Where are you eating this weekend?

Royal cuisine has always appealed to diners around the world, especially those of us whose blood runs more red than blue. Naya aims to offer a taste thereof with its Maharaja Feast, a new north Indian weekend lunch menu.

Chef Pravish Shetty starts with a winning threesome — aloo methi tikki, a subtly spiced, nice and dense potato patty topped with mint chutney and potato chips; fish Amritsari, with a slightly-too-stodgy batter although the tangy caraway marinade ties it to the other items on the plate; and dahi puri chaat, a perfect, almost-too-big mouthful with more tanginess, a personal favourite.

I’m not a fan of tandoor items, so the next platter didn’t do much for me, although the homemade paneer tikka is exceptional — creamy and yoghurt-marinated, it’s elevated by a mango chutney stuffing. It sits alongside juicy chicken, which unfortunately doesn’t offer much by way of flavour; a spicy lamb kebab that’s as tender as they come; and a potato-and-beetroot mash combo that adds an interesting taste but doesn’t complement anything on the plate.

Six curries follow — chicken, paneer and dal makhani, lamb rogan josh, vegetable, and masala prawn. The meat in each is done just right; you can separate the mutton with a fork, the chicken is succulent and prawn is still dense. The latter stands out with its strong pepper and garlic flavours tempered by tomato, coriander and coconut milk. Be warned — this is a very rich course, which is also why plain rice would have worked better. The saffron variety, though lovely, is just too fragrant and jostles against the curries for supremacy.

The dessert plate is refreshingly devoid of the ubiquitous too-sweet, too-stodgy fare. A light ras malai, the most aromatic gulab jamun I’ve ever had, and an amazing mango kulfi.

It’s as easy to overeat here as was probably the case for the royals of yore. And at Dh150, it’s priced for us common folk.

Naya, Jumeirah Beach Hotel; 04 406 8738; jumeirah.com