Udaipur - Bhairo
Spring 2008
Frank's view 
'great view, shame about the cooking'
Bahaira, the rooftop restaurant of the Lake Palace hotel, is frustrating.
The setting is spectacular, the menu, spectacularly awful.When Octopussy instructed her staff to ‘extend to Mr Bond every courtesy’ in the movie located in the stunning Lake Palace, did she really mean, offer him salmon on mash or chicken supreme with a jacket potato?
The hotel web site talks of Asian fusion food, but our menu was more 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'.
India does not do fine Western cuisine at all well.
Whilst mesmerised by the view across the lake to the city and floodlit palaces, we looked down at the menu card and prayed that it would metamorphose into an exotic Indian banquet.
The endless loop of Spanish guitar playing Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits added to our woe.
This was tragic.
In the end, the ambience won. This restaurant has an extraordinary setting, and could instantly become the world’s best bar / restaurant.
The camel’s companion chewed on asparagus followed by duck with more mash. As for me, I tried to resolve the incongruous juxtaposition of ancient India with tough, grilled Atlantic scallops.
What a waste.
Bhairo
Lake Palace Hotel
Lake Pichola
Udaipur
+91 294 242 8800
Link to restaurant
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
