I don't give a lot of five-star reviews, and to be honest I'm second-guessing myself a little bit right now for giving five stars to a place that's not really much to write home about. But bear with me...
Maharaja Palace was the best meal we had in Gran Canaria. Maybe we were unlucky in choosing the other places we ate, maybe I'm getting old and boring, maybe I needed a break from jamon serrano... I dunno. But we came away from our meal at Maharaja Palace very satisfied and very happy.
The restaurant is on one of the middle floors of the Yumbo Centrum shopping mall, carefully tucked in between a couple of other restaurants, and with space for maybe 40-50 people. The menu is extensive, and you wonder to yourself how they create all of those dishes from the tiny kitchen in the back.
We ordered a couple of fried things to start (samosas and something else) which were great. Then a few sauced dishes (chicken korma and paneer tikka masala), along with rice and naan for dinner. Our daughter had the chicken rice, which she loved (very simple, perfect for kids). And we had a few cocktails and beers to wash it all down. Our server was a charming Scottish woman who chatted up my wife after dinner.
The food was very flavorful, and the portions were ample. But there wasn't much heat, so about halfway through our meal, I had the brilliant idea to ask for a chili sauce. What came back was a bright green sauce that I thought might just be a mint chutney, but it was a seriously spicy sauce that made everything better. It was hot, spicy, and delicious, and it totally made the meal.
On the down side, the food was pretty slow to come out (I think we hit them at a busy time), the cocktails were a little weak, and the overall decor could have used some tweaking. In a different situation, this could have been a three-star review. But we had a good time, so it's not. read more