Dine like a maharaja at Budapest’s Rajkot Palace

For aficionados of Indian food in Budapest, the Curry House on Horánszky utca, which will soon open at a new location, has been a reference point for authentic Indian cuisine.

Saer decided he wanted a more elegant establishment as well, so he unveiled the Rajkot Palace on Nyáry Pál utca in the city centre. Named after a large city in western India, this outlet is the largest of its kind in Budapest.

The restaurant is huge, in fact, with two floors and a gallery, the interior the perfect blend of Eastern opulence and more subdued European taste. Beneath a 100-year-old crystal chandelier from a former Maharaja’s palace, we sat in one corner at table made of decorated ivory, admiring the traditional instruments behind the bar and original letters written to Indian rulers.

It was here that Hollywood star Will Smith brought his film crew and popular Indian actor Kabir Bedi is a regular visitor.

The menu is extremely long, but it's worth browsing through and not opting for your usual dishes. Indian chefs created most of it, so its authenticity cannot be faulted. Prominent is the cuisine of the north, bolder and spicier than its southern counterpart. Of course, dishes can be requested with any level of spiciness, but for example, the standard butter chicken comes in a complex, tasty sauce rather than something sweet, gooey and tomato-based you may have sampled elsewhere.

For non-meat eaters, the paneer (2,200 HUF) is a substantial, nutritious and communal portion of homemade Indian milk cheese, served with spicy mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables – for those who aren’t so fond of Indian sauces. There are also steamed onion strips at the bottom of the heated iron pot, which are cheerfully sizzling caramelised on our table as we dig in.

Just like the special-flavoured, hot yet cooling chicken pudina kebab (2,300 HUF), the main course is baked in a tandoori oven and soaked in a savoury/yogurt marinade with tandoori vegetables and spicy potatoes.

One of the specialities of the house is the chicken labadar (2,600 HUF), reminiscent of butter chicken, soft meat rich in spices, in a special marinated, cheesy, cashew-and-tomato sauce. The classic curry was the lamb vindaloo (3,200 HUF), here in lighter and hard-core versions. Meat cubes are covered in a thick, vinegary, coconut- milky, tomato sauce, and for the ideal accompaniment, you can ask for a cooling mango lassi to go with it.

Side dishes are a separate category in Indian cuisine, especially if there is a regular tandoori oven in the kitchen. This can start with the naan bread – the more blistering the better. In the case of Rajkot, there’s not a single flat square centimetre to be found on the surface of their naan. The garlic variety (700 HUF) pushes the boat out, not just stroked with a brush like a Hungarian lángos. The onion kulcha (800 Ft) is a naan with onion filling, perfect for a starter with a little mint raita (650 HUF).

You don’t have to stick with plain white rice, there are a couple of spicy, fragrant basmati creations: a biryani (800 HUF) or a vegetable puwalo (1,300 HUF), enriched with cream, butter and paneer cheese, making the restaurant worth a visit for that alone.

There are two main types of dessert: on winter days, a hot Indian milk ball, gulab jamun (800 HUF), and on warmer days, or after a really hot curry, or the mango kulfi (1,100 HUF), the Indian version of milk-based flavoured ice cream.

If you’re coming here during the day, look out for the lunch menu, a vegetable (1,500 HUF) or a chicken curry (1,700 HUF) with rice.

Rajkot Palace District V. Nyáry Pál utca 9
Open: Daily noon-11pm