Date: 05 April 2019
Venue: Bikaner, Rajasthan

What does travel mean to us? It is not only doing the sights but also exploring the music, arts, crafts and last but not least, food. During our recent trip to Bikaner, our host at Gaj Kesri very generously arranged for a Marwari Thali lunch at his ancestral property Bhanwar Niwas in the old city.

Marwaris are a business community originating in Rajasthan. That have been an industrious lot and business took them to all over India. There is a huge Marwari community based in Kolkata as well. Sunil Rampuria, owner of Gaj Kesri, is a Marwari from Kolkata who later moved back to Bikaner. Thus the food at his establishments is Rajasthani at heart with some Kolkata influence that is somewhat integrated in the Marwari culture.

The Marwari Thali when served had our eyes popping out. It was huge and full. There were small bowls all around with breads and papad at the centre.  Rajasthani cuisine is known for its play on grains and cereals. The Thali reflected that. It was all vegetarian and looked interesting yet nutritious.

We loved the “Khichda” which was millets cooked to softness with some mild seasoning.  This bland dish was to be had with sweetened tamarind water to add some taste as well as cool the system. Khichda is a clear instance of how Indian food is reflective of the topography and climate of a region.  Another dish that was new to us was the Rajasthani Badi. Badis are dried lentil dumplings that are added to various items.  Almost every part of India has its own version of this spiced nugget. It ups the protein content of a dish while enhancing the taste. The Badis on this Thali were larger and way more aromatic than any variety we had before. It had runny gravy that we had with corn Pulao on the dish. The other most unusual dish was the Kakdi-Angoor ki Sabji. Kakdi is a larger variety of cucumber consumed as vegetable in North India. Kakdi had been combined with grapes and cooked in a thick sauce. It was one of the heavier dishes on the menu and clearly a delicacy. The richness of this dish was perfectly balanced by the tart of the grapes and while typing this post, our mouths are watering. We also had a potato dish, a vegetable dish – Chachita and a variety of breads, precisely Puris. For desserts, we had Rajbhog. This is a fragrant and larger version of the Roshogolla, a delicacy from Kolkata. The Bengali between us was very very happy.

This post would be incomplete without a little description of Bhanwar Niwas. It is home to the owners that they have opened for the guests. The whole place is beautifully done up in colonial art-deco style. The spacious rooms, poster beds, swing benches and very Victorian drawing rooms and parlours are direct time travel back atleast a 100 years.  In fact, when we entered the dining room, what with its soft painted walls, vintage chandeliers and long dining table perfectly laid out for our group, the first impression was – wish we could have run out and change from our shorts and tees to something more elegant. This combination of art and opulence, in all its subtlety is definitely a skill that Mr. Rampuria has mastered.  If you are a honey mooning couple or want to soak the understated luxury of classical Rajasthani lifestyle, we strongly recommend this place.

While at Gaj Kesri or Bhanwar Niwas do request the Marwari Thali at least a day in advance. Evidently, it calls for a lot of prep time.  Coming back to our trip, we did many things in Bikaner, but the authentic Marwari Thali in style satiated the taste buds as well as wanderlust in us. Without this, our trip would have been incomplete.