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A luxury boutique hotel that was once a haveli to royalty, Samode Haveli bears striking overtones of the era gone by. As the royal family of Samode still resides in a part of the heritage hotel, the vibe is very blue blooded. I have written before about my stay at this haveli (palace), where I got to experience the resplendent heritage and splendour of Jaipur. The regal palace has equally sumptuous dining that will make you feel like a pampered prince or princess. Not just hotel guests but tourists also put Samode Haveli dining on their to do list in Jaipur. The food doesn’t disappoint on any count and leaves you wanting to visit again.
Dining Overview
Dressed up for a feast. With such great food and hospitality, no wonder that Samode Haveli is a popular venue for weddings and feastsWhatever I say about the food will be an understatement; every meal that I had at Samode Haveli was fantastic. Understandably, Samode Haveli’s restaurant is a popular hangout for the hotel guests as well as tourists. A lot of tour groups think of it as a mandatory stop for the true-blue experience it affords. The food is simply outstanding and the restaurant has a luxurious vibe – all markers for a wonderful dining experience.
The Dining Room: Delightful setting for delicious foodThe chandeliers, the opulent upholstery, the striking pictures and paintings, all come together to make for a regal ambience. Add to that food that is traditional and made from authentic recipes, coupled with international delicacies and you get a meal you’ll truly relish. Samode Haveli also hosts lavish buffets for occasions ranging from weddings to feasts for various events to everyday lunch.
Also Read: Live Like a Maharajah at Samode Haveli, Jaipur
Also Read: Must-try Vegetarian Eats in Jaipur
Breakfast That’ll Tickle Your Palette
On a cool morning, enjoy your breakfast outdoorWhen you wake up to a meal that tickles your palette, you know your day is going to be just great. Samode Haveli dining makes sure your breakfast is just that. I was greeted by a nice big spread with vegetarian options galore. After enjoying some fruit, bread and yogurt from the buffet spread, I opted to have a Dosa (fermented rice pancakes), which was made fresh to order and tasted great. Teaming it up with Indian style Cold Coffee, it really did make for a great way to start my day. There were several other Indian and Western breakfast dishes available – paranthas, pancakes, idlis, just to name a few.
Delightfully Varied Lunch Buffet
Enjoy a lunch buffet or order off the menu
When you are back from a half-day shopping spree, chances are hunger pangs are at their strongest. Perfect time to attack Samode’s lunch buffet! I started with a delicious Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup paired with some excellent home baked breads. I then went on to feast on some delicious Indian food. My favourite dishes from the meal were Kadhai Paneer (soft cottage cheese cubes cookedin a gravy) and Dal Makhani. While the Aloo Tadka (dry spiced potato dish) and Gobhi Tamatar Adraki (cauliflower with a tomato-ginger tempering) were both above average, the star dish was definitely Aubergine with Yogurt.
Continental dishes on the day’s menu were Baked Spinach and Corn, Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables and Farfalle Al Pomodoro, all tasted great.
The buffet was very varied, with over a dozen mains alone. Add to that different types of salads, pickles, breads and a huge variety of desserts, and I had a lavish spread to choose from. No wonder there were around 300 non-resident tourists who had come to Samode specially for lunch.
Dinner That Encapsulates the Region’s Cuisine
Outdoor setup for dinner
The Rajasthani Thali (Other than the one meat dish, everything else in the Thali is vegetarian, making it an excellent choice for vegetarians)Nothing wraps up a day like a good old-fashioned Rajasthani thali. Samode haveli dining is incomplete without a taste of their Rajasthani thali that encapsulates the region’s cuisine. It is simply great paired with a glass of white wine.
On offer in the thali were are dishes like Ker Sangri (dish with desert beans and dry berries), Dal Lahsuni, Aubergine Raita and more. The Gatta Curry (chickpea-flour dumpling cooked in yogurt and onion gravy) was amazing and I loved the yogurt flavour. Another dish that still brings back yummy memories was the Gwar Fali (cluster beans with sliced garlic, cumin seeds and tomato tempered in mustard oil with lemon juice added). Chef Surendra Singh mentioned that the dish was smoked to give it added flavour – worked very well in my opinion. What won me over, though, was the Lahsuni Palak. The dish was a simple preparation of blanched spinach, tempered in mustard oil with cumin seeds, garlic and spices, and it tasted oh so good.
The dishes are served with rice, Makka Roti (corn unleavened bread) and Bejar Roti (Indian flat bread made with a mix of 5-6 grains), which are all fresh, home-made and excellent.
The thali size is huge, so if you’re not a big eater, please ask them beforehand for smaller servings of the dishes, to avoid wastage. It is so enormous, I could barely finish half the thali.
The ice cream that followed the meal was seriously good. It was a local specialty made with dates and jaggery. Delightfully different!
I had several wonderful meals on my trip to Jaipur but the dining experience at Samode is definitely one of a kind – something you should absolutely do on your trip to Jaipur.
Samode Haveli: Gangapole, Jaipur – 302002, Rajasthan, India. Tel: +91-141-2632407 / 370, 2631942 / 068
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Founder and Editor-in-Chief of EatRoamLive, Pooja’s enthusiasm for food and travelling is palpable from the variety and intensity with which she writes. A traveller at heart and a big-time foodie who is vegan, EatRoamLive was incepted with her desire to create a resource aimed at making dining out fun, and not restrictive, for veg(etari)ans. Not just (solely) veg(etari)an restaurants, she marks out places that serve sumptuous food with enough meat-free options. A hands-on mum to 3 young kids, the former architect and interior designer has her hands full juggling her love for writing, travelling and home.
