Haveli - Scary Good!

I think it’s been a while since I wrote about restaurants. I do eat in a few now and then but never got to pen them down. So here is one.

Haveli is near the downtown of Middletown and is a little far-off from the highway. It was not a planned visit for me, I generally go to Udupi and on Mondays it is closed so decided to try this one. When I arrived there, the place caught me by surprise, It was in a turning below a huge rock and had a rustic look, if not for the GPS I think I would have easily missed it. Haveli to me is more of a Rajasthani Mansion with garden and I have seen a few. But this one looked like a rich vilan's house with cheetahs inviting at the door. The door itself was a sturdy wood with a metal knob and there was no feel of a restaurant inside.

Inspite of the spookiness I barged in and was perplexed to find more of the mansion feel inside. A waiter took me to the table immediately and gave a menu card. There was nothing different about the dishes though. It was a typical North Indian (in US) restaurant's menu. I decided to go for a Thali (full meals) as I was really hungry. Within minutes he came back with the starter samosa and tea. They were small and nice. Tea was good as well, but had to mention Indian chai, else would have got hot black water. The soup was also quick after this, followed by the food platter with rice, curries (4), dhal, yogurt, chapatti & dessert. The taste was really good and the swiftness was impressive. The food was light too, not oily at all. Mine was vegetarian so not sure how the non-veg would taste. The total cost felt a bit on the higher end, seemed OK for once in a while visit.

The settings inside gave a clean and rich look with huge paintings and sculptures, it was different. Definitely worth a visit, if you manage to get past the scary outlook :)!