Sasikanth | - Page 30

Viva Italia | Restaurant Review

Place: Viva Italia
Location: Ground floor, White House, Next to Lifestyle Building, Begumpet
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Dinner (with couple of friends)

I’ve been to my favorite pizza place in town quite often since I wrote the last review in April. This time around, dropped in with my friends (I’ve been meaning to drag these guys here for a while now and finally succeeded). We dropped in for dinner, and were cordially greeted by the co-owner. We made ourselves comfortable at one of the three laid out benches.

I ordered my regular Garden Pizza and my other friend ordered a Pepperoni Pizza. My third friend, who happens to be very choosy about his food, asked for a Veg Club Sandwich without cheese and with less mayonnaise. We also ordered some Garlic bread.

The Garlic Bread was served in about 10 minutes. The bread was very good and the garlic sauce on top was yummy. We asked for some pizza sauce to dip the bread in, and with it the bread tasted even better. We loved it so much, that we ordered for a second portion.

The Club Sandwich was served next. My friend was very happy with it for it was just as he requested it to be.

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It took unusually long time for the pizza to be served, but it was totally worth the wait. Crispy thin crust pizza with cheese melting in your mouth, amazing!! I actually thought the pizza was better than the last time I had it. My friend loved his Pepperoni pizza as well.

To finish things off, we ordered a Death By Chocolate from Sweet Chill. It was chocolaty, yes, but wasn’t as good as we expected it to be. There was a lot of cherry under the ice cream, which kinda ruined the taste.

Overall, except for the desert, a yummy meal. I’ve already stated this to be my favorite pizza in town, and it didn’t disappoint. If you still haven’t, go try it now!!

PS: I did mention in my last review that this is a very small place. It is no fancy Italian dine-in restaurant, but just a kiosk in the White House building. So don’t walk in having these huge expectations about the ambiance. They serve good food, and that’s what matters, doesn’t it?

Food: 9.5/10
Service: 9.5/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 628/-

Verdict: 9.5/10

Heart Cup Coffee | Restaurant Review

Place: Heart Cup Coffee
Location: Above McDonald’s, Trimulgherry, Secunderabad
Cuisine: Cafe & Lounge
Meal: Lunch (with a friend)

Dropped in at Heart Cup Coffee at Trimulgherry late afternoon on a Monday. The place was empty and we were the only guys at the joint. We later realized that there were more people sitting inside the alcoholic section. Part of the cafe was being turned into Quiznos, so the place seemed quite vacant.

They have a huge beverage menu to choose from, so it took quite a while for us to decide on stuff. After like forever, my friend ordered for a Brownie Shake and Chicken Nuggets, while I ordered an Apple Pie Shake and a Paneer and Spinach Sandwich.

The Brownie Shake was served first in a tall glass. It had chunks of brownie on the top, which tasted luscious. The drink was very chocolaty and good.

The Apple Pie Shake was good as well, but there was too much pie blended into the shake. This made it really thick and too sweet. I would have preferred it a little more milky.

After a long wait, the Panner and Spinach Sandwich was served, which was decent enough. The French Fries served along were crispy. I asked for some coleslaw, which was very good.

While I was waiting for my sandwich, my friend happened to finish his Brownie shake and ordered for a Mocha Frappe. The frappe had too much ice and was a little too strong for my taste.

Overall, a decent experience. The Brownie shake, the sandwich and the nuggets were good while the rest were average. Being the only people in the cafe, we expected quick service from them, but it took forever for the beverages and food to be served. I guess it’s better to visit this place in the evenings when its more crowded than in the afternoons. On the whole, a nice hangout zone with some good drinks and food.

Food: 8/10
Drinks: 7.5/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 780/-

Verdict: 7.5/10

Hotel Abhilasha | Restaurant Review

Place: Hotel Abhilasha
Location: Next to Sandhya Theater, RTC X Roads
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with couple of friends)

Okay, first off, let me state that though this restaurant is owned by one of my friend, I shall try to review it from an outsiders perspective.

Located right opposite Bawarchi, the restaurant which serves one of the best Biryani’s in town, Abhilasha is a family restaurant also famous for its Chicken Biryani. They have better ambiance than Bawarchi, and caters mostly to family crowd. They have three sections on two floors, and a couple of party halls. We sat at a corner table on the first floor.

My friend ordered a couple of starters off the menu for us – Crispy Corn Kababs, Dragon Rolls and Vegetable Sticks. We finished with a Special Vegetable Fried Rice.

The Corn Kababs were served first. They tasted like Masala Vada’s with some corn. I thought they were a little undercooked and needed some more frying. But otherwise, a decent starter.

Next came the Dragon Rolls. They were Spring Rolls tossed in a wok with some additional spices. They were crispy and tasted yum, but were dripping oil. If it wasn’t for so much oil, this dish would have been awesome.

Their Veg Sticks are one of my favorites. Crispy and crunchy, they are perfect starters. Few off them had too much chat masala on them, but otherwise, they were great.

The Special Fried Rice was served along with Vegetable Manchuria. The Fried Rice was very good, but the Manchuria was disappointing. The gravy was very thin while the Manchurain balls very very hard.

Overall, a decent meal. I was unable to do true justice for I didn’t have their special Chicken Biryani. Ambiance wise, this is the best place in the surrounding area (maybe apart from Crystal’s Vegetarian section). The service is decent, and so are the prices. Give it a shot when possible, and do let me know your feedback.

Food: 7.5/10
Service: NA
Ambiance: 8/10

Verdict: NA (it wouldn’t be right for me to rate my friend’s restaurant, would it?? 🙂 )

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