Sasikanth | - Page 29

Blue Diamond | Restaurant Review

Place: Blue Diamond
Location: Next to L.B. Stadium, Basheerbhag
Cuisine: Chinese
Meal: Dinner (with bro)

Me and my bro decided to drive down to Shanbhag for a meal last week, but instead, dropped in at Blue Diamond, which we’ve been wanting to visit for a long time. The place was dimly lit and had a nice ambiance. It was pretty empty when we entered, but got full as the night progressed.

They don’t have much choice in their vegetarian section. We started off with Veg. Cantonese Soup and Veg. Spring Rolls. For the main course, we ordered American Chopsuey, Fried Rice and Hong Kong Vegetable.

The Soup was served in few minutes. It was spicy, yummy and full of fresh vegetables. One of the best soup’s I’ve had in recent times.

In about 10 minutes, the Spring Rolls were served along with spicy Chilly Garlic sauce. They were crunchy and tasted delectable. The quantity served was also very good.

It didn’t take much long for the main course to be served. The American Chopsuey tasted luscious, not too sweet, just perfect. I would have preferred the noodles to be a little more crunchy, but otherwise, it tasted awesome.

The Hong Kong Vegetable was very different from the one we had at Chung Hua. It had Manchurian Balls and lots of vegetables. The veggies gave it a nice flavor and the Manchurian balls were yum. A delicious dish. The Fried Rice was equally good. It needed some more salt though.

Overall, an excellent meal. Every dish served was delicious and the quantity served was very good. The service was friendly, and all the dishes were priced to be easy on the pocket. I can’t think of any other (good) restaurant which serves the amount of Fried Rice they did for 75 bucks. It’s a must visit place for any Chinese food lover. I have a new favorite Chinese restaurant in town!!

Food: 9/10
Service: 8.5/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 483/-

Verdict: 9/10

PS: We so fell in love with this place that we visited it again in a week’s time and had the same food all over again. Except for the Honk Kong Vegetable being a little oily, the rest of the food was just the same, perfect!!

The Amazing Spider-Man | Movie Review

The Amazing Spider-Man is an entertaining film, but I liked the original, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man better. This one has better visuals and 3D effects, but the script was too weak for it to surpass my expectations.

You know the story by now. Peter Parker gets bitten by a spider, his uncle gets killed, he gets onto the streets to avenge his uncle’s death while someone from Oscorp tests a drug on them-self to become a monster, and our Spider-Man now fights for a bigger cause, and eventually defeats the monster. Yayy!! Scripted by James Vanderbilt, The Amazing Spider-Man uses the same story line with quite a few tweaks. These tweaks are fine to an extent, but seemed forced on most ocassions. The characterization of the new Spider-Man is very weak, for he has these mood swings so bloody often. His relation with Aunt May is also not very well established. Though direction by Marc Webb is alright, screenplay by Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloveswas is very shabby. A crisp screenplay could have made such a difference to the film.

On the acting front, Andrew Garfield is pretty good as the new Spider-Man, but I liked Tobey Maguire better. Maguire had innocence and curiosity associated with his character, while Garfield looked more like a boy with a new toy. Emma Stone was alright as the love interest of Peter. Again, I liked Kirsten Dunst better. The rest of the cast was pretty decent. For some reason, I thought Irffan Khan had a weird accent.

The film’s visuals are brilliant and the 3D effects are very good. Cinematography by John Schwartzman is good, and editing by Alan Edward and Bell Pietro Scalia is decent. Music by James Horner could have been better though.

Overall, the film gives you the thrills, thanks to the visual effects, but a better story line could have made it a worth watch. The shady screenplay doesn’t make things better either. Watch it without expectations, and without comparing it to the original Spider-Man.

“Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Does whatever a spider can: Spins a web, any size..” Oops, I can’t without my artificial web maker!! 😛

Acting: 8.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 8/10
Is it worth your time and money??: For the visuals and the 3D effects, yes!! Nothing so special otherwise.

Verdict: 7.5/10

100 Degrees | Restaurant Review

Place: 100 Degrees
Location: Necklace Road, Ranigunj, Secunderabad
Cuisine: Continental
Meal: Dinner (with a friend)

Dropped in at 100 Degrees last week with a friend for dinner. It was raining on this particular night, so we sat in the glass enclosure on the terrace. The place was empty when we reached, but got full as the night progressed. Probably because of the rain, all the waiters seemed a little out of sorts.

We ordered a Four Cheese pizza to start. Later on, my friend ordered a Shanghai Chicken Sizzler, while I opted for a Mushroom Satellite Sizzler.

The pizza was served in about 15 minutes. I stated in my last review that they serve the best pizza in town. After having the one at Viva Italia and Via Milano, I conclude that they serve not the best, but one of the best pizzas in town. Topped with mozzarella, cheddar, smoked scamorza and Danish blue cheeses, the pizza was yum.

After a while, the sizzler were served. It had a Cottage Cheese cutlet with sautéed mushrooms on white rice, topped with mushroom sauce, cheese slice and fresh cream. The cutlet was very well cooked, the sauce had a nice flavor, and the veggies were crunchy. I would have preferred Fried rice instead of the white rice though. My friend liked his Chicken sizzler as well.

Overall, it was a decent meal. However, the experience and service was a let down. My sizzler was supposed to come with Coke, which was served after the meal when I reminded the waiter about it, and the bread served was stale (one even had a mold on it). Like every other Ohri’s restaurant I’ve visited in the recent time, even this one needs to pull their socks up. I still consider it one of my favorite joints though, for the food is yum, and they are all reasonably priced. Give it a shot if you haven’t yet.

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 843/-

Verdict: 8/10

Siaa | Restaurant Review

Place: Siaa
Location: Opposite Chiranjeevi Blood Bank, Jubilee Hills
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with family)

After hearing quite a few good things about this place, here I was with my family to celebrate Father’s Day a week late. I called in early and made a reservation for it was a Saturday night, but when we walked in, the place was pretty much empty. The interiors of the restaurant have been worked upon quite a bit, and thanks to its elevation, you get a very good view of the city. We sat at a corner table and were immediately attended to.

I had pretty much already gone through their menu on Zomato, so knew what to order. The starters were kinda expensive, so decided to go only for one, and ordered Tandoori Broccoli. For main course, we had Paneer Butter Masala and Methi Malai Aloo, Stuffed Kulcha, Naan and Kerala Parota. Later on, we ordered a Veg Dum Biryani.

In about 10 minutes, the Tandoori Broccoli was served. It was supposed to be topped with cheese and almonds, but all I found was cheese. The broccoli was a little over boiled, but overall, thanks to the cheese, it tasted yum. For 255 bucks, I though the quantity served was very less.

The main course was served pretty soon. The Paneer Butter Masala had fresh paneer and the gravy was delicious. The fenugreek gave it a nice flavor, and overall, tasted yum.

The Methi Malai Aloo was absolutely delicious. Creamy, very well cooked, and lots of methi, just perfect. Loved it!

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The Naan was soft, and Parota was decent. The Stuffed Kulcha was very very good.

The Dum Biryani was good, but it had a lot of curry with very less rice, which made it very spicy.

Overall, a pretty good meal, for most of the food served was finger licking good. On the downside, for the prices, the quantity of food served seemed less. Ambiance wise, the place was neat, but thanks to the high ceiling, was too loud. Since the place was empty, every table had its own waiter, and the one we had just wouldn’t leave ours. It was very annoying after a while. Nevertheless, for the food and ambiance, you can visit this place once in a while.

Food: 9/10
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 4: Rs. 1443/-

Verdict: 8.5/10

Gangs of Wasseypur | Movie Review

Gangs of Wasseypur starts off with a bunch of guys raiding a house tearing into pieces in the year 2004. It then flashbacks to 1941, and then, 3 hours later, ends in 1990, with a “To be continued”. By this time, my head was hurting like crazy, and half the theater had walked out. Now take an intelligent guess on how good the film was.

Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs of Wasseypur absolutely had no story. Except for people from 1940’s looking still the same even in 1980’s, a lot of swear words, vulgar dialogues, and infidelity, there is nothing the film has to offer. The screenplay is very haphazard, and so bloody slow. I just can’t describe how disappointed I was. The acting, music, cinematography, thankfully, were good, and helped me survive!

There’s no point writing more. If you happen to like the movie, be my guest and finish the review for me 😛

Acting: 7.5/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 3/10
Technical Aspects: 6/10
Is it worth your time and money??: NO!! No matter what other reviews say, people started walking out of the theatre post interval. Unless you like such dark, vulgar films with no story, stay away.

Verdict: 4.5/10

Brave | Movie Review

Brave is no Finding Nemo. Neither is it close to Ratatouille, Up, The Incredibles , or any of the other Pixar classics. It’s very different from what Pixar generally make. But still, it’s a beautiful movie; a movie with heart. One you will enjoy!!

Scripted by Brenda Chapman, Brave, the production house’s first fantasy fairy tale, tells the story of a princess, Merida, who defies age-old customs of the kingdom, and in the process gets her family cursed. The rest of the story is about how she fights to undo the curse. Though the concept has the potential to create a classic, the script lacks the punch to make it one. The story is touching, yes, but I believe it could have had little more substance. Titled Brave, I never really saw Merida’s bravery coming into picture. Yes, she did fight for her family, but that was barely for 2 minutes of the movie. I didn’t see much archery either. However, some brilliant direction by Chapman and Mark Andrews makes this film work. It has its moments in abundance, both fun and emotional. The episodes involving cursed Queen Elinor, and the triplets are all hilarious. Screenplay by Chapman, Andrews, Steve Purcell and Irene Mecchi is good, but could have been more effective.

Kelly Macdonald’s voice was perfect for Merida. I loved the Scottish accent, and she was able to do absolute justice to Merida’s character. Emma Thompson did a very good job voicing Queen Elinor. The rest of the voice cast was alright.

On technical front, the movie scores big time! Though the 3D effects were never so great, the animation and visual effects were brilliant. The colors, shades, visuals were all magnificent. Music by Patrick Doyle is good. Editing by Nicholas Smith is crisp. There was not a dull moment in the entire film.

Overall, Brave is just a good film. A better script/fairy tale could have made this another Pixar classic, but that is not to be. The direction is brilliant, and the emotions are perfect. Go watch it without any expectations, and I am sure you won’t be disappointed.

Acting: 8/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 8/10
Technical Aspects: 9/10
Is it worth your time and money??: Absolutely. It ain’t like any of the other Pixar films, but is a good movie nevertheless. Go watch it!! (PS: Take your mom along, she’d love it!!)

Verdict: 8/10

Dwaraka Hotel | Restaurant Review

Place: Dwaraka Hotel
Location: Lane adj. J.C. Brothers, Ameerpet
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with bro)

Having read about a place called Singh’s Punjabi Tadka on Zomato.com, me and bro ventured out to find it. We found a bunch of restaurants, including Dwaraka, at the mentioned location, but nothing Punjabi. Dwaraka at Lakdikapool used to be my favorite Biryani restaurant in town years ago. Hoping to relive my childhood experiences, we walked into the one at Ameerpet.

They have a tiffin center on the ground flour and an air-conditioned restaurant on the first floor. Walking in, the place looked decent and there were quite a few people in the restaurant. Once seated, we ordered a Veg Kofta, Butter Naan and Hundi Biryani.

In about 10 minutes, the food was served. The Koftas were soft and very good, while the gravy was creamy yet mildly spicy. Yummy!! The Butter Naan and Plain Naan were good.

The Hundi Biryani was served along with Mirchi Ka Salan and Raitha, and it tasted delicious. The hundi gravy was tasty, very well cooked, and the rice was just perfect. I would have preferred it to be a little more spicy, but was excellent nevertheless.

Overall, an excellent meal. I absolutely loved the food. Everything is decently priced, and the service was pretty good as well. The quantity of food served was also very good. Ambiance wise, its way better than any of the Dhaba’s in Ameerpet. Give it a shot when you’re around.

Food: 9/10
Service:8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 290/-

Verdict: 8.5/10

Ice n Spice | Restaurant Review

Place: Ice n Spice – Hotel Inner Circle
Location: Behind RKS Saboo Motors, Raj Bhavan Road
Cuisine: Buffet
Meal: Lunch (with family)

My brother wanted to eat out on a Tuesday afternoon, and so he pulled me out of work to join my family for lunch at Inner Circle. Ice ‘n Spice, located on the first floor of the hotel, is a small restaurant, but brightly lit with abundant natural light. We sat at a table for four in the center of the restaurant.

I noticed that their buffet spread was comparatively smaller than ones at other places. They had Manchow Soup, Sheekampuri Kabab and Babycorn Manchuria for starters, Paneer Dhaniya Kali Mirch, Haryali Veg and Achaari Aloo, Pulao and Mirchi Ka Salan, Veg Soft Noodles, Veg Chow sauce, Dal, Sambar, Ivy Gourd (dondakaya) fry and Curd Rice. For deserts, they had Thai Coconut Barfi, Mutter Kheer and Vanilla Ice-cream.

Once we settled down, the soup and starters were served on the table. The Manchow soup had no proper flavor and was just alright. Of the starters, the kababs were a little under cooked, but the Baby-corn Manchuria was excellent. Crispy baby-corn tossed in sweet and sour sauce, yum! I loved them so much , that I kept munching on them till the end of the meal.

On the Indian front, the Paneer Dhaniya Kali Mirch was very good. I was expecting it to be spicy, but it wasn’t so, and the paneer was soft and fresh. The Hariyali Veg was more of mixed vegetables in spinach gravy. It tasted alright. Achaari Aloo was spicy, tasty and best of the lot. Naan and Roti were served on table, and were pretty decent.

Their Pulao turned out to be very good. It had a very nice flavor and tasted delicious with the Mirchi Ka Salan.

The Noodles were spicy and very good, while the Chow sauce was a little too bland.

I didn’t taste the Dal, Sambar and Curd Rice, but amma said they were good.

On the desert front, the Coconut Barfi was good, not too sweet, just perfect. The experimental Mutter Kheer was very very good. Creamy and luscious!

Overall, a decent buffet. Though the spread was quite small, all the items on it tasted good. The service was pretty decent, and I liked the ambiance. It would greatly help if they could increase the number of items on their spread (maybe add another soup, starter and couple deserts). Nevertheless, for 260 bucks, it’s quite a meal!!

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Buffet for 1: Rs. 258/-

Verdict: 8/10

Haveli | Restaurant Review

Place: Haveli
Location: My Home Tycoon (Lifestyle Building), Begumpet
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with amma and bro)

After visiting this place in April, here I was again with amma and bro. I was craving for some awesome Paneer Butter Masala, and I was hoping this place wouldn’t disappoint. Being a Sunday night, the place was packed and we had to wait for about 10 minutes before we found a table.

After we were seated, no one attended to us for almost another 10 minutes. We had to call for the waiter, water was served, but then we were eluded again. When someone finally came back, we ordered for an Aloo Paneer Sheekh Kabab for starters, Paneer Butter Masala, Malai Kofta, Stuffed Kulcha and Roti. We also ordered for Mushroom Masala and Jeera Rice towards the end.

The guy did tell us that it would take a while for the kababs, but it took kinda forever. And when they did arrive, the quantity was very disappointing. Eight small rolls were served with lots of green salad. The kababs too weren’t that great. They were a little under-cooked an I could taste the flour. A let down!!

After the kabab fiasco, and another 10 minute wait, rest of the food was served. The PBM was not as good as I was hoping it to be, but still was pretty decent. The paneer wasn’t fresh, but the gravy was creamy and mildly spicy.

The Malai Kofta was the better dish of the two. The kofta was soft and yum and the gravy wasn’t sweet, but spicy, just the way I like it.

The Mushroom Masala looked similar to the PBM, but the gravy was quite different. This one had a more tangy gravy, and the mushrooms were fresh and tender.

The Jeera Rice had a nice aroma, and tasted great. The Roti was a little hard, but the Stuffed Kulcha was pretty good.

Overall, a nice meal. Except for the starter, the rest of the food was decent enough. It’s nothing extraordinary, but just plain good food. The service was a let down on this particular night though. The meal turned out to be more expensive than the last time around (for 4 people), but it was probably because we ordered more dishes. I didn’t get the Paneer Butter Masala I was craving for, but a decent meal nevertheless. If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a shot!

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 6.5/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Meal for 3: Rs 852/-

Verdict: 8/10

Ferrari Ki Sawaari | Movie Review

Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a joy ride, yes. But there is so much drama in this joy ride, that you stop enjoying it and wonder when it’ll get over.

Written by the director, Rajesh Mapuskar, and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Ferrari Ki Sawaari narrates a story which is too good to be true in today’s world. It starts off establishing the characters of a lower middle class Parsi family of a too good dad, Rustum Deboo, his son who aspires to be like Sachin Tendulkar, and his grumpy father who doesn’t like his grandson playing cricket. Once established, there are heart-wrenching moments which make you connect to the families woes until the Ferrari comes in. From then on, the script takes a fantasy route. Sachin’s worker handing over Ferrari’s keys, and the guard letting the Ferrari leave without checking who’s in the car were just plain stupid. What follows are a bunch of brain-less, easy to guess drama sequences which last till the end of the movie. Thankfully, most of the cast do justice to their characters, and that’s what helps the movie survive. Dialogues by Raj Kumar Hiraani are not as good as you expect, but decent enough for the script. The direction good, while the screenplay could have been better.

On the acting front, Boman Irani and Ritvik Sahore are very good in their respective roles. But it’s the main lead, Sharman Joshi, who disappoints. He tried his best to be the perfect father, but it was too much for him to handle. Paresh Rawal is brilliant in his small yet vital role. Deepak Shirke (security guard) was fun to watch. Vidya Balan looked plump. The rest of the cast was pretty good. If only Sharman was replaced!!

On technical front, music by Pritam is mediocre. Background score on the other hand was pretty good. The re-recording was very good (I had goosebumps every time Ferrari engine roared). Cinematography by Sudhir Palsane was decent enough. Editing by Deepa Bhatia could have been more crisp. It’s a low-budget film and the production values by Vidhu Vinod Chopra films are pretty decent.

Overall, a decent film and one might actually enjoy it, but it’s very long and dramatic. It starts off with great intent, but becomes too much of a fantasy towards the end. It’s nowhere close to the recent films from the Vidhu Vinod Chopra films (3 Idiots or the Munna Bhai series), but is a modest effort nevertheless.

Acting: 7/10
Story-Screenplay-Direction: 7/10
Technical Aspects: 7/10
Is it worth your time and money??: Ferrari Ki Sawaari is a movie with its heart at the right place, but it just doesn’t deliver enough. It’s a family movie, for kids and parents will enjoy it, but I don’t think youngsters will like it so much. Unless you want to take along your parents (like I did) or kids, wait for the DVD.

Verdict: 6.5/10

PS: Watching a movie at Cinemax in Inorbit mall is an utter waste of money. The screens are smaller than ones in preview theaters, and the viewing angle isn’t great either. Stay away if possible.