshawari" at the ITC Rajputana Sheraton aspires to the lofty heights of the "Bukhara" at the ITC Maurya Sheraton in Delhi but falls short by quite a margin. The food is good, but at Rs 1500-2000 per person it seems rather over-priced, unlike the even more expensive Bukhara whose fare is good enough to justify saving up for a meal.
"Handi" at Maya Mansion on MI Road definitely deserves a mention for their food. They do these slightly under-spiced versions of mutton and chicken curries that, besides being a hit with the foreign tourists, are reminiscent of what your granny used to make. Excluding alcohol, a meal for two is unlikely to cost above Rs 600-700.
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