Maharani: An Indian Experience

Two elephants at the entrance of the building, one elephant 10 steps later, two elephants at the entrance of the restaurant and many elephants at the restaurant itself of course. COULD THERE BE ANY MORE ELEPHANTS?! (A virtual high five to you if you know the reference) Framed pictures of painted Indian women were hung on the restaurant’s walls. Some Indian props to take photos with at the receptionist’s desk as well. The colour scheme consisted of salmon orange, beige and brown. A true Indian experience for someone who hasn’t been to India before (or even near it). Maybe some Indian music would have made it more delightful, though. Other than that, I was fascinated by the general Indian atmosphere at Maharani‘s.

Before I get into details about the food, you should know that I am a fussy eater. I am very picky when it comes to food; I judge it based on its look and smell before its taste. If I don’t like it, I don’t eat it. I can’t even force myself to if I want. So it is safe to say that you can trust my taste in food.

There was a great variety of food on the menu at Maharani; a category for meat people, for chicken people and even for vegetarians. The names of the dishes were appealing and they were clearly described on the menu. It took us about 30 minutes to finally decide on our order though! I usually go for familiar dishes (I can’t risk it with food) so I ordered the Chicken Tikka plate. There are no side dishes to the main course meal so you will have to order it separately. FUN FACT: Did you know that Chicken Tikka is originally an Indian recipe?! I didn’t…

A restaurant that doesn’t let its customers wait for their food too long is everyone’s favourite restaurant. It took Maharani 15 minutes only to feed our hungry tummies. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the plates as they set them on our table. The food looked very appetising; it looked very colorful and pretty with all the herbs, spices and seasons sprinkled on it. It didn’t have any distinctive smell but all the plates smelled herbal. The food was presented nicely; the plates themselves looked lovely. The rice was even presented in a(n Indian) clay jar.

Vegetable Biryani Basmati Rice

The rice we ordered was yellow basmati rice mixed with vegetables. It tasted like proper basmati rice, herby (or maybe that’s just how I like it). The chicken tikka plate I ordered had five pieces of chicken. It looked red which got me worrying at first, but once I took a bite of it my taste buds were very pleased. The chicken pieces were infused with seasons and spices. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like its chicken juicy (like me), then this is the plate for you.

Chicken Tikka

My friends ordered less familiar dishes which all turned out to be very delicious as well. They ordered Alloo Nan, Lamb Stew, Lasooni Tikka, Butter Chicken and Muglai Chicken. The thing about Maharani is that its plates might look small but they surprisingly make you feel full. I couldn’t finish my five pieces of chicken! Another thing we all agreed on was that their food was perfectly spiced; it was neither tasteless nor too spicy.

Alloo Nan

Lamb Stew

Lasooni Tikka

For dessert, we ordered the famous Coconut Ice Cream which was presented in a coconut shell. I would have never tried a coconut ice cream if it wasn’t for Maharani’s real coconut shell. I was very fascinated by it. I kept checking it for quite some time before I actually ate the ice cream. The ice cream tasted exactly of coconut, maybe the flavour wasn’t as strong as I expected it to be, but the coconut was definitely in there. It was refreshing and light on the stomach, especially after having a square Indian meal.

Coconut Ice Cream

I, my friends and our tummies had a great time at Maharani, from the minute we entered the restaurant till the minute we left. The restaurant itself was lovely, the service was quick and the food was yummy. Not only did we eat Indian food, but we enjoyed a very delicious meal as well. That night, I showed my mum the photos of their food, and I kept ranting about how tasty it was that she wanted to order Maharani late at night! I am definitely taking my mum to Maharani soon. You should all give it a try sometime.

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