Jal Mahal SWEETS (MI Rd; ice creams ₹12-110; h10am-midnight)
$
This packed little takeaway ice-cream parlour has some inventive concoctions, from the earthquake to the after ate. Baskin Robbins SWEETS $ (Sanjay Marg; ice creams ₹20-150; hnoon11.30pm) Tucked into the edge of the Hotel
Gangaur’s compound is this pint-sized ice-cream pit stop.
o
LMB VEGETARIAN $$ (%2560845; Johari Bazaar; mains ₹95-190; h11.30am-3.30pm & 7-11pm) Laxmi Misthan
Bhandar, LMB to you and me, is a sattvik (pure vegetarian) restaurant in the Old City that’s been going strong since 1954. A welcoming AC refuge from frenzied Johari Bazaar, LMB is also an institution with its singular decor, attentive waiters and extensive sweet counter. The menu opens with a warning from Krishna about people who like tamasic (putrid and polluted food), which gets you into the sattvik mood. Try the Rajasthan thali followed by the signature kulfa, a fusion of kulfi and falooda with dry fruits and saffron. Ganesh Restaurant VEGETARIAN $ (%2312380; Nehru Bazaar; mains ₹50-90; h9.30am-11pm) This pocket-sized outdoor
restaurant is in a fantastic location on the top of the Old City wall near New Gate. The cook is in a pit on one side of the wall, so you can check out your pure vegetarian food being cooked. If you’re looking for a local eatery with fresh tasty food, such as paneer butter masala, you’ll love it. There’s an easyto-miss signpost, but no doubt a stallholder will show you the narrow stairway.
6
Drinking
oLassiwala
LASSI
(MI Rd; h7.30am till sold out) This famous,
much-imitated institution, opposite Niro’s, is a simple place that whips up fabulous, creamy lassis at ₹14/28 for a small/jumbo clay cup. Get there early to avoid disappointment! Will the real Lassiwala please stand up? It’s the one that says ‘Shop 312’ and ‘Since 1944’, directly next to the alleyway. Imitators spread to the right as you face it.
Indian Coffee House CAFE (MI Rd; coffee ₹11-15; h8am-9.30pm) Set back
from the street, down an alley, this tradition-
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Reds BAR (%4007710; 5th fl, Mall 21, Bhagwandas Marg; h11am-midnight Sun-Fri, 11am-1.30pm Sat) Over-
looking the Raj Mandir cinema and MI Rd with views to Tiger Fort, slick Reds is a great place to kick back with a drink or take a meal. Drop into one of the low-slung, redand-black couches with a beer (bottled or draught), cocktail or mocktail and enjoy the sound system. Polo Bar BAR (Rambagh Palace Hotel, Bhawan Singh Rd; hnoonmidnight) A spiffing watering hole adorned
with polo memorabilia and arched, scalloped windows framing the neatly clipped lawns. A bottle of beer costs ₹350 to ₹450 and cocktails around ₹450. Café Coffee Day CAFE (Country Inn Hotel, MI Rd; coffee ₹50-90) The fran-
chise that successfully delivers espresso to coffee addicts, as well as the occasional iced concoction and muffin, has several branches in Jaipur. In addition to this one, sniff out the brews at Paris Point on Sawai Jai Singh Hwy (aka Collectorate Rd), and near the exit point at Amber Fort.
3 Entertainment Jaipur isn’t a big late-night party town, although many hotels put on some sort of evening music, dance or puppet show. English-language films are occasionally screened at some cinemas in Jaipur – check the cinemas and local press for details. Raj Mandir Cinema CINEMA (%2379372; Baghwandas Marg; admission ₹50-110; hreservations 10am-6pm, screenings 12.30pm, 3.30pm, 6.30pm & 9.30pm) Just off MI Rd, Raj
Mandir is the place to go to see a Hindi film in India. This opulent cinema looks like a huge pink cream cake, with a meringue auditorium and a foyer somewhere between a temple and Disneyland. Bookings can be made one hour to seven days in advance at window Nos 7 and 8 – this is your best chance of securing a seat, although forget it in the early days of a new release. Alternatively, sharpen your elbows and join the
E ASTERN R A JASTHAN R A JASTHAN JDARIIPNUKRI N G D R I N K I N G
OLD CITY
al coffee house (a venerable co-op owned institution) offers a very pleasant cup of filtered coffee in very relaxed surroundings. Aficionados of Indian Coffee Houses will not be disappointed by the fan-cooled ambience. Inexpensive samosas, pakoras and dosas grace the snack menu.