F9 - HYD

So many new restaurants in Hyderabad! Continental and mixed international cuisine places have become the norm in Hyderabad these days. It's interesting and heartening to see that so many restaurateurs are experimenting with innovative versions of traditional dishes and are also serving cuisines you've never seen before in Hyderabad.

Fusion 9 also fondly called F9 is probably one of the first such independent restaurant which introduced international cuisine to Hyderabad. It's the first place I went to when I moved to Hyderabad 6 years ago. I liked their food in their Banjara Hills restaurant and the newly opened branch in Inorbit Mall is equally pleasing.

This is a night time picture when I visited when they just opened. Rest of the pictures are during the day.

The first thing one will notice on entering the restaurant is how huge the place is! They also have some well-placed tables and almost all overlook the Durgam Cheruvu lake. The huge glass walls facing the lake help in providing a view even if you don't sit by the wall. So if you want a nice, quiet, romantic meal with a view, go here! Now on to the food.

While you wait for your order, munch on these warm, soft pieces of bread with a crunchy crust. This is another trend that I am loving about Hyderabad. All new places do not disappoint on the bread front. This bread was served with herbed butter which can never go wrong.

I had the cream of mushroom soup to start with. The menu mentioned garlic croutons which I never found but the soup by itself was warm and creamy. The little bits of mushrooms added a nice texture to the soup. The parsley provided a nice herby touch to it.

The pepper and tomato crostini was fresh with crusty bread as the base. This had a very Mediterranean feel with pickled peppers and tomatoes on lettuce topped with feta cheese and balsamic vinegar. If you like tangy and tart food, this is a good try.

Crispy Korean Chicken! This has become a favourite among diners here. Succulent yet crispy chicken lathered with sweet and spicy sauce topped with sesame seeds! I love sesame seeds! They add a nice twist to the dish and also complement the sauce.

Another starter worth trying is the Iranian Joujeh Kabab. Soft, juicy chicken pieces well-marinated with cream and mild spices. The kababs are cooked just right with a slight char to give a tandoor taste. And they come with a garlicky mayo sauce. Yum!

Burgers are their forte, I must say. Everyone who have had their burgers, including yours truly have never had anything to complain. For non-vegetarians, the double cheese tenderloin burger is popular. In my friend's words who had the burger - "it was a typical Indian burger - they only know how to make it somewhere between medium and well done. That said, it was tasty - the meat was good and the veggies fresh and crunchy. The sauces were a bit too much, but the overall effect was quite good. I'll have the burger again if I go there, but I might not go back there just for the burger".

Their vegetarian burgers are good as well. Crispy and well seasoned patties with soft insides topped with different vegetables based on your choice. One of the better vegetarian burgers I've had.

This staple of kung-pao chicken had a very savoury, mouth-watering gravy. But the chicken here wasn't as succulent as the starters. They were slightly tough to bite into. The rice was regular but complemented the gravy nicely. 

But the one dish I was disappointed was the Chicarron De Patate. It promised potato steaks with Mexican rice and fried sweet plantains. The plantains caught my attention and I got very excited. If you have had Mexican black beans with fried sweet plantains, then you are very lucky! When my order came, I looked expectantly for my almost black-looking fried plantains and lo! It wasn't there! There were two big patties which were the steak. Nice and crispy outside, the steak was mostly bread with little potatoes. I imagined more of a crispy patty with a soft potato inside and hidden bread crumbs. The Mexican rice was good. But my plantains were missing! On pointing it out, the waiter spoke to the chef and had them made. But they were not the almost black caramelized fried plantains I was expecting, just batter fried bananas. I understand this is probably not the best or popular dish on the menu, but they have listed it so they should serve the right stuff. It was also one of the chef's specials for the day. In the excitement of getting my plantains I forgot to take a picture.

We ordered the cheesecake for dessert as I am on a cheesecake phase. Creamy, custardy filling which complemented all three toppings beautifully. They served three pieces of cheesecake with blueberry, orange marmalade and strawberry topping. I'm not an orange marmalade fan but it was good nonetheless.

If you order the regular fare, you won't be disappointed. But I still have a soft corner for their Banjara Hills restaurant because of their more innovative menu. Fusion 9 in Inorbit Mall is definitely a welcome change to the usual food court food and Chili's. It is a good place to have a relaxing meal after all that shopping you will be doing! And they recently started serving liquor. Nothing could get better than this in Inorbit Mall!

Fusion 9 - Inorbit Mall

Cost for 2: Rs. 1500

Taste: 7/10 - good tasting food but not so innovative.

Service: 8.5/10 

Ambience: 9/10