I visited Kesariya a couple of days back after a long, long day. This is usually not the kind of meal I opt for, but I did in this case because I was famished, and there was really nothing else in the area I was in mood for. On reaching the restaurant, and after being seated, someone actually came with a jug and bowl, to enable us to wash our hands! Moving past the brief feeling of capitalism (oops!) we started off with their standard thali menu. The food was served in silverware, something I was eating in after years! Kesariya is a Shekhawat restaurant, serving Rajasthani, specifically Rajputana food. And not just the food, Kesariya also brings forth the decor, hospitality and culture of the region through the cuisine.

The servers started us off with an assortment of chutneys, papads, and dry starters like samosa, kachori and pakodas. With the garlic chutney, these tasted awesome! In fact, even the green chutney was rich and spicy. When we got the dal baati choorma, it was served just right, with the bati being broken down, have the dal on it, and mix with the choorma. The palak paneer was splendid, loved my tiny ghee roti with that. The bajra roti was served with jaggery – I loved the jaggery part, the bajra roti was a tad hard! Aloo petha was another good side dish to have the rotis with. But the urad dal is just a different kind of lentil, so simple and light yet tasty. The khichdi with dollops of ghee was something I actually took repeats of, just beautiful! The aam ras, aam panna and chhaas were perfect accompaniments for different part of the meal.

They had some artists in the outdoor section, as part of their ‘Rustic Rajasthan’ festival to showcase indigenous art forms – making pottery, doing henna, and even someone making Lac bangles in coal and fire – that had intricate designs. That was something most diners were enjoying after their meal. We also got a chance to see the preparation of ghevar – the classic flour based Rajasthani sweet that is just amazingly delicious.

Kesariya has a very ethnic yet chic décor, beautiful interiors and indigenous paintings around. I would strongly recommend this for people in the area, definitely a must-try.

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