BACK IN 1928, General Amar Singh built a garden house a few kilometres away from his family's haveli in the walled city of Jaipur. Commander of the erstwhile Jaipur State Forces and a confidant of Maharaja Sawai Man Singh (then-ruler of Jaipur), Amar Singh felt the need for a place of respite from his extremely demanding administrative and court life. Thus was erected the Narain Niwas Palace, which still stands as an easily accessible and endlessly relaxing oasis for Jaipur dwellers and visitors alike.
It now operates as a hotel, with four restaurants, each different from the other. Surrounded by forest when it was built, Narain Niwas Palace now has a busy bus stand, a buzzing mall, popular shops for bridal lehengas and the Jaipur Press Club in its vicinity. That makes it an ideal pitstop for meals and drinks whenever you arrive in the city via bus, are exhausted from window shopping, or if you’re a scribe who needs an upgrade from the low-key Press Club offerings. It's both convenient and regally exotic — a rare mix in a city where every palace hotel either burns a hole in your pocket or is too remote to frequent.
It's no surprise that General Amar Singh, also the Thakur of the Kanota family, was an avid hunter. He'd step out into the woods from Narain Niwas, on the lookout for wild boars and blackbucks. He was also an ardent diarist — he kept an account of all his adventures, official meetings, travels, and most importantly traditional royal recipes, also known as the thikana recipes. His culinary accounts have been preserved, and the traditional recipes have been retained for food offerings across the palace — just like part of the palace furniture, both grand and comfortable.
The first restaurant, which you can spot on your left after you enter the palace premises, is Shikaar Bagh. It is designed as a hunting lodge, a traditional fixture where Rajput rulers would spend time after the royal sport and also host hunting parties with acclaimed dignitaries as guests. A fresh departure from regal excesses, Shikaar Bagh has a casual and laid-back vibe, with a range of seating options. You could sit in the garden, on the porch, on the veranda, on a floor above under a canopy on the terrace, or even inside vintage carriages for a more intimate and princely feel.
Shikaar Bagh offers a mix of cuisines — Asian (DOJO by Artisan Food Factory), Italian, and Indian. While they do decent continental stuff (we recommend the spring rolls, sushi and pizzas), the USP is Indian. No surprise there. The Mughlai cuisine — paneer tikka, galouti kebab, dum biryani — particularly stands out. Laced with a certain traditional ingredient X or cooked in a secret sauce, the kebabs and biryani are lip-smacking and easy on the stomach. You could also wash them down with royalty-themed cocktails; my favourite was the Chandrahaas: a potent blend of gin, 80 herbs, spices and dry fruits.
Right next to Shikaar Bagh is Bar Palladio Jaipur. Save your continental meal for that, as it serves delectable mushroom crostinis and a refreshing antipasto platter. There's ham, pepperoni and salami for non-vegetarians, and if you request, they help you with crackers and olives, served with hummus and cheese dips. For the main course, I'd strongly recommend their homemade gnocchi in butter and sage sauce. If you're not a fan of the grease, you can also choose tomato or mushroom and cream sauce. And if you want something meatier, there's orange roasted lamb or spiced prawns.
Try the rich chocolate soufflé for dessert (if you want chocolate on endless supply like us, you could swap the vanilla ice cream with chocolate; few things taste as good as chocolate on chocolate). Bar Palladio is also more lounge-worthy as you can either spot peacocks strolling outside under blue canopies or you can transport yourself to a whole new world inside — with golden chandeliers, scenic murals, and blue walls with intricate white designs smiling at you. The menu has bifurcated the cocktails, so you can enjoy a classic (Old Fashioned, maybe) indoors and a special after-dessert libation outdoors (how about a Lo.Li.Ta — with vodka, coffee liqueur and fresh cream?).
You'll find a similar setting as the indoors of Bar Palladio at the third restaurant — Cafe Orleans. While Palladio is all sky blue, Orleans leans more towards a peacock hue. It also has an outdoor section, adorned with only brown furniture in stark contrast to the lush green gardens it stares into romantically. There's a touch of French to the decor and menu, given the cafe's name. As the story goes, General Amar Singh's diaries reveal his fascination with French culture from when he served as the captain of the British Army during World War I. While waiting for deployment orders to the frontlines, he spent ample time in the bustling cafes in Orleans, often chalking out war plans there.
No surprise then that the menu is redolent of all things French, from the flavourful French onion soup, to the tangy and sweet orange and wild honey cake. They also specialise in coffee art. So expect an adorable teddy bear face or a woman's portrait on your cappuccino or latte, if you order one. We were so fascinated by the Rajput-like Medusa-esque woman on our cappuccino that we christened her ‘Madhu Sa’. That's the perfect segue for trying out the Royal Rajasthani Thali at the fourth restaurant, Imperial Lancers. It's a treat if you visit in winter: you get to take in the heat of Rajasthani recipes like laal maas, gatta, kair sangri, and daal-baati-churma in the middle of a verdant lawn, before calling it a day with the fire-dousing ras malai and a royal hand wash in a fresh chameli-scented finger bowl.