Overview
- Signature Dishes: Pumpkin curry with mint and coconut, Kashmiri pulao
- Opening Times & Days: 8:00 am to 10:00 pm, daily
- Address: 14 Bajrang Marg, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
- Contact: N/A
- Reservation: No
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Summary
Queen Cafe Udaipur is a quaint yet homely cafe set in an Indian family home. The restaurant is run by Meenu while her mother is the wonderful cook of several home made vegetarian dishes. The atmosphere is homely and welcoming. We dined here on two occasions so we could sample a few more of the lip-smacking dishes.
Queen Cafe Udaipur
Queen Cafe Udaipur is a lovely, homely cafe located in Meenu’s maternal home. The cafe is set in the downstairs area of Meenu’s mother’s house with the kitchen located upstairs.
Meenu is a friendly, bubbly and very entrepreneurial Indian woman who also provides Indian cooking classes in her house nearby as well as walking tours of the nearby villages. While Meenu runs the business side of Queen Cafe Udaipur, Meenu’s mother is the main and only cook here, and does she cook up an Indian storm! Her Indian vegetarian dishes are some of the best meals we had on our trip around India.
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The cafe itself is very small with a couple of tables and a sitting area on a mezzanine level upstairs. One table is located in front of the entrance while another larger table is located in a den below. We had lunch at this cafe on two occasions and both times we sat in the den.
The atmosphere here is homely and welcoming however it felt a little strange to us. When we first walked into the cafe, I felt like I was intruding into another family’s home especially since Meenu and an Indian family were having lunch upstairs. However, as we got more used to the idea we didn’t feel as awkward as we initially did.
Meenu and her mother are very friendly and hospitable people. While Meenu speaks perfect English, her mother doesn’t. Nevertheless, Meenu usually takes the orders and organises everything with her mother.
16th November, 2013
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Before our lunch arrived, Graham ordered a Saffron lassi which is a specialty drink at this cafe. The lassi was the best lassi we had in India. The flavour was like no other lassi we had. It had the normal sourness with a little sweetness to it – it was a perfect combination. The taste of saffron with a hint of cardamon and cinnamon was subtle but added so much to the lassi.
For lunch, we ordered Kashmiri Pulao and Baigan Curry with Chappatis.
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Kashmiri pulao is a very fancy pulao, or mixed rice from the North Indian state of Kashmir. The Kashmiri cuisine is famous for using a huge assortment of nuts and dried fruits from all over Central and Western Asia. It is an aromatic, sweet, mild and colorful pulao unlike any other Indian pulao.
The Kashmiri pulao here consisted of rice and vegetables, dried fruits and nuts, assorted spices and topped with grated cottage cheese. I’m not of a fan of savoury food but I really liked this dish. It was so rich in flavours that every bite oozed with a variety of different tastes and textures. The combination of the sweet fruits, with the rice and vegetables, and the spices blended in, merged together really well. The various textures of the crunchy nuts and the soft cheese mixed together with the firm rice and vegetables was delightful to have in this dish.
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The Baigan (eggplant or aubergine) curry with mint and coconut was very different to what we expected. We were expecting a coconut milk curry with soft purple baigan and mint flavor in the sauce. Instead, the baigan was green and firm, the coconut was desiccated and the mint was fresh. Upon eating it, the first thing that hit us was the spices; it wasn’t hot, instead it provided more depth to the flavor. The following tastes were a concoction of the rest of the ingredients – baigan, mint and coconut – which made a tasty and delicious combination. This was a great dish even though it wasn’t what we were initially expecting.
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The Chappatis were lightly crisped and still moist and soft. These went well with the baigan curry.
18th November, 2013
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We loved the home cooked food at Queen Cafe Udaipur so much the first time we had to come back here for seconds.
For our second lunch here we ordered two mains – Stuffed Baigan with Potato, Cheese and Tomato & Pumpkin Curry with Mint and Coconut – with Chapattis.
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Stuffed baigan with potato, cheese and tomato wasn’t really stuffed baigain. Instead the mash of potato, cheese and tomato was mixed into the gravy. It still tasted really good and we enjoyed this dish.
The baigan was the small, green variety rather than the long purple ones that we are used to back home. Unlike the purple variety which gets a soft texture upon cooking, the green baigan had a firm texture. The stuffing was combined together really well so that we could taste all the elements without any one overpowering the rest. While the stuffing was really good, it was the sauce that made the dish. While it was mildly spiced, it was the real mix of spices blended into the sauce that added real depth to this dish.
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Pumpkin curry with mint and coconut is one of the most popular dishes for Queen Cafe Udaipur. Although people in many countries don’t eat pumpkin, it goes superbly with the coconut and mint in this dish. The difference in the textures between the dessicated coconut, crunchy mint, and soft pumpkin together in the spicy sauce made for an interesting and varied combination.
Queen Cafe Udaipur also produces their own line of spice mixes which is like a chaat masala that adds more flavour to the dish. Just a sprinkle of the chaat masala on any dish enhances the flavour and brings out the natural goodness of the meal.
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While Queen Cafe Udaipur pride themselves on their chocolate desserts such as chocolate balls, we wanted to try an Indian dessert so we opted for a plate of kheer.
Kheer is a popular Indian dessert or pudding made by boiling rice with milk and sugar. It is flavoured with cloves, cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashew nuts, pistachios or almonds. It is mostly prepared for festivals and special occasions.
The kheer made by Queen Cafe Udaipur was absolutely delicious. The sweetened and thickened milk combined with the rice and spices made this dish taste better than expected. The whole spices (cloves and cardamom pods) imparted a lot of flavour into the milky rice and this is what made this dish really good.
Remember to identify the whole spices and not chew them as they are not removed before the dessert is served. The nuts and raisins are definitely worth eating and taste really great in this dish.
Don’t tell mum but this rice pudding is way better than hers.
We loved Queen Cafe Udaipur so much that we had lunch here on two occasions so we could try out multiple dishes at this homely cafe. Meenu’s mum is such a lovely person and a wonderful cook. If you do happen to eat here and love it, do try one of the cooking classes at Meenu’s house as it is an Indian tradition to pass down secret recipes from one generation to the next.
