On our last day in Jaipur, as we had spare time for lunch before our flight back to Delhi, we decided to go with our driver’s recommendation for good local cuisine and we were brought to the Green Pigeon. We told him we wanted somewhere that serves authentic Indian food that locals would eat but we realised after we reached home that this place is actually pretty much for tourists.
When we arrived, the space surrounding the restaurant itself is pretty huge and they claim to serve lunch and dinner only. The main dining area itself is basically the courtyard of the area barricaded up with green fence with a small circular platform right at the centre of the entire courtyard. The dining area is mostly outdoor with some of its tables having shade from the made shift cloth roof and 10% of their tables directly under the burning sun in the afternoon. If you wish to get a shaded table, do come early during lunchtime.
As we sat down to order, we realised that this is kind of like the designated place where most guides and drivers bring their foreign tourist. I can see why as most of the waiters can communicate well in English and the restaurant is relatively clean and well kept to suit tourist’s expectations. The alfresco environment is also very popular with Western tourists but we were lucky it was winter so it was not too hot to sit outside. The prices are generally higher than the usual local stores and with conversion, it is relative to a meal in Singapore. The menu has a long list of western, local and Chinese delights for choice.
We had the aloo gobhi again as we really love this dish. This serving size was priced at 250 rupees which is SGD 4.88 and is definitely expensive for just potato and cauliflower. This version was dryer compared to the one we had earlier and there was not much of gravy but the potatoes and cauliflower was very soft and full of flavours
The rice serving was at 190 rupees which is SGD 3.80 and can be shared between 2 persons. Basmati rice is usually served and is fragrant and drier than the usual Chinese rice but complements the Indian curries and spices well.
Next was the Dal Mahani which was black lentils cooked with kidney beans, butter and cream. This dish was 320 rupees which amounts to SGD 6.25 and is definitely overpriced in my opinion. It is a large pot where we ate with our rice and roti and the taste was very creamy and smooth but I still find that it is not worth the price.
The chicken korma which was recommended by the server as the original chicken dish we wanted was sold out. The chicken korma was chicken chunks cooked in kesu nuts and yoghurt and some spices. This dish was 500 rupees which is SGD 9.76 and judging by the amount of meat given, I think the price is ok for foreigners but expensive for locals. This dish does not really suit my tastebud as the taste is somewhat milky and mild. The gravy and the chicken did not really complement it each and the yoghurt took over the flavours of the nuts.
We had this other mutton dish which I can’t recall the name and this dish was surprisingly very delicious. Although it looks spicy it is not and the gravy complimented the rice extremely well. The mutton was also tender and did not have a strong gamey taste. I also ordered the nann at 90 rupees each which came black and burnt but I had forgotten to take a picture of that. Doing a search on trip advisor will show that many other diners had burnt roti and nann as well.
The kitchen was also outdoor and located at the back of the restaurant so you can get some of the smoke from the tandoori grilling of the meats. There seems to be a side door leading to an indoor space but it was not open so I could not determine if there is indoor seating. The toilet is located at the front of the restaurant nearer to the entrance and is pretty clean and well kept.
Overall, the meal is ok in terms of taste and because of the exchange rate, the price was acceptable but comparing them to other local restaurants, there are definitely overpriced. The service standard is ok but takes time to actually get attention from the staff as they are so busy walking around. The wait for food for us was also quite long and we had to chase them at least twice.
Address: 983, West Govind Nager, Amer Rd, near Brihmpuri Thana, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302002, India
Operating hours: 11.30 am to 10 pm
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