July, 2014 | I'm just a...

Hello Curry | Restaurant Review

Place: Hello Curry
Location: Behind Wingster, Ayyappa Society
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Take-away

Hello Curry, a takeaway joint which became prominent not exactly because of its food, but its packing. I called them a couple of times in the past, but they don’t deliver beyond Hitech City area, so. I was passing by Ayyappa Society the other day, and decided to pick something up instead. The place was really difficult to find for they don’t have any board or anything; it’s a small shed right behind Wingster. It seemed like they were actually surprised to see a customer walk in.

I was handed a paper menu, and I ordered a small portion of Paneer Makhni. I had to stand there in the sun for about 10 minutes before I was handed a bag with a really tiny box for which I paid 100 bucks (it was 93, but the guy at the store didn’t have change).

Hello Curry Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi — Hello Curry Package

Ok, the box did look good, and on opening it, I found a small sealed cup. You have to agree that the packing was in fact worth the buzz. However, on taste front, I wasn’t really happy. The paneer was fresh and really soft, but the makhni gravy turned out to be very bland for it lacked salt and had no flavour.

When I was handed out a really tiny box, I started to feel like it was a bad decision spending so much for such box. But the quantity wasn’t so bad after all. However, the taste wasn’t great, and that’s what finally matters. You might have the best packing in town, but that’s not what I am gonna eat. And also, it would be nice to offer a customer at least a seat to sit in when he comes to order, or have a policy not to accept in-store orders.

Overall, it was a mediocre experience.

Food: 6.5/10
Service: 5/10
Ambiance: N/A
Meal for 1: Rs. 93/-

Verdict: 6.5/10

Dwaraka (Panjagutta) | Restaurant Review

Place: Dwaraka
Location: Adj. Nims, Panjagutta
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner

After a movie, I walked in to Dwaraka at Panjagutta hoping to hog on Handi Biryani. It was really a courageous decision on my part to try Dwaraka again after my recent experience at Lakdikapul. Anyhow, hoping for the better, here I was. The ambiance is almost exactly the same as their main branch, and I got comfortable at a table near the entrance.

To my disappointment, even these guys didn’t have the original Handi Biryani. What more, they didn’t even have the Paneer Handi Biryani (apparently they have it only at Dwaraka Lakdikapul). So I ended up ordering a Kaju Biryani.

Dwaraka (Panjagutta) Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi — Kaju Biryani

The Biryani was served in about ten minutes. On first look, it didn’t really look that appetizing, but it actually turned out to be pretty tasty. Full of cashew nuts, the rice had nice flavor, and tasted yum along with the gravy served along. Not an excellent biryani, but it wasn’t bad either.

So after my terrible experience at the main branch, this outing turned out to be good. I’d like to try their reasonably priced combos next time around. Overall, a decent experience. Service was pretty good as well. Give it a try.

Food: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 7.5/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 143/-

Verdict: 7.5/10

13 Dhaba | Restaurant Review

Place: 13 Dhaba
Location: Under Gachibowli flyover
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Lunch (with friends)

Long ago, a friend of mine who works for Synopsys told me about this guy serving awesome parathas in his office cafeteria. He’s now moved out and we have 13 Dhaba. I’ve been wanting to try this place for a long time now to find out if it’s worth the buzz. Was in the vicinity few days ago, and finally dropped in with a couple of friends. Located in a small shop next to a Dry Cleaners, there is no ambiance as such. It’s a self-service restaurant and has a couple of cement slabs in front of the shop, giving it posh bandi type atmosphere. We walked in around 2:00 PM when the place was pretty crowded. There was a small queue we had to stand in before we got to order.

I ordered for Gobi Paratha and Aloo Paratha, while my friends asked for Poori Subzi and Kadi Chawal and another Aloo Paratha. We also ordered a Lassi each. We managed to find ourselves some place to sit before our order was ready in about 10 minutes.

13 Dhaba Restaurant Review by Saskanth Paturi — Gobi Paratha

The Gobi Paratha was thick, full of butter and served with mixed vegetable pickle. While it tasted good, I thought the stuffing had too much masala (which kinda made it spicy). That apart, a decent paratha. Nothing out of the world though, yet..

The Aloo Paratha was thicker and had more butter, and I thought this was the better of the two. The stuffing was sumptuous and tasted good. Again, nothing to rave about.

I had a taste of the Kadi Chawal, which tasted alright. While the kadi was decent enough, I thought the pakoda was kinda hard. Not the best Kadi Chawal to be honest.

I didn’t have a taste of the Poori Subzi, but it did look good.

The Lassi was thick and good. I would have preferred it to be more creamy though.

Overall, a decent meal. Yes, the parathas were good, but I didn’t really feel that this place was as awesome as people make it sound. The service was friendly, and the everything is reasonably priced, offering value for money. But at the same time, I don’t think you can eat such rich food everyday as well. I’d definitely go back to this place, but not anytime soon. And no, I didn’t really think it was worth all the hype and buzz.

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: N/A
Meal for 3: Rs. 430/-

Verdict: 7.5/10

Moti Mahal | Restaurant Review

Place: Moti Mahal Delux Tandoori Trail
Location: Sun Tower, Hitech City
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Lunch (with a friend)

My friend wanted to try Moti Mahal in Hitech City, which boasts to be the inventor of Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken and Dal Makhni. Forget the chicken, didn’t people eat Dal Makhni before 1920? Hmmm. Anyways, we walked in to the restaurant a little after noon to find the place pretty much packed. The ambiance was pretty decent, and we made ourselves comfortable at a table near the entrance.

A couple of heavy menus were handed to us soon, which indicated a wide range of vegetarian and non-vegetarian offerings. We ordered a Makhni Meal which included Paneer Tikka, Seekh Kebab, Paneer Makhni, Dal Makhni, Butter Naan, raita and soft drinks, and served two people.

Moti Mahal Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi — Paneer Tikka and Seekh Kebab

The starters were served pretty soon, just a couple of kebabs and 4 pieces of tikka. The kebab was very dry and tasted alright, while the paneer turned out to be terrible. They weren’t marinated properly, and there seemed to be something wrong with the paneer .

Of the main course, the Dal Makhni turned out to be really good. It was creamy, full of flavour and delicious. It actually made me ponder if these guys are actually the inventors.

On the other hand, the Paneer Makhni turned out to be bad. Again, the paneer was terrible, and it ruined the taste of the curry. The gravy too was pretty thin.

The Butter Naan was soft and very good.

We had quite a bit of Dal left, so we ended up ordering some Jeera Rice, which was palatable.

We complained to the steward about the paneer, and the kitchen agreed that there was something wrong with it. To make it up, they served us complimentary Phirni, which was decent.

Overall, an average meal. The Dal Makhni, and to an extent the Jeera Rice made up for the mediocrity of rest of the meal. While quantity of starters was minimal, the main course was very sumptuous. Service was alright, and it was good to notice that they actually acted upon our feedback rather than just ignoring it. On price front, the restaurant might seem heavy on your pocket. Nevertheless, I’d give it another visit just for their Dal Makhni.

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 800/- (approx)

Verdict: 7/10

The Thick Shake Factory | Restaurant Review

Place: The Thick Shake Factory
Location: Food Court, Manjeera Trinity Mall, Kukatpalli
Meal: Dessert

People have been raving about how good the shakes are at this new place in Manjeera mall. So finally, after a movie at Cinepolis last week, I got to try it myself. I asked the guy at the counter about their best offering, and he suggested Choco Brownie Crumble. I ordered for it with whipped cream (additional).

The Thick Shake Factory Review by Sasikanth Paturi — Choco Brownie Crumble

It took about 10 minutes for the shake to be made. It looked good but I was disappointed with the quantity served. On taste front, it was really thick (as it should have been), and was yum. The whipped cream was delicious, but the brownie could have been better.

A yummilicious shake, but I wasn’t really happy overall. I paid close to 200 bucks for the shake, and it really didn’t seem like value for money. Maybe it’s something you can afford once in a while, but definitely not worth on a daily basis.

Food: 8/10
Service: N/A
Ambiance: N/A
Shake with Whipped Cream: Rs. 184/-

Verdict: 7/10

Mohini | Restaurant Review

Place: Mohini
Location: Under Flyover, Basheerbagh
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Take-away

Dad was passing by Basheerbagh a few days ago, and I wanted him to get some yummy food for me. Choices were Shanbhag or Mohini, and since it’s been ages since I had Mohini Biryani, I asked him for the same. Mohini is one of the oldest restaurants in Hyderabad, known for its awesome Biryani, so. I also asked for a Malai Kofta and some Butter Naan.

Mohini Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi — Malai Kofta

The Malai Kofta turned out to be very different from the usual (in a good way). Instead of sticking with paneer or aloo for the kofta, these guys also added finely chopped cabbage, which actually made them yummier. The gravy was perfectly cooked, and together, it was one of the best Malai Kofta I’ve had in recent times.

For 22 bucks a piece, the Butter Naan was a steal for they were well-baked naans oozing butter. Excellent stuff!

The Biryani was the reason why I asked for Mohini, and sadly, this turned out to be little disappointing. There was too much masala and it just didn’t taste right. The salan was terrible as well. However, the pickle served along turned out to be yum.

Overall, a good meal. While the Biryani didn’t live up to the expectations, rest of the meal was excellent. It probably was an off day for the Biryani. Whatever the case, for 230 bucks, it was quite a meal. Total value for money!

Food: 8/10
Service: N/A
Ambiance: N/A
Meal for 3: Rs. 230/-

Verdict: 8/10

Mayura House | Restaurant Review

Place: Mayura House
Location: Opp. Film Nagar Club, Film Nagar
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Lunch (with amma and dad)

Dad’s been wanting to go to this place in Film Nagar for a long time now and so one fine day last week, we headed off for lunch to Mayura House. Walking in, the place looked decent and was partly crowded. We made ourselves comfortable at a corner table, away from the crowd. Both amma and dad wanted to have meals, and so I opted for the same as well.

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The meal was served pretty soon and it was quite a sight. It had so many items – four different rice items, dal, three curries, four varieties of rasam/pulusu, vada, poori, a sweet, different kinds of pickles/chutneys and other accompaniments.

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The vada was crispy and good. Unlimited number of pooris were served on the meal, and they tasted good along with the aloo korma.

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Of the rice varieties, Tomato rice and Sambar rice tasted yum while Pulihora and Biryani were mediocre.

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The Dal was decent, and so was the brinjal curry. The korma was pretty good while the raw banana (aratikaya) fry could have been better for it was very dry.

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Rasam and Sambar were both alright. Majjiga Pulusu was good, but the best of the lot was the Mukkala Pulusu which tasted yum.

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The semiya payasam turned out to be a disappointment for it was very watery, and lacked taste.

Overall a decent meal. Most of the items were tasty, and the quantity served was pretty good. However, the service was absolutely terrible. Forget table service, the servers lacked basic etiquettes of talking to customers. There was a power cut a few minutes after we started our meal and we were told that the generator was being turned on. We started sweating profusely, and when we enquired again after about 15 minutes, we were told that there was no generator in a harsh tone. Their attitude and callousness was bewildering. The place has no fans or windows, and it was suffocating to sit in there. And this apparently is a usual sight during daily power cuts. At this point, we just wanted to finish our meal and get out of the place, not wanting to come back again. When Dad spoke to the manager, they offered us a 10% discount, but still, though they had good food, this was the first and last time I’m visiting Mayura House!

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 5/10
Ambiance: 5/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 540/-

Verdict: 6/10

Mozza | Restaurant Review

Place: Mozza
Location: Opp. Krishe Sapphire, Madhapur
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Lunch

I’d heard quite a bit about this new Italian restaurant in town and wanted to give it a try for a while now. I finally got my chance thanks to a foodie meet. Mozza is a small place in the same building as Veggies 365 (now closed). It’s got nice interiors, and has decent ambiance. I made myself comfortable at a corner table with fellow foodies.

Like with most foodie meets, there was a special menu for the day. Off a list, we were to choose for a starter, pizza, pasta, dessert and a soft drink. For starters, the listed options were Baby Potatoes in Parmesan sauce and Stuffed Mushrooms. I chose for the latter.

Mozza Restaurant Review by Sasikanth Paturi — Baby Potatoes in Parmesan Sauce

I had a taste of the potatoes, and they were pretty good. I would have preferred the potatoes to be little more parboiled, but nevertheless, the sauce was creamy and it was a good start to the meal.

The Stuffed Mushrooms looked yum and tasted yum for there were stuffed with cheese and were fried perfectly.

For the pizza, we had the option of Sicily-pesto sauce based and Imperia. I chose the pesto pizza while my fellow vegetarian foodie chose Imperia, so that we could share.

The Pesto pizza had sun dried tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, olives and peppers. I had asked for the pizza sans peppers, but given the foodie rush, I got one with them. The pizza was pretty good and cheesy, but there was too much pesto sauce on the base which dominated over the veggies and cheese. That apart, a decent pizza.

The Imperia pizza had a mix of peri-peri vegetables and looked quite colourful. While it tasted good, this too had too much tomato base which was overwhelming.

For Pasta, we had a choice of Alfredo and Paprika, and most (like me) chose Alfredo. This happened to be the only disappointment of the meal for the pasta was very dry and lacked flavor.

For desserts, there were Lemon Cake and No Flow Choco Lava Cake. The Lemon Cake tasted pretty good, and so did the Choco Lava cake. I actually liked the latter better.

Overall, a good meal. But for the pasta, everything else turned out to be decent, Stuffed Mushrooms being the winner. Service was alright and so was the ambiance. Compared to other places, everything is reasonably priced. So give it a shot if you haven’t yet.

Food: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 350/-

Verdict: 7.5/10

Drishyam | Movie Review

Drishyam

Drishyam has garnered quite a bit of positive buzz within days of its release. A remake of Malayalam version with the same title, this one is a good film, yes, but definitely not a good thriller.

Scripted by Jeethu Joseph (director of the original), Drishyam tells a story of an ordinary middle class family who get pulled into unanticipated circumstances thanks to a guest (film term). Before I delve into rest of the details, here’s some trivia.

Immediately after watching the movie, I came home to watch the original. And to my surprise, the Telugu version happens to be a scene to scene rip off of the Malayalam version. Except for a few edits, everything including most of the character names, dates, dialogues, and even the camera angles happen to be the same. There was absolutely no change in terms of the screenplay either. Unfortunately though, the subtlety of the original was far left behind.

Back to the review now. Debutant director Sripriya had no role to play as most of the cast happened to be senior actors, and could replay the original to the ‘T’. At no point was her ability showcased with respect to direction or screenplay. As already mentioned, the subtlety was lost in translation, especially in the first half hour where the characters were established. Everything seemed loud and artificial. Talking about the screenplay, while it was decent, I wasn’t really impressed by it. And it definitely didn’t belong to thriller genre. When most of the story is revealed immediately after the scene’s occurrence, I don’t think that can be called a thriller. Yes, it had some (very little I say) suspense associated with it, but no, it wasn’t edge of the seat stuff. Oh, add unconvincing, and at times pretty slow as well.

Venkatesh did a commendable job as the lead, and it was more or less a tailor-made role for him. It would have been nice if he had let go of his cheekiness in the first half hour though. That apart, he had to downplay for most of the film, and he does a commendable job. It was a cakewalk for Meena, having played the role in the original. She was good, but again could have reduced the makeup (she looked so much better in the original sans makeup). Krutika is pretty good as the elder daughter, and Baby Esther was good in the role she essayed in Malayalam. Nadira was decent as the ruthless cop, while Naresh came up with a good performance. The rest of the cast is alright.

Music by Sharreth, borrowed from the original is alright. Editing by Marthand Venkatesh and cinematographer by Gopal Reddy were both decent. However, I’m disappointed that neither had anything special to add to the movie.

Is it worth your time and money??: It’s a good movie and an entertainer. But to call it the best of the lot thriller would be injustice to the genre (Go watch Anveshana (1985), that’s a thriller). Give it a watch without expectations and I’m guessing you won’t be disappointed.

Worth mention: Hero Venkatesh downplaying for most of the movie.

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 7.5/10

Verdict: 7.5/10

After watching both the versions, I have a different take on the movie. Spoiler alert, so only people who have watched the movie are advised to read on.

Instead of revealing the fact that IG’s son had shot a video of George Kutty’s/Venky’s daughter and him being murdered in the first half, I would have preferred if it was kept under wraps till the end of the movie. The family could have travelled to Vizianagaram, gone to the temple, come back, and the entire storyline of them being arrested and tortured could have been showcased without giving away the plot. In this case, you are more connected to the family for you as audience don’t know that they have committed the crime as well. Entire suspense could have been revealed in about 10 minutes in the last shot where Venky meets the IG couple. Voila, you now have a thriller!

Should I be directing movies?? 😛

Karachi Bakery (Banjara Hills) | Restaurant Review

Place: Karachi Bakery
Location: Road No. 1, Banjara Hills
Cuisine: Bakery, Fast food
Meal: Dinner (with amma)

Was travelling along Banjara Hills with amma a couple of weeks ago, and decided to stop by at Karachi Bakery for a quick meal. Not till then did I know that this place served only vegetarian savories.

Anyways, I ordered a Cheeseburger and a Hyderabadi Club Sandwich, and it took a while for the order to be served.

Karachi Bakery Review by Sasikanth Paturi — Veg. Cheeseburger

The burger came first and was piping hot. They microwaved it for too long and I couldn’t take a bite for almost ten minutes after it was served. On taste front, it turned out to be pretty good. Cheesy, with a lot of curry in between, yummy.

The Sandwich was served almost when we were done with the Burger. It turned out to be quite disappointing for there was nothing Hyderabadi about it, and neither was there a cutlet/tomato omelet to make it a club sandwich. It was just a multi-layer grilled cheese sandwich wit tomato and cucumber, served with some coleslaw. It did taste good, but disappointment. Surprisingly, it was even priced higher than the burger.

To end the meal, I asked for a chocolate mini cupcake.

And for 20 bucks, I thought it was a pretty decent one.

All the pastries at the counter looked really good and tempting. Unable to resist, I asked for take-away of a Belgian Black Forest, a Chocolate Mousse Cake, and a Tiramisu.

The moment I reached home, I dug into all three for a taste, and the Belgian Black Forest pastry turned out to be the best of the lot. It was creamy, chocolaty, and really moist. Overall, yummilicious!!

The Chocolate Mousse Cake was the second best. This had loads of cream (which I’m guessing was the mousse). I loved it!

The Tiramisu was a little disappointing after two yummy pastries. It kinda tasted sour, and there was nothing great about it.

Overall, a pretty good meal. But for the sandwich and Tiramisu, everything turned out to be delicious. And the best part is that everything is priced reasonably, and there was total value for money. I’ve heard good things about their cakes, and after experiencing them myself, I certify them yum. Go hog!

Food: 8.5/10
Desserts: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 370/-

Verdict: 8.5/10