Khaa ke Dekh - HYD

Location: Deloitte Gate near Wipro Circle

Timings:  11AM to 11PM. 

Cost for 2: Rs.400

Taste: 7/10 - Most of the points go to the biryani 

Service: 6/10

Ambience: 6/10

One of the caveats of living away from the city you grew up in, is missing the local food. The tastes and smells you grew up with and the dishes you lived on. 

One of the dishes my Calcutta friends always talk about from back home is the Calcutta Biryani. In the regular biryani wars, HYD biryani is always not favoured by them. They miss the lack of spice, the free, saffrony rice and most of all the huge, whole potato served with the Cal biryani.

Khaa ke dekh has finally helped all previous residents of Kolkata get a taste of the ever-loved Cal biryani. Located close to the Wipro circle and outside the Deloitte office, Khaa ke dekh looks like any other nondescript restaurant serving tasty food to the surrounding office-goers. 

But then someone discovered the elusive Calcutta biriyani - rightly so because of the popularity of the Hyderabadi version. And now khaa ke dekh is the rage among everyone who has grown up eating Calcutta biriyani and among newbie addicts like me.

What's so special about it? Its fragrant, yellow, saffron flavoured basmati rice which is not overpowered by the chicken masala. It's the similarly boiled, saffron flavored potato, which is more popular than the meat even amongst the more hardcore meat-eaters. It's also the moist piece of chicken/mutton cooked in mild spices served underneath the mountain of rice -  the combination is to die for. 

If you haven't grown up eating this, then you definitely need to savour this dish with an open mind. Cal biryani is far more subtle in its flavours than its HYD cousin. If you love saffron and rice, then this is your dish.

Aloo dum

They also serve regular north Indian fare which is homely and simple. The aloo dum was sufficiently spiced and wasn't oily. I wouldn't spend any stomach space for their starters - they were average. Their chicken chaap (another Mughlai dish) and butter chicken is also popular.

At Khaa ke Dekh, forget the starters and dive straight to their biryani and chicken curries. They also serve other popular Bengali dishes like luchi and kosha mangsho on request over the weekends.

~Donnobaad!~

Chettinadu Vilas (Food Truck) - HYD

Location: Gachibowli Road ahead of Wantons and Vodafone on the service road.

Timings:  5PM to 10PM. 

Cost for 2: Rs.300

Taste: 8/10 - The most authentic Chettinadu taste 

Service: 8/10

Ambience: 6/10 - well it is street food.

And the food truck craze is here in HYD! But then India has always been one of the leaders in street food. There is no Indian state which doesn't boast of its special street dish, the taste of which a 5-star hotel can never achieve. It's about the ambience and the fresh preparation that makes street food what it is.

There is now a growing market for food trucks all around the world, especially in the US and UK. That's their street food. Food trucks in India play an essential role of serving street food in probably more hygienic conditions. In HYD, we've so far seen only dosa food trucks and Chettinadu Vilas introduces us to, as the name suggests, the chettinadu cuisine. And it's a good introduction.

Source: Chettinadu Vilas

Run by a Chennai native, Chettinadu Vilas menu mainly consists of idlis and dosai. Both are served with either vegetarian or non-vegetarian curries. If you like your idli or dosai with chicken curry, this is the place to go. When we spoke to the owner, she also mentioned how she employs underprivileged women to work on the dishes' prep at the base kitchen. Yay, woman power!

This is a must try dish on their menu - idlis with chettinadu chicken curry. The bland, soft, Tamil style idlis provide a good base to the spicy, flavourful Chettinadu chicken. Finely chopped chicken pieces are cooked into a gravy with a mix of strong spices, like pepper, cinnamon, cloves, onions and it has the quintessential Chettinadu taste. 

We also tried the idlis with ghee and karam podi. The idlis were roasted with a seasoning of the podi, urad dal and ghee. Though not their star dish, it was good nonetheless. 

For a vegetarian, this would be the dish of the day. Chettinadu Vilas serves one of the better adais I have eaten in recent times. Adai dosa is different and healthier than a regular dosa with the addition of more lentils like bengal gram and toor dal, green chillis and sometimes ginger. Slightly crisp, the adai was prepared thicker than a regular dosai and served with a light layer of butter on top. The salty butter adds an additional complementary dimension to the adai's taste.

We also had the Chettinadu chicken dosai. This is a classic combination and Chettinadu Vilas does it brilliantly. It tastes homemade and isn't too heavy on spices. The same chicken served the idlis above is served here in a dry form.

Another call out is their sambar and chutney. They serve all their dishes with a spicy, flavourful sambar, fresh coconut chutney and a spicy, tangy tomato chutney. They also have mutton curry served with idli and dosai if you love your dosai with mutton. The only thing which would make this meal perfect would be some dessert which we were told is on the cards.

So head over to Chettinadu Vilas for a fix of delicious and spicy Chettinadu fare.

~Vanakam!~

Akson Cafeteria - HYD

Couple of years ago there were tons of Kerala restaurants started cropping up in Hyderabad. Every major location in the city had their favourite Mallu restaurant. But the quality dwindled down subsequently. Right now it's hard to find a good Mallu restaurant which serves consistently good tasting Kerala cuisine. But Akson has been around for longer - unknown yet popular among the daily diners of the place and the off chance someone discovers it to eat Mallu food.

Akson Cafeteria has been around for 30 years in near Ameerpet serving authentic Kerala cuisine. It's a small, no-frills restaurant with no AC but they churn out some Kerala goodness by the minute. As you enter you can see the flaky parota being made hot and quick for the constant orders.

We started with the cuisine favourite, karimeen fry. Fresh pearlspot fish coated with spices and fried to perfection. The fish was plump and meaty with a crunchy coating. Do not miss this for a taste of true fish fry delight.

For main course, we had the chicken curry with parota. The chicken was succulent, well marinated and covered with a peppery gravy. The taste of whole spices with onions and chicken is what makes the Kerala chicken curry so good.

We also had the prawn curry. I did not like it much as the prawns were overcooked and the gravy was a standard tomato gravy. I would skip this the next time and stick to the chicken curry. 

Akson Cafeteria doesn't have a long list of Kerala dishes, but the limited number they have is authentic and filling. Their meals also looked good - something to try the next time. 

Location: Punjagutta

Timings:  12.30PM to 10.30PM. 

Cost for 2: Rs.300

Taste: 6/10 - Mostly for the chicken and the fish.

Service: 7/10 - knowing Malayalam helps

Ambience: 5/10

Dakshin - HYD

There was a time when 5-star hotels were not known for their food. They were thought to have pretentious, bland Indian food catering to the expat crowd. The first of the 5-star hotels which I always heard of having great food was ITC Hotels. Their restaurants are legendary with Bukhara in Delhi leading it. Their pub, Dublin, is also a pretty popular watering hole, if I may call it that. 

A few years ago, me and my friends decided to have a fancy dinner together and we chose Dakshin. We laughed about having chosen a South Indian thali instead of a la carte and how our parents would scorn on the amount spent for something which is so normal in any South Indian restaurant. So a few days ago when we wanted to try a different 5-star and cuisine, Dakshin was a no-brainer. Because one bite of Dakshin's food and you don't mind any of the scorns from your parents or the price! Although 70% of the thali is regular South Indian meals dishes, it's the other 30% which tantalizes your taste buds. The food tastes like it's been prepared with love and utmost respect to the traditional recipes. Additionally, the relaxed environment of Dakshin helps you enjoy your meal much better than a regular restaurant and that perhaps is what you are paying for as well.

The restaurant is elegant with a South Indian feel with an urli welcoming you and the servers are in South Indian clothing of mundus, cotton shirts and sandals. The room slowly fills with the aromas of the dosa and appams being made fresh in front of you. The menu is designed like the beautiful wooden doors of the yesteryears. 

Dakshin serves South Indian food from the four major south Indian states - Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. They serve simple, home dishes like kaalu saaru (thin gravy of pulses from Karnataka), vatha kuzhambu (onion curry from Tamil Nadu) and Malabar chicken curry (from Kerala). Their Hyderabadi fare is also very popular with their pappus and chutneys.

We got our favourite order of the thali which was what bowled us over all those years ago. It's also a good representative of all four states. 

As appetizers, we were served soft mini adais, well seasoned paniyarams and my favourite, banana paniyarams! They remind me of the ghee modaks we make at home. Made flat like a dosa and rich in banana, ghee and jaggery, they just melt in your mouth. I could eat it all day and not be tired of it. Just make sure you don't calorie count.  These are served with a garlic-mango pickle, fresh coconut-green chilli chutney, spicy ginger chutney and a tamarind chutney with peanut and mustard tempering. It goes without saying that all were well-prepared and tasty and the best part is these are unlimited. 

We were also served soup in the form of rasam. Though this is not the popular way of having rasam, you will be happy just having the rasam with no interruptions from rice. It was piping hot and had well balanced flavours of tangy, peppery and spicy. You will be sweating while having it because of the heat and spice levels but you just can't stop. It tastes home-made and is perfect.

It's hard to remind yourself that there is a whole thali waiting for you while you eat the delicious starters and that it is as scrumptious as the starters. The vegetarian thali comes with the day's special of 2 dry curries, pappu, avial, vatha kuzhambu and sambhar representing all regions well. The non-vegetarian thali comes with a chicken curry and pan-fried fish with same vegetarian curries. If you are a seafood fan, choose their generous seafood thali which serves crab, prawns and fried fish. My friend who had the seafood thali exclaimed he has never seen such big prawns being served. We also couldn't stop eating the pan-fried fish. It was a flaky, soft, fresh fish fillet perfectly spiced with red chilli powder, turmeric and salt, gently pan fried and served. 

The curries are eaten with appams (which comes with thick, delicious, sweet coconut milk), Kerala parotas amd rice. But before you move to rice, do not miss their pulaos especially the chicken pulao. Perfectly moist chicken pieces cooked brilliantly with fluffy rice and a mix of whole spices like cardamom, cloves, jeera and bay leaves. There is an equally delicious version of the vegetarian pulao. The sweet provided is usually a dry sweet like boondi laddu or kajas. End the meal with the spiced South Indian style paan which also helps in digesting all the amazing food.

I recommend eating lunch at Dakshin. The sheer amount of food and deliciousness which fills you in the end is best enjoyed with an afternoon seista! So next time you want an excuse to celebrate but also want to have a normal thali, go to Dakshin!

Location: Begumpet

Timings:  12.30PM to 3PM and 7.30PM to 12AM. 

Cost for 2: Rs.3000

Taste: 8/10 - half of the points go to the banana paniyarams!

Service: 9/10 - attentive and helpful staff

Ambience: 8/10

Naturals Ice Cream - HYD

This post is going to be short and mango-liciously sweet! If you still haven't gone to Naturals for their amazing Alphonso mango with ice cream, then you are missing something amazing! The sweet juicy mango pieces served with malai or mango ice cream is the best respite this summer!

And if for some weird reason you can't or don't want to eat mango, you can still gorge on their other popular and delicous natural ice creams like their rise to fame flavour, tender coconut, or chickoo. Or if you want to be very adventurous try their cucumber ice cream which is a new entry this season (it could be a weird sounding flavour but it grew on me).

So go now before the mango season ends!

Location: Srinagar Colony

Timings:  12PM to 10.30PM. 

Cost for 2: Rs.50 per scoop; Rs.110 for Alphonso mango with a scoop of ice cream

Taste: 9/10

Service: 8/10

Ambience: 6/10

Menchie's - HYD

It's summer time. It's not my favourite season. It's so hot and blistering! Sigh! These are the times for some sun block, hats, Rasna and of course, ICE CREAM! In the Hyderabad heat, the sweet, cold milk going down your parched throat is life-saving! But ice cream comes with the guilt of calories, for those of us who count them, that is. Thick, creamy milk with sugar and flavour! So many calories!

Though it's been around globally for a while now, Frozen Yogurt, lovingly known as FroYo, is a relatively new phenomenon in Hyderabad. A few years ago, when FroYo first came to the market there weren't many takers. Even now FroYo is probably is not as popular as ice cream. But if you count calories and want a low fat dessert, choose FroYo! It's creamy, sweet and has the health benefits of yogurt.

FroYo is huge in California. Some of the most popular FroYo brands started there and Menchie's is not different. What I love about Menchie's other than the almost 10-14 flavours of FroYo they serve is the self-serve concept. You need to go there to know it. Making your own almost healthy sundae with various flavours and all the various toppings they offer is fun and satisfying.

My favourite and a regular flavour of Menchie's is the chocolate cake flavour. They change their flavours every week and always have a fruit based sorbet (water-based ice dessert) in case you are not in the mood for diary. If they are reading this, I am waiting for the tart flavour which is my ultimate favourite! You can drizzle your sundae with their popular caramel sauce or chocolate sauce and be in dessert heaven.

What is more amazing is that you pay for how much FroYo you want to eat. Priced at Re.1/gram, it depends how much of the cold dessert you are craving. So visit Menchie's for soothing the parched throat and have fun making your own sundae!

Location: Jubilee Hills, Road no 36

Timings:  10AM to 10.30PM. 

Cost for 2: Re.1/gram of FroYo. Go crazy!

Taste: 9/10

Service: 8/10 - They are always there to help you with tasting the various flavours and making your sundae

Ambience: 7/10

Mozza - HYD

There is an Italian revolution happening in Hyderabad. The love for thin crust pizza has led many food entrepreneurs to come up with their versions of the social dish and with it the offering of the usual Italian fare of pizzas and desserts. I can count atleast 10 different stand alone restaurants serving Italian food in the past 6 months. 

Mozza is one the new entrants that opened a couple of weeks ago. They have decorated the small place appropriately with a huge wallpaper of the Colosseum and pretty lights above each table.

We started with their cream of mushroom soup. It is one of the better mushroom soups I've had though I've never had bad mushroom soup ever. Mozza's soup is creamy and spicy. I love the use of black pepper and Italian herbs which gives this soup character. It also helps enhance the taste of the mushroom. It's a pity Hyderabad isn't going to be cold for a while as this would be the perfect soup to have during winters!

The garlic bread with cheese was crunchy and buttery. The bread used was fresh which helped in the crunchy crust with soft crumbs. The garlic butter was additionally flavoured with pesto - they have good pesto. We also had the bruschetta with peppers which was essentially the garlic bread topped with fresh red and green peppers. If you count calories and want to avoid cheese, have this dish. However, the lack of butter makes the overall taste a little dry.

Coming to their main dish - the pizza! Most of the thin crust pizza places have really thin slices of pizza. Though they are tasty mainly because of their toppings and cheese, a good pizza should have a hearty crust. Mozza has managed to find that balance of a thin crust pizza experience with a nice, slightly thick crust. It's not as thick as a Pizza Hut or Domino's pizza but it's not paper thin either. We tried four different pizzas and the use of fresh ingredients is evident. But their sauce is what takes their pizza up a notch. I totally loved my pesto pizza with sundried tomatoes (which were slightly burnt but not too bad) and olives. 

If you like tomato sauce on pizza, Mozza serves a spicier and peppery version of it. Though it might not be liked by those who can't handle spice, it nevertheless adds a nice zing to the pizza. 

We were too full to try their pastas and dessert, but I would definitely go here for a pizza fix. Mozza also has free home delivery if you are in the mood for a TV dinner or planning a pizza party. 

Location: Madhapur

Timings:  11.30AM to 10.30PM. 

Cost for 2: Rs. 500

Taste: 7/10 - only for their starters 

Service: 5/10 - They were pretty slow in serving the soup and the garlic bread

Ambience: 6/10