Me and a friend dropped into Bikanerwala wanting to have a light meal. Instead of walking up to the restaurant on the first floor, we decided to order at the food-court. I’ve never enjoyed the ambiance in the food-court section here, for it’s always crowded, and therefore, loud. My friend ordered Dahi Puri, while I opted for the North Indian Thali.
The food was ready soon, and we were busy hogging.
Th thali came with a Paratha, Mixed Vegetable Curry, Paneer Butter Masala, Dal Makhni, Rice, Boondi Raitha and a sweet. On first sight, the quantity looked less, and I was apprehensive if this would fill my tummy. The Mixed Vegetable Curry was perfectly cooked and was one of the best I’ve had. The PBM was creamy and perfect. As expected, the paneer was fresh and melt in my mouth. The dal had too much masala, but was yum. All of them were made with shuddh ghee, and I could taste it in every bite. The parata was also baked in ghee, and so turned out to be super heavy.
The sweet turned out to be excellent.
Overall, an excellent meal. What I thought wouldn’t fill my tummy actually got me stuffed thanks to the ghee used. However, at 300 bucks, I think it’s quite an expensive affair.
PS: Kailash Parbat has similar thali priced lower, with more quantity.
Place: Roll On
Location: Adj. Mom and Me, KPHB Colony
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner
I’ve been wanting to try this place since I’ve read about it on Zomato. I dropped down one night after a movie at Cinepolis, but it was already too late and they were done with all the veggie stuff. So here I was on another occasion, on my way to catch another movie. Roll On is a no fancy joint, a small kiosk on the corner of the road with a couple of stools laid in front of the kiosk.
I asked for a Mushroom Olive Cheese Roll, and it took about 5-10 minutes before I was handed the roll.
Mushroom Olive Cheese Roll
Unlike most other places which serve a maida based roll, this place served a wheat chapathi (which was good). The roll was oily, but on taste front it was very good. They used green Olives instead of black and the stuffing was perfect. For 80 bucks, this seemed more like an appetizer though.
Here I was again a few days later after watching another movie at PVR to try something more fulfilling; I ordered for an Egg-less Mushroom Cheese Shahi Paratha.
Mushroom Cheese Shahi Paratha
This time it took a bit longer, about 15 minutes for the paratha to be served. On first sight, the quantity seemed better. Taste wise, though pretty spicy, the paratha was excellent; there was tons of cheese with yummy mushroom masala. I was expecting for it to have some mayonnaise as well, but because I asked for a egg-less paratha, they skipped it. Nevertheless, it turned out to be yum and filled my tummy.
Overall, a decent joint which serves some good rolls and parathas. The rolls are a little overpriced, especially since they don’t really fill your tummy, but the Shahi Paratha was total value for money. Definitely worth a try if you’re in this part of the town, but only if you are willing to ignore the calories.
Food: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: N/A
Meal for 1: Rs. 80/- for the Roll; Rs. 90 for the Paratha
For a foodie meet, dropped in to this small place on Kondapur-GachiBowli road. It’s a small air conditioned, self-service, no seating joint, with pretty neat ambiance. With the kinda food offering, it reminded me of 13 Dhaba, butwith much better atmosphere.
As part of the foodie deal, we were in for a long treat: Cajun Spice Potato, Rajma Chawal, Chole Chawal, Kadi Chawal, Chole Bhature, Amritsari Kulcha, Daal Makhani, Matar Paneer, Roti or Naan, Lassi, Butter Milk, Gulab Jamun, Desi Ghee Jalebi, all for 200 bucks. No, I didn’t eat them all, just tasted a few 😛
Cajun Spice Potatoes
The Cajun Spice Potatoes happened to be Aloo Tikkis served with spicy creamy cheese sauce, and chopped onions. The combination was just perfect, and tasted brilliant. It was one of the best starters I’ve tasted in recent while. I couldn’t stop licking the sauce off my fingers. Yum!
Amritsari Kulcha and CholeAmritsari Kulcha with Dal Makhni and Mutter Paneer
I asked for an Amritsari Kulcha with Mutter Paneer and Dal Makhni. The Kulcha wasn’t really great for there was not much stuffing, and tasted bland. The Mutter Paneer too was kinda sad; the paneer was alright, but the gravy was too tomatoey and lacked enough masala. I had a taste of Chole, which also wasn’t really great. However, the Dal Makhni happened to be delicious for it was creamy and just perfect. A saviour in terms of main course dishes.
Rajma ChawalKadi Chawal
I next asked for a portion of Dal Chawal, which as expected tasted yum. That apart, I had some Rajma Chamwal, which was pretty good. The Kadi Chawal could have been better.
Lassi and Butter Milk
Surprisingly, the Lassi was very thin and tasted average, while the Butter Milk was creamy and thick.
Both the desserts, the Gulab Jamoon and Jelebi were pretty good.
Overall, it was a decent meal. While few items were excellent, others needed a lot of improvement. Bottom line, give this place a try if you’re in this part of the city. I thought it was definitely better than the dhaba along the road; lemme know what you think.
Food: 7.5/10
Service: N/A
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 200/- (as part of the foodie deal)
Place: Deli 9
Location: Road No. 1, Banjara Hills
Cuisine: Global, Bakery
Meal: Dinner (with couple of friends)
Deli 9 is currently having a Global Burger and Cheesecake Festival, and few of my vegetarian foodie friends suggested that we drop by to give try their veggie offerings. For some reason, I’ve never visited Deli 9 thus far cos I’ve perceived it as a high-priced cafe for the rich folks, an opinion I formed ages ago after one visit to Fusion 9. Back then, this was one of the only expensive deli’s in town, but given that you spend 300-400 for a Burger at any other restaurant in town today, it doesn’t look so bad after all. So here we were at the Banjara Hills outlet which has pretty good ambiance.
While waiting for our fellow foodies to arrive, a couple of us ordered Crusty Garlic Foccacia with Cheese, and four pieces of cheesy garlic bread were served in about 10 minutes.
Garlic Foccacia with Cheese
These happened to be the best garlic bread I’ve had in the recent past for the bread was perfectly baked and had the right amount of garlic and cheese. If this was anything to go by, we were in for an amazing meal.
Once everyone arrived, we ordered one each of their veggie offerings for the Burger festival – a Veggie 9 Burger, Japanese Ramen Burger and a Lebanon Chickpeas Burger. It took forever for the burgers to be served but we weren’t really complaining. Each burger was served along with exactly six Potato Wedges. I was hoping some kinda dipping sauce or salad, but there was none.
Veggie 9 Burger
The Veggie 9 Burger had a decent patty sandwiched between multi-grain bread, with some lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and a slice of cheese. The patty was good, however, it was kinda dry and didn’t seem really fresh. While it wasn’t the best burger, it wasn’t a bad bet.
The Chickpea burger had a patty served in between burnt pita bread along with hummus and finely shredded lettuce. Apart from being burnt on one side, the pita bread was really soggy and tasted terrible. The hummus too had no flavour and was more like a chutney. The biggest disappointment of the evening thus far!
And ya, the potato wedges were among the worst ever for they were dripping oil and had no flavour or seasoning – they were deep-fried potato pieces, period.
Now come the best part of our meal – the cheesecakes. They had 9 different offerings but none seemed appealing. We decided to share a Nutella Cheesecake and a Lemon Cheesecake.
Nutella Cheesecake
First off, the Nutella Cheesecake didn’t look like a cheesecake. It was more like a gooey brownie and tasted exactly like that. Why call it a cheesecake, I’ll never understand. It was too sweet for my liking (because of the Nutella), and overall an average piece of cake.
Lemon Set Cheesecake
The Lemon Cheesecake happened to be a piece of rubber and disgrace on the name of cheesecake. Hoping that it had gone stale and that was the reason it tasted bad, I informed the waiter about the same. In response, I was told that it was supposed to be like that for it was a set cheesecake. Brilliant. I actually can’t believe that they serve something so terrible for 150 bucks, and have an excuse for it. It was taken back when I complained about the taste; I was hoping for a replacement, but there was none.
A meal which actually started of pretty well turned out to be a disaster with every item. Forget the burgers, if a place serves this kinda cheesecakes during a supposed festival, then there’s something terribly wrong. The Burgers too weren’t anything special and spending 195 bucks for each of them while the regular one was available for 115 is purely our mistake. The service too was exceedingly slow. A meet at the adjacent Karachi Bakery would have been more fruitful (and pocket friendly).
The festival is still on if you’d like to experience it (till October 30). Good luck!
Place: Kwallity Udupy’s Ahar Location: Yousufguda Cuisine: Tiffins and Fast Food Meal: Dinner/Take away
Having read good reviews about this tiffin place, I was eager to try it out. Since it’s located near my house, I asked dad to bring a Dosa for breakfast on a particular day. These guys boast of more than 50 varieties of Dosa, but I first wanted to try the simplest, Masala Dosa. While I was expecting something yum, it turned out to be pretty ordinary and left me unimpressed. The chutneys and sambar too weren’t great.
On another occasion, we brought in Aloo Paratha, Chapati and Dum Biryani for dinner. The Chapatis, which were served with two kinds of curries, were pretty good. However, the curries weren’t great. One of them had too much pudina which made it really strong, while the other had less salt. The Biryani turned out to be coloured rice with loads and loads of garam masala and no taste, an utter disappointment. Aloo Paratha turned out to be saving grace for they were soft and palatable.
Wanting to give it another chance, I decided to dine at the place. Walking in, I was pissed by the cashiers rude attitude, who turned nice after I ordered a something worth was 80 bucks. Anyhow, I ordered for a Chinese Combo which was ready in about 10 minutes.
Chinese Combo
The combo had four pieces of Manchuria, some Noodles and Fried Rice. The Manchuria was soft and alright but the gravy had too much garlic. The Noodles were tasty but were dripping in oil and the Fried Rice lacked flavour. It’s then I realized that the bandi wala next door serves better Chinese food than these guys.
Overall, mediocre experiences. Like mentioned in few reviews, there were no neatly dressed attendants and neither the hygiene of the place worth mention. The entire place was in fact very muddy on the day I dropped in. Add to that the arrogance of the cashier. I don’t think I’m ever coming back to this place, even for a take away any more.
Food: 6/10 Ambiance: 5/10 Service: N/A Price: Rs. 80/- for the Combo
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.
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..
Aloo Paratha
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.
Kadi Chawal
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.
Poori Subzi
I didn’t have a taste of the Poori Subzi, but it did look good.
Lassi
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.
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.
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.
Hyderabadi Club Sandwich
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.
Mini Cupcakes
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.
Belgian Black Forest Pastry
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!!
Chocolate Mousse Cake
The Chocolate Mousse Cake was the second best. This had loads of cream (which I’m guessing was the mousse). I loved it!
Tiramisu
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!
Place: Kathmandu Momos Location: Yashoda Hospital Bus Stop, Opp. Saboo Motors, Somajiguda Cuisine: Chinese Meal: Dinner
Having read quite a bit about this small stall selling Momos (another Hidden Gem on Zomato), I ventured out to give them a try. The place was quite difficult to find for it is a small stall within a bus stop, with just a banner and no lights. For anyone searching, just look for a man standing across a table at the bus stop opposite Saboo Motors/Inner Circle. Being a roadside stall, there’s no place to sit and eat; it’s more like having pani puri off a bandi.
I discovered the place a little past 9:00 PM, and the owner, Om Prakash, was in the process of packing things up. All he had were the last 10 pieces of Paneer Momos, 6 of which were reserved by someone else (on phone). So without a choice, I opted for the remaining 4 Momos. The usual options are Vegetable, Chicken and Paneer.
Three of the Momos were piping hot and really soft, while one was a little hard. On taste front, they were actually as good as the ones I had on my visit to Leh. The paneer filling had a nice flavor to it, and the Momos tasted yum along with the tangy, spicy szechuan chutney. I was left craving for more, for another night.
Priced reasonably (50 bucks for a regular plate of 6 Paneer/Chicken, and 40 for Vegetable), this place is really a hidden gem in Hyderabad. I’m going back soon to try their Vegetable Momos. Give it a shot and lemme know what you think 🙂
I’ve always loved cakes and pastries more than ice-creams when it came to desserts, and Theobroma serves the best pastries in Mumbai, so I had to be here. After the heavy meal at Cafe Churchill, which included a Blueberry Cheesecake, and a long walk along Gateway, me and a friend dropped in to their store at Colaba. At around 4:00 PM, the place was pretty much packed (as usual).
We walked to the counter, and while we’re deciding on what to indulge on, the elderly lady at the counter suggested we try the Vodka Chilli Cheesecake. That apart, we asked for a Devil’s Mousse Cake.
We took a seat in a corner, and the cakes were served immediately. The Cheesecake tasted very different from what I’ve ever tasted before (probably because of the liquor) and had a strong aftertaste thanks to the chilli. Thought not my favorite, it was good nevertheless.
On the other hand, I absolutely loved the Devil’s Mousse. This flourless cake was creamy, very light, and melt in my mouth. I wouldn’t mind travelling to Mumbai again just for a taste of this cake. Yummilicious.
The very next day, met a few college friends and we dropped in to the store at Lokhandwala. Surprisingly, this place was empty, and had fewer options compared to the store at Colaba. While others tried a sugarless Brownie and Red Velvet Cheesecake, I opted for Banana Caramel Cupcake. I had tried their Blueberry mini cupcake the last time around at Colaba, and it turned out to be the best cupcake I’ve ever tasted, so had high expectations from this one.
While it wasn’t as great as the one I remember, it was still pretty good. I don’t think it was fresh, and that is the reason it didn’t taste great.
If you love your desserts, this place is a must try in Mumbai. They have stores all over the city, but I’d suggest you try the one at Colaba. Everything is reasonably priced, the ambiance is pretty neat, and most of the cakes and pastries are excellent. I wish they opened a branch in Hyderabad. Go try their cakes now!
Met a couple of friends the other night, and after hogging on the last order at Maharaja Chat, decided to stop by at Hazzel for ice cream. I was the one who dragged them here, thanks to the reviews. Walking in at around 11:30 PM, we were surprised to find the place packed. The ambiance is pretty neat, with the place is brightly lit. We sat in a corner, and waited for someone to hand us a menu.
After about 10 minutes, we were handed a pretty badly torn menu (one menu for 3 people). The first few pages were filled with food items (I thought this was an ice cream corner :|). We finally found the page with the ice cream offerings, and there were quite a few. After a long discussion, we finally decided on a Sticky Chewy Chocolate, Chocolate Almond Fudge and Chocolate and Cream.
It took forever, and I mean forever for the ice cream to be served. And this wait was even more painful as the guy at the counter was mashing ice creams (aka Cold Stone style) so loudly that we couldn’t hear each other across the table. He could have bought a building down with the amount of sound pollution. Anyways, after about 15 minutes, the first ice cream was served.
The Sticky Chewy Chocolate it was, and it was just alright. It had some gooey chocolate sauce along with chocolate ice cream and a couple of brownie chunks. It was a decent ice cream, but nothing memorable.
After another 10 minute wait, the Chocolate Almond Fudge was served. My friend asked for some caramel sauce on this one, but there was none. This tasted similar to the first ice cream, with the gooey chocolate replaced by very little fudge. Again, nothing special.
After an hour since we entered the place, my ice-cream, the easiest one to make of them all, Chocolate and Cream was finally served (My friends had almost finished their ice-creams by now). This one looked great, and the cream tasted yum. However, the chocolate fudge on the bottom was very very sweet, and spoilt the entire ice cream when dug into. The chocolate ice cream and cream were the only palatable items.
Overall, a disappointment. None of the ice cream were out of this world good, and the noise at the place was a huge put off. I read a couple of reviews calling this place economical and pocket friendly, but I wouldn’t agree. For 500 bucks, I could have had close to 10 Kwality Walls or Amul ice creams. But for the hype and the noise, there’s nothing special about this place.
Another place with raving reviews, another disappointment!
