Category: Indian Food

Place: Simply South
Location: Opp. Film Nagar Club, Jubilee Hills
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Lunch

Since this place opened a couple of months ago, my Zomato page has been filled with its reviews (with one foodie actually posting 90+ pictures of this small restaurant). I’m not fond of South Indian food, and that apart, the unwanted attention this place was receiving made me give it a skip. However, come Onam, I wanted to have Sadya, and Simply South happened to be one of the three places in town serving it, so here I was (reluctantly).

I called and reserved a table, and was there on time. However, when I reached, there was no one to attend at the entrance, and when someone finally did, they made me wait for almost 40 minutes before I got a table (which I had to share with someone). The wait wasn’t a problem (for it was a festival day and expected), but the cold/unwelcoming attitude of the owners towards the bunch of waiting crowd was quite bothersome. The fact that the lady was paying special attention to some customers while ignoring the rest was also a put off. Anyway, the restaurant was pretty small, with about 10-12 tables, and had decent interiors. Being compact, the place was very loud.

It took a while for the waiter to attend to our table, and I asked for the Onam Sadya. In a span of few minutes, various items were placed on the table.

The Onam special drink was first served, followed by a large bowl of Pappadams and Banana Chips. The Pappadams, which looked more like Poori, were not really crispy, while the chips were good.

And then came the actual meal. I only knew some items of the emal, but everything looked good. The Parippu was thick and tasty, and the curries, but for the Aviyal, were pretty good. The Aviyal, which is supposed to be one of the main dishes was a disappointment for it was pretty bland and lacked flavour. It was an unlimited meal, and I got a second serving of almost every item.

Sambar and Rasam were served in small buckets, and both were very good. I actually loved the sambar.

And it was time for the desserts. They had two typical Malayali sweet dishes along with the regular paayasam, and all three were yum.

Overall, it was a pretty good meal. Everything was served hot, and almost all the items tasted good. However, there was no real Malayali essence to the meal and was it more like a South Indian thali. I say this for I’ve had a traditional Onam Sadya in the past (which was very different and tasted special), while this meal, except for maybe couple of items, tasted pretty ordinary. It was like a meal my mom would cook at home.

In conclusion, while it was not a typical Onam Sadya I was hoping for nor an exceptional meal, it was decent one. If this meal gives a picture of rest of their dishes, Simply South might be a restaurant you might want to visit for your South Indian cravings.

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 380/-

Verdict: 7.5/10

Place: Jalpaan
Location: 4th Floor, Oasis Center, Somajiguda
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with amma and dad)

I last came to Jalpaan a couple of years ago to try their buffet. Though the food was decent, I never returned for it didn’t impress me so much. Wanting to experiment, and give the place another try, here I was with my parents a couple of weeks ago. For a weekday, the restaurant was more or less crowded, and as usual, we settled down in a corner.

I liked their Indian offerings last time, so wanted to stick to that. We ordered Sarosnwala Paneer to start, and Zafraani Kofta, Banarasi Aloo for main course, along with Butter Naan, Stuffed Paratha and  Onion Kulcha.

The Sarsonwala Paneer was served in about 10 minutes and looked mouth-watering. Taste wise, it was very good for the paneer was very fresh and melt in mouth. The seasoning was yum and it was grilled perfectly. Overall, a good start to the meal.

I was disappointed with the fact that the waiter didn’t inform us that both curries ordered would have similar gravy. The Zafrani Kofta had three kofta balls in a creamy rich gravy while the Bararasi Aloo had baby potatoes in a similar one. Strangely, the three kofta balls had different taste – one was perfect, one had excess hing which gave it a sour taste, while the third barely had any salt. The baby potatoes on the other hand were undercooked and were difficult to cut even with a knife. Thankfully though, the gravy was finger-licking good. But what’d the point??

Of the bread, the Butter Naan was pretty good while the Onion Kulcha and Stuffed Paratha tasted more or less the same. They all had a sumptuous coating of butter which made them soft and tasty.

Not sure if I’d ever return to this place again, I decided to give their special Potli Biryani a try, and ordered for the same.

It took a while for the biryani to be served, and when it came, it looked like a large batura. The maida based Potli had biryani stuffed inside and cooked in the oven. We watched the waiter struggle to cut open the large Potli, and when he did, the biryani quantity served just two of us. Why waste so much maida for such less biryani? On taste front, it was like pulau with a lot of masala, and while it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t exceptional either.

Overall, a mediocre meal. The starter was good, but the curries were a disappointment. The biryani too was just average. Service seemed pretty slow as well, and as already mentioned, the fact that I wasn’t informed about similar gravies was a turn off. The food was pretty pricey as well, while the quantity wasn’t great. So in all honesty, giving this place a miss isn’t a bad idea.; try it if only you have no other option.

Food: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 1514/-

Verdict: 6.5/10

Place: Saranngi Vegetarian Restaurant
Location: PG Road
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Lunch (With cousins)

Having read some good reviews about this place, I was here with a couple of cousins on a Sunday afternoon. The place was brightly lit and had neat interiors. We made ourselves comfortable at a corner table.

They had a pretty decent menu, with quite a few starters. The Stuffed Mushrooms sounded really interesting, and so I asked for the same, but it was unavailable. I asked for a paneer starter and they didn’t have that either. Apparently, they don’t make their special dishes on Sundays (this was the reason given). Strange! Anyway, we ordered Chilli Baby-corn and Haryali Spring Rolls (which surprisingly was available). For the main course, we ordered some kinda special Kofta curry along with Naan and Roti.

The Baby-corn was served in about 10 minutes. While they looked good, the corn wasn’t fresh and the batter too seemed stale. Therefore, the dish turned out to be more or less a disaster.

The Spring Rolls took quite a while. Instead of using regular wrap, these were made with spinach. The stuffing was very masaledar unlike the usual, and tasted pretty good. I would have liked them to be more crispy though.

These guys were very particular about presentation and this was apparent with the Kofta, which again looked really colourful. The kofta balls were soft and well cooked while the gravy was slightly spicy. however, it tasted pretty decent. The Butter Naan could have been better.

Overall, it was an average meal, and not great as I’d expected. The fact that I don’t even remember the name of the Kofta I ordered says something. The service was pretty lethargic, and the fact that they didn’t make specials on a Sunday was a put off. Thee quantity of food served was very good, but the prices being charged were no less either; 800 bucks for two starters, a curry and rotis is quite a lot. You could give this place a try if you’re close by, but it’s not something worth driving to.

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 825/-

Verdict: 6.5/10

Place: Taj Mahal
Location: Under Narayanguda Flyover
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner

Taj Mahal happens to be one of my amma’s favourite restaurant in town, and while travelling down Narayanguda road a couple of weeks ago, we dropped into our least preferred Taj Mahal (Abids Taj Mahal is the best followed by S.D. Road). We stopped by at around 9:00 PM, and walked into the Air Conditioned section on the first floor which was partly full.

Coming to Taj and not ordering a Cutlet is a sin, so that’s what I ordered the moment we settled in. For rest of the meal, we ordered Upma, an Onion Rava Masala Dosa and a Special Biryani.

The Cutlet was served soon, and it tasted as good as ever. Served along with a special tangy tomato chutney, their Cutlet is stuffed with spicy veggies and fried to perfection. I don’t think you get this kinda Cutlet at any other place in town. Yummilicious! We actually for another before we finished the first.

Their Upma is also pretty famous, and it didn’t disappoint. Dad was telling me that of the three Taj Mahal’s, only these guys squeeze lemon in their Upma. While I would have preferred it without the lime, it was still pretty good.

The Rava Dosa tasted good, but it wasn’t roasted enough. Making it a little more crispy would have made it taste yum.

It took forever for the Biryani to be served. While it looked really colourful, it lacked flavour and needed more masala. However, it tasted decent along with the gravy served along.

Overall, it was a pretty decent meal. The Cutlet is worth every penny and I wouldn’t mind coming back just for it. The service is pretty decent and the ambiance, which caters to family crowd, is neat. The prices too aren’t that bad. While I prefer the Abids one as well (which lacks the ambiance), this ain’t a bad choice to spend some quality time with your family.

Food: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 500 /- (approx)

Verdict: 7.5/10

Place: Reshmi’s Classic Restaurant
Location: Opp. Nanking, Parklane, Secunderabad
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with amma and dad)

I’ve been to Reshmi’s a couple of times in the past, and thought it was alright. But recently, I’ve been hearing a lot about this place, stating them to be the best North Indian food serving restaurant in town. A little curious as to what I missed, I visited the restaurant few days go with amma and dad. Ambiance of the place remained the same as I remember, decent. We sat at a table on the far end, facing the road.

I had already gone through their menu and decided on what to order – Smoked Paneer, Lasooni Tadka Palak and their Kofta Biryani. Dad wanted to have starters, so we asked for Shanghai Rolls, which were unavailable. So we asked for Veg. Bullets (I know that their Stuffed Mushrooms are pretty good, but since dad doesn’t eat mushrooms, had to order an alternative). For roti, we ordered a Butter Naan, Pudina Paratha and Tandoori Roti.

We were told that the starters would take around ten minutes. In the mean time, the accompaniments were served.

Ten became twenty and finally the Veg. Bullets were served, and they didn’t look appetizing (because of their shape). On taste front, they were a little undercooked (I could taste the dough) and weren’t great. Not a good start to the meal.

Even before we finished the bullets, the main course was served. The Smoked Paneer, served in a kadai, tasted yum. The gravy was creamy and the paneer pieces were amazingly soft. The Lasooni Tadka Palak was also delicious, but on the downside, it was oozing oil which was quite a turn off.

The Butter Naan had layers and was very good. The Pudina Paratha was soft and equally good. The Roti on the other hand could have been better.

I was pretty excited to taste the Kofta Biryani which was served next. While the rice was good and flavourful, to my surprise (and disappointment), there were no koftas in the biryani. Instead, they had a few hard Manchurian balls. While I do like Manchuria along with biryani, these didn’t taste great for they were pretty hard (and didn’t seem fresh). And moreover, they weren’t koftas!

Overall, a decent meal, but nothing extraordinary. Yes, the place did serve some authentic North Indian food, most of which was yum, but I wouldn’t call it the best in town. The service was pretty good, and everything was priced reasonably. However, I thought the quantity of the curries could have been better. And the Manchuria instead of Kofta was a huge disappointment (did they think no one would notice??)

Bottom line, give it a shot if you haven’t yet for it’s a decent place, but don’t expect anything extraordinary.

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 7.5/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 760/-

Verdict: 8/10

Place: Delhi-39
Location: Near Gachibowli Flyover
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Lunch (with friends)

A couple of weeks ago, we headed out for lunch towards Gachibowli and decided to stop at 13 Dhaba. At around 12:30, the dhaba wasn’t open yet, so instead dropped into Delhi-39 across the road. Walking in, the place looked pretty shabby, but a friend who had tried this place in the past spoke well about their food, so decided to stay. The A/C was turned on, and we settled.

After extensive thought, we ended up ordering Delhi-39 special subji, Malai Kofta, Dal Tadka along with some Roti, Masala Kulcha, Laccha Parothas and a Delhi-39 Special Naan.

It took a while for the food to be served (around 15 minutes), but it sure did look yum when served. The Delhi-39 special curry turned out to be paneer masala in a rich creamy gravy. The paneer was very  fresh, and the gravy was finger licking good. It was one of the best panner subji I’ve had in recent times. The Malai Kofta too was excellent, with rich gravy and soft kofta balls. The Dal was decent.

The Masala Kulcha was perfect. I expected the maida Parothas, but they were instead made with wheat flour and tasted great. But for the tandoori roti (which was very dry), everything turned out to be soft and yum.

Overall, an excellent meal. The ambiance might paint a bad picture, but the food totally made up for it. The service was decent, and the pricing too was nominal. I’d gladly give this place another try instead of the hyped dhaba across the road. Go hog!

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 5.5/10
Meal for 5: Rs. 550/- (approx)

Verdict: 8.5/10