Indian gastronomic surprises in Ramle - Travel Features - Israel travel and tourism

With its authentic food and great prices, a meal in Maharaja in Ramle is one of the more worthwhile Indian experiences that Israel has to offer.

You will find Maharaja situated on the main street in Ramle. One glance at the old tables and chairs placed in the rear of a spice and convenience store and you'll spot the restaurant. The waiter who brought us the menus confirms that even a smile can have an accent. To warm up our jaw muscles, we tucked into some naan bread, Indian pitta that will cost you all of 2 NIS that we seasoned with the three toppings placed in front of us: coriander, sweet and spicy.

We opted for two starters and a main course with an option to increase the size of the portion for two or more people. For main course we ordered the Bengan Masala, which is an eggplant dish in a vindaloo sauce. 25 NIS will get you a heaped dish of hot eggplant salad and red sauce, spiced according to your preference. The flavors were excellent and were it not for our greed in ordering too many dishes, we would have finished off every last morsel.

Among all of the dishes we had on the table, the tastiest was Maharaja's special combination, costing 35 NIS-a mixed platter of Pani Puri, consisting of three different varieties of small Indian breads stuffed with lentils, vegetables and yoghurt. The plate contained twelve of these plus a large salad, a portion that could easily suffice as a main meal.

As an additional starter, for those of you who are still undecided, we recommend the Rajada Patis dish - seasoned humus with a potato burger priced at 17 NIS.

The portions in Maharaja are very generous. Despite the old-fashioned furniture inside the restaurant and the market-place atmosphere outside, the fresh food definitely makes an impression. The two kilos of sugar packed into the balls of Golub Jamun will kill any bugs that even dare to try. 8 NIS will get you this dessert and it's mandatory. Two cups of mint tea on the side make an excellent finish to one of the best Indian meals we could have asked for.

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