We spoke with The Leela Palace New Delhi's Indian Master Chef about the expansion of the Maharaja Table offering, an eight course bespoke Indian meal with a definite opulent after taste, introduced recently at the hotel's Indian restaurant, Jamavar.

BW HOTELIER caught up with the Leela Palace New Delhi’s Indian Master Chef Vinod Saini during the expansion of the Maharaja Table at the Jamavar restaurant in the hotel. Saini had created a bespoke tasting menu and presented it to select diners.

“The concept of ‘Maharaja Table’ arose from the idea that we wanted the guests to experience royalty in all its grandeur. It offers an intimate and exclusive seating for a group of eight in a private area. The Maharaja experience also consists of expensive custom made show plates, bespoke silver cutlery and crockery that draw in that aura of sophistication. Guests are welcomed with a kesar thandai sharbat followed by an amuse bouche and a pre-plated kebab platter. A special sandalwood sorbet also features in the menu,” Saini told me.

“We don’t stick to a particular regional cuisine because that signifies boundaries and Maharaja dining experience has none of that. Awadhi, Hyderabadi, modern Indian, North Wes Frontier and South Indian dishes all feature on our menu,” he said, adding that one of the highlights of the meal (for non-vegetarians) as the signature Raan-e-Jamavaar which is a leg of lamb marinated in spices, grilled in a tandoor and served with a splash of flaming rum.

The menu of the Maharaja experience will change according to season and be fine-tuned according to guest feedback. “It’s also about upping the ante by using great ingredients sourced from the best markets. While most of the ingredients are sourced from India, including the morels and saffron from Kashmir and import some of the more exotic items like truffle oil and shiitake mushrooms,” he told us.

Since the offerings are royal yet modern, there are many techniques like oven roasting, slow cooking, food compressing used to prepare the meal, Saini added.

Similar Maharaja Menus are available at Jamavar present in five of Leela properties in India (Bangalore, Chennai, New Delhi, Goa and Mumbai).

“It is an evolving menu but we will retain the signature items of the restaurant always. The signature Maharaja items may or may not evolve given the popularity and the demand. As of now it looks that people have simply loved the whole menu we have curated,” Saini said.

“This year we have expanded our offerings from four courses to eight, making the experience more elaborate and the guests have loved it. We want the experience to be exclusive, but we encourage our guests to pre-book the meal and come and have a truly royal experience,” he concluded.

The menu costs around Rs 10,000 a head and needs a minimum of 24 hours’ notice.