Urban Asia | Restaurant Review

Place: Urban Asia 
Location: Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills 
Cuisine: Chinese 
Meal: Dinner (with amma and bro)

Thanks to Zomato’s voucher, we made an impromptu visit to Urban Asia on a Friday night. Walking in, the place looked quite similar to Via Milano located above. The decor had an Asian touch, and the ambiance was pretty neat. We were quite lucky to have found the last table for it got full after we walked in. We were seated at a table for four in the center of the restaurant.

Their menu looked quite huge. After a lot of thought, we decided to try their Vegetable Sushi and Crispy Corn Chilly Pepper for starters, Three Flavored Hakka Noodles, Butter Garlic Fried Rice and Mushroom in Pepper Sauce for the main course. Once the order was placed, Kimchi salad (which was very good, crunchy) and a bowl full of cut carrots and cucumber were served.

The sushi was served in about 15 minutes. It was presented very well and served along with garlic and yummy sushi sauce. I’ve never had sushi before, but absolutely loved the ones served here. Crunchy and fresh, they tasted heavenly along with the sauce. Yum!

The Crispy Corn tasted pretty good. The corn basket was crunchy and was equally good.

After about 15 minutes, the main course was served. The Three Flavored Noodles, the flavors being Chilly, Ginger and Vinegar, was very good.

I’ve been craving to have some good Fried Rice for a while now and the one here was just what I needed. The butter and garlic taste was very prominent, and the rice was very well cooked. Loved it!

The Mushrooms in pepper sauce was tasteful as well. The mushrooms were fresh and the pepper sauce was quite tangy.

Overall, an excellent meal. The portions of food served was very good and we finished everything we ordered (literally cleaned the plates up). The food is nothing extraordinary, but tasty enough to satisfy your palate. The service was pretty good as well. The prices are a little on the higher end, but the ambiance and the yummy food  had them justified. If you love Chinese food, this is one place you should definitely dine at.

Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Ambiance:9/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 1277/-

Verdict: 9/10

Mocha | Restaurant Review

Place: Mocha 
Location: Road No. 9, Banjara Hills 
Cuisine: Cafe & Lounge 
Meal: Lunch

Though it’s located right next to my office, I’ve never visited Mocha so far, for I had a very bad experience the last time around. Walking in, the sections on the ground floor were all closed and I walked up to the first floor into the separate non-sheesha zone and seated myself in a corner. The seating was quite uncomfortable and the table was too high for the seat. Added to this, the cushions looked very dirty. The place in general looked quite unclean and everything around looked rugged and old.

Once seated, the waiter placed a torn menu on the table. I had already gone through their menu online, so asked for a Dutch Truffle Cake Shake, a Garden Fresh Panini and a Lava Lava desert.

It took exactly 20 minutes for my shake to be served. It looked good and tasted yummy. Apart from the whipped cream not being fresh, it was a perfect drink.

The Panini was served in the next 5 minutes. The bread looked a little dry, but along with the pesto sauce served, it tasted good. The vegetables were crunchy and the cheese gooey.

The desert, the Lava Lava cake turned out to be a disappointment. The brownie was very sweet and there was no hot chocolate sauce in it (no lava in the lava cake). The cappuccino ice cream served along was pretty good though.

Overall, except for the desert, rest of the meal was decent enough. Everything else about the place though was quite a let down. The ambiance was pretty much grimy, and the service was horrendous. Once I placed the order, there was no one around even to serve water. The prices too are on the higher side. With so many new and better cafes in the city, I wouldn’t recommend this place. Good food alone isn’t good enough, right?

Food: 7/10
Drinks: 8/10
Ambiance: 5/10
Service: 5/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 479/-

Verdict: 6/10

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted | Movie Review

Is it worth your time and money??: Well, if the innocent child in you is still alive, then you’ll love Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. All the kids around me did. For me, it was good, but nothing extraordinary. The animation and 3D effects are great, but in simple terms, the film is absolutely dumb. If you no kid, then wait for the DVD 🙂

Acting: 7/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 6/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 7/10

Prometheus | Movie Review

Is it worth your time and money??: Prometheus is an entertaining film. Its got its moments in abundance, has some great cinematography and some decent acting performances. But its the clumsy screenplay which pulls down the film. The effects are great, and so are the 3D effects. If you like alien movies with not much story-line, this ones’ for you. It’s two hours of spooky entertainment. Give it a shot, you might not regret it!

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10

Verdict: 7.5/10

Shanghai | Movie Review

Shanghai

After creating quite a buzz with its trailer, Shanghai finally hit screens today. Coming from the talented director Dibakar Banerjee, Shanghai delivers, but not to everyone’s satisfaction.

Adapted from the 1967 political novel Z by Vassilis Vassilikos, Shanghai is a political thriller which aims to put forward the dark side of Indian, or in general, politics. Dibakar Banerjee sticks to the original thread, adapting the political scenarios to the suit the current Indian situation. His presentation is perfect, but it’s the very predictable script which hinders the film from making you sit on the edge of your seat. Added to this, the film is tediously slow, and at times borders on being an art film. Nevertheless, Banerjee is able to create an intense thriller, which depicts the depressing reality of today politics, while creating some wry humor. The characters are very well sketched and he was able to extract the best out of every actor. The slow pace of the film has to do with the screenplay (Urmi Juvekar and Dibakar Banerjee), but to be honest, I can’t think of it being any better. It is its strength as much as its weakness.

On acting front, Abhay Deol excels as the smart IAS officer caught between the dirty politics and his conscience. His performance in the climax was just perfect. If only he could have worked a little more on his Tamilian accent. Kalki Koechlin comes up with a very aggressive performance. She is a perfect fit for the role. Prosenjit Chatterjee is very good in his brief role as the social activist. After Shor In The City, Pitobash Tripathy shines again. This chap is full of raw energy. But the clear winner on the acting front is definitely Emraan Hashmi. Shedding the image of the serial kisser, he digs into his role with all his might and comes up with a brilliant performance.

On the technical front, music by Vishal-Shekhar is pretty decent. “Bharat Mata Ki” makes an impact. I thought the way “Imported Kamariya” song was inserted between shots was very effective. Background score is never too loud and just perfect. Editing by Namrata Rao is neat. Cinematography by Nikos Andritsakis is very very good. PVR Cinemas should be appreciated for investing in such kind of different film.

Overall, Shanghai is one of the finest films made this year. Dibakar Banerjee’s drama less way of story telling and some brilliant performances by its cast act as the positives. On the other hand, the slow pace of the film, and its serious monotone might not help it sink in with all kinds of audience. Though I thought it was slow, I liked it. You might too 🙂

Acting: 9/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7.5/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10
Is it worth your time and money??: Shanghai is a very well made film, bordering on artistic genre. Its problem is the pace and a very predictable script, but some fine performances by all the artists makes it watchable. It’s a one time watch, provided you like such kind of dark movies.

Verdict: 8/10

Rajdhani | Restaurant Review

Place: Rajdhani 
Location: First Floor, Uptown Banjara, Opp. TV9, Banjara Hills 
Cuisine: Rajasthani, Gujarati 
Meal: Dinner (with bro) 

Rajdhani used to be one of my favourite restaurants while I lived in Mumbai. Their food was finger licking good, and the service impeccable. Though their restaurant in Hyderabad opened a while ago, I was hesitant to go for I was apprehensive on whether the food and service here would live up to the Mumbai standards. My brother visited this place a couple of weeks ago and said quite a few good things about it. So here I was to check it out myself.

Walking in, the place had a traditional touch, and the ambiance was good. Being a weekday, the place was pretty much empty. We sat down at a table for four. Like with De Thali, the thalis was pre-arranged on the table. Once we were seated, the service started.

They had a Mango festival all through the month of May, so most of the food had mango in it. This day, they had Aam ka Panna as the welcome drink, Punneri Misal, Khapoli Wada and Dal Bati Churma for starters, Lilla Kinda Pitlo, Paneer Hariyali, Batata Raswala and Ragada Vatana for Vegetables, Spicy and Sweet Dal, and Kadhi, Pulkas, Poori, Biscuit Bakri, Mithi Paratha, Kichidi, Biryani, Aam Ki Lungi, and for deserts, Aam Ka Ras and Fruit Custurd. Uff!!

The Aam Ka Panna had the perfect sweet and sour taste. The Punneri Missal was more of a mixture, Dal Bati Churma was very good, and the Khapoli Wada was excellent. I ended up having almost 3 or 4 Wadas. Off the subjis, my favorite was the Pitlo. It was besan (gram flour) curry, cooked to perfection. The paneer was so so, aloo curry decent and vatana alright. The Pulka was a little too dry for my taste, but the Pooris were awesome. Both the Dal’s were yummy, while the Kadhi was decent.

The Kichidi was rich and awesome. The Biryani was simple, with not much masala, but was equally yummy.

Both the deserts were just awesome. The Aam Ka Panna was not to sweet, and the custard was thick. Heavenly!!

Overall, an excellent meal. I should say that the thali was much better than what I remember from Mumbai. The service was exceptional, and all the waiters were courteous. Compared to De Thali, the place is expensive by about 70 bucks, but the difference is totally worth it. But just like the former place, it’s not a restaurant you can visit often.

Dig into the Khandani Rajdhani Thali soon!! Do check out their daily menu online before dropping in 🙂

Food: 9/10
Service: 8.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 274/- (all-inclusive)

Verdict: 9/10

 

Singh’s Restaurant | Restaurant Review

Place: Singh’s Restaurant 
Location: Opp. Gandhi Statue, M.G. Road, Secunderabad 
Cuisine: Indian 
Meal: Dinner (with bro)

While roaming about in Secunderabad, we came across this place right in the center of M.G circle. Wanting to try out something new, me and my brother dropped in, hoping to taste some yummy Punjabi food. The restaurant is on the first floor of an old building located right next to the General Bazaar lane. Being a Saturday night, the place was almost packed. Through the entire restaurant was air-conditioned, we sat in a separate enclosure, which was relatively empty and much more cooler. The place was more or less a dhaba. Ambiance was decent but the seating was a wee bit uncomfortable.

Looking at the menu, all the items seemed expensive than any of the other dhaba’s around. Playing safe, we ordered a Malai Kofta and Kaju Paneer along with Tandoori Roti. We also ordered a Jeera Rice.

The food was served in good time, but the quantity served was disheartening. We were still hoping for them to taste good, but were again disappointed. The Kofta in the Malai Kofta was very hard, and close to burnt, while the gravy was under-cooked. We could taste the raw tomato in the dish. The Kaju Paneer was more or less the bhaji of Pav Bhaji with raw kaju and paneer added. For 14 bucks a piece, the Roti was unbelievably small, and was done in about four bites.

The Jeera Rice was little better. Though the rice was broken, it at least had some flavor and tasted like it should have.

Overall, for a place which calls itself Singh’s, there is nothing Punjabi about it. As if the bad food wasn’t enough, even the service was horrendous. After a totally unpleasant meal, the bill turned out to be a whopping 420 bucks. Atrocious!! This was the most expensive yet sad dhaba experience ever. Stay away from this place!!

Food: 4/10
Service: 5/10
Ambiance: 5/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 420/-

Verdict: 3/10

All Seasons | Restaurant Review

Place: All Seasons 
Location: 2nd Floor, SBR Gateway, Opposite Motorola, Hitech City 
Cuisine: Buffet 
Meal: Lunch (with couple of friends)

Wanting to try out the new place next to her office, my friend invited me for lunch at All Seasons. She called and reserved a table for 3, so though it was packed when we walked in, we didn’t have to wait. The restaurant was brightly lit and had the buffet spread on one side. We were given a table in one corner of the place, which looked cozy and comfy, but was very uncomfortable once we sat down. There were fluffy cushions placed against a wall, which felt awkward. Also, the table was too small, so when I pulled it closer, it was inconvenient for my friend on the other side.

The soup and starters were not served on the table, so we helped ourselves. There was one veg and one non-veg soup, a couple of veg and non-veg starters.

The Veg Manchow soup was alright. It was thick and had a decent flavor. Of the starters, the Crispy Vegetables were good, but the Corn Tikkis were horrible. They were dripping oil and were very hard. My friend neither liked the non-veg soup nor the starters. The Chicken was apparently very hard. So more or less, the soup and starters were a disappointment. But the best part of the meal was yet to come.

For the main course, they had Gobi Masala and Mixed Vegetable and two non-veg curries, Veg Noodles with Vegetables in Hot Garlic sauce, Veg Biryani and Mutton Biryani. They also had Dal and White Rice.

It was a real surprise that there was no Paneer curry on the spread. In fact, there was no Paneer dish on the entire buffet. Wonder what the chef was thinking. When it came to the veg curries, both were horrendous. The Mixed Vegetable was at least edible, but the Gobi was horrible. It had huge chunks of raw Gobi, and the masala had a strong cinnamon flavor. I was told that the non-veg curries weren’t anything better. The Naan and the bread were served on the buffet as well, in a casserole which was empty on most occasions. I luckily got the last piece of Butter Naan, which was alright.

Thankfully, the Noodles and the Hot Garlic sauce were decent. Nothing great, but much better compared to the other food around. The Biryani again was pathetic. It was dried up rice with a few vegetables seasoned with tons of oil. Inedible!!

After a disastrous meal, we were hoping the deserts to fill our tummies. Luckily, except for the Gulab Jamoon which was very hard, the rest were good. The Kurbani Ka Meetha was fresh, Gajar Ka Halwa decent, and the fourth desert, which I believe was some kind of souffle, was the best of the lot. There were fresh-cut Watermelon pieces as well.

The best part of the entire buffet was the regular Strawberry Ice-cream (which I normally don’t like). After surviving their buffet, this seemed like heaven. Thank god that it was out of the box, for otherwise they probably would have ruined it as well.

Overall, an awful meal. To add to the terrible food, the service was atrocious. The salad plate on the buffet was empty so I asked the waiter for some onion. He said something which wasn’t audible. I asked him again and he did the same, this time more like a mumble. Wanting to hear what he had to say, I went next to him and asked again, and he irritably said go get it from the buffet. I was like LMAO!! The table wasn’t cleared after we were done with the plates either. We had a Snapdeal coupon and mentioned this right at the start of the meal. In spite of this, this is how our bill was presented.

Wow!! To beat this, there was a large group sitting at the next table, who ordered from the a-la-carte menu. Almost 20 minutes after they place the order, the waiter came and informed them that their kitchen is closed, and they are not serving a-la-carte. They were then asked to go for the buffet. One of them asked if she could at least get a Curd Rice, and he informed her that they would charge her for the buffet and again for the Curd Rice. It was hilarious to see all this happen.

Though the purpose of the meal wasn’t met, thanks to all these moments, we ended up having a good time. We royally cursed our friend for making us a part of this disastrous meal. Unless you wanna take revenge on someone you don’t like, stay away from this place!!

Food: 4/10
Service: 2/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 299/- + Taxes

Verdict: 4/10