Category: Indian Food

Place: Jashn
Location: Ahuja Estates Lane, Next to Palace Heights, Abids
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with amma and dad)

On Christmas, we headed out for a drive and decided to dine at Santosh Dhaba (Jaya International lane). But I realized that they opened a new restaurant next to the Santosh Dhaba Extension, and decided to try it instead. The place was packed with people waiting to get in to both Extension and Jashn. We had to wait for about 15 minutes before we were seated. On ambiance front, the place has good interiors (to give it the fine dine touch), but the tables were cramped next to each other. And there was the reverberating noise; it was like you were at a market rather than a restaurant.

Having walked in, we decided to sit through. But the surprise element was yet to be discovered – a look at their menu. They had more variety than what Santosh Dhaba offers (Italian, Chaat, etc.), but one look at the prices and you’d wonder if you walked into a star restaurant. Everything was overpriced, a Naan which would cost about 20 bucks at the Extension next door was 50! (and I’m guessing they came from the same kitchen). We somehow managed to ignore this and ordered Manchuria as starter, and Bulbul Kofta along with Roti, Aloo Paratha and Stuffed Kulcha for main course.

People at the adjacent table placed their order at the same time as us and their main course was served but our starter was yet to come; that’s how long it took for the Manchuria to be served. And after such a long wait, they turned out to be among the most terrible Manchuria I’ve ever had. Soggy and overcooked, they barely had any flavour. When we informed this to the steward, he just ignored us.

Thankfully, the main course didn’t take long to be served. The Kofta tasted decent, but was nothing spectacular. Roti and Aloo Paratha were alright. The Stuffed Kulcha, which is usually stuffed with cashew nuts, barely had any.

I wanted to order more, but decided against it given the mediocre food and service. Oh yea, the service – though there were waiters standing right next to our table, they wouldn’t hear us out cos it wasn’t their table (all that we had asked them was to get us a fork and some ketchup). In all, one of the most disappointing meals in recent times. Given that its’ from the house of Santosh Dhaba, it’s a bigger disappointment. Never ever coming back, and I suggest you stay away as well.

Food: 6.5/10
Service: 5/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 720/-

Verdict: 5.5/10

Place: Shubham Dhaba
Location: Kondapur Main Road
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Lunch (with Foodie friends)

One of my foodie friend has been long telling me about how yum the food is at Shubham Dhaba, but I never got the opportunity to visit. Now that there was a foodie meet, I wasn’t going to miss it and on a lazy Saturday afternoon, here I was to hog along with some foodie friends. Ambiance of the place is nothing great, more or less similar to Santosh Dhaba, Abids.

They had a fixed meal for the meet which had a couple of drinks, starters, main course, a rice item and Dal Batti Churma. Their famous Train Papad was served a few minutes into the meal.

I’m not a fan of papad, but thought this was quite innovative – 4 papads with different toppings/chutneys served together. I liked the Imily chutney one the best.

Next came in the Achari Paneer Tikka. While the paneer was fresh, it wasn’t well marinated and so it felt like I was eating raw paneer. When we informed this to the waiter, we got another serving which tasted better but still wasn’t perfect.

Gobi 65 was served next. While this was pretty good, the gobi was overcooked which kinda made the pieces soggy.

The last starter was Veg. Manchuria which turned out to be excellent. They were crunchy and had perfect taste. These definitely were the best manchuria I’ve had in recent times.

While hogging on the starters, we asked for Buttermilk, Lassi and Masala Thumps Up. The Buttermilk was thick and creamy, while the Lassi was too sweet for my liking. The Masala Thumps Up was alright

While I was full with the food so far, the main course was served – Shubham Special Marwadi Curry and Deewan-E-Khaas, along with some Aloo Paratha and Butter Naan. The Marwadi Curry turned out to be super creamy with full of nuts, and tasted delicious. The Deewan-E-Khas was equally good and tasty. The breads were alright.

Next, Special Fried Rice was served with Dal Tadka (I know it’s weird combination). The fired rice was again excellent with the quality of rice being perfect. The Dal too was pretty decent.

The last item of the meal was Dal Bati Churma. I was totally stuffed by the time this was served so just had a spoonful to taste. It turned out to be oozing with ghee and tasted delicious.

Overall, a pretty good meal. While the first couple of starters weren’t great, the rest of the meal turned out to be palatable. My only concern is with the consistency of the dishes for the taste kept varying with every serving. And also, the food is full of ghee and butter, so it’s definitely not for figure/diet conscious people. That apart, the service was alright and the prices were pretty reasonable. If your bored of the same food at Santosh Dhaba, Shubham is a must try place for you.

Food: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 7.5/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 300/- (Foodie Deal)

Verdict: 9/10

Place: Simply South
Location: Opp. Film Nagar Club, Jubilee Hills
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Lunch

Since this place opened a couple of months ago, my Zomato page has been filled with its reviews (with one foodie actually posting 90+ pictures of this small restaurant). I’m not fond of South Indian food, and that apart, the unwanted attention this place was receiving made me give it a skip. However, come Onam, I wanted to have Sadya, and Simply South happened to be one of the three places in town serving it, so here I was (reluctantly).

I called and reserved a table, and was there on time. However, when I reached, there was no one to attend at the entrance, and when someone finally did, they made me wait for almost 40 minutes before I got a table (which I had to share with someone). The wait wasn’t a problem (for it was a festival day and expected), but the cold/unwelcoming attitude of the owners towards the bunch of waiting crowd was quite bothersome. The fact that the lady was paying special attention to some customers while ignoring the rest was also a put off. Anyway, the restaurant was pretty small, with about 10-12 tables, and had decent interiors. Being compact, the place was very loud.

It took a while for the waiter to attend to our table, and I asked for the Onam Sadya. In a span of few minutes, various items were placed on the table.

The Onam special drink was first served, followed by a large bowl of Pappadams and Banana Chips. The Pappadams, which looked more like Poori, were not really crispy, while the chips were good.

And then came the actual meal. I only knew some items of the emal, but everything looked good. The Parippu was thick and tasty, and the curries, but for the Aviyal, were pretty good. The Aviyal, which is supposed to be one of the main dishes was a disappointment for it was pretty bland and lacked flavour. It was an unlimited meal, and I got a second serving of almost every item.

Sambar and Rasam were served in small buckets, and both were very good. I actually loved the sambar.

And it was time for the desserts. They had two typical Malayali sweet dishes along with the regular paayasam, and all three were yum.

Overall, it was a pretty good meal. Everything was served hot, and almost all the items tasted good. However, there was no real Malayali essence to the meal and was it more like a South Indian thali. I say this for I’ve had a traditional Onam Sadya in the past (which was very different and tasted special), while this meal, except for maybe couple of items, tasted pretty ordinary. It was like a meal my mom would cook at home.

In conclusion, while it was not a typical Onam Sadya I was hoping for nor an exceptional meal, it was decent one. If this meal gives a picture of rest of their dishes, Simply South might be a restaurant you might want to visit for your South Indian cravings.

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 380/-

Verdict: 7.5/10

Place: Jalpaan
Location: 4th Floor, Oasis Center, Somajiguda
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner (with amma and dad)

I last came to Jalpaan a couple of years ago to try their buffet. Though the food was decent, I never returned for it didn’t impress me so much. Wanting to experiment, and give the place another try, here I was with my parents a couple of weeks ago. For a weekday, the restaurant was more or less crowded, and as usual, we settled down in a corner.

I liked their Indian offerings last time, so wanted to stick to that. We ordered Sarosnwala Paneer to start, and Zafraani Kofta, Banarasi Aloo for main course, along with Butter Naan, Stuffed Paratha and  Onion Kulcha.

The Sarsonwala Paneer was served in about 10 minutes and looked mouth-watering. Taste wise, it was very good for the paneer was very fresh and melt in mouth. The seasoning was yum and it was grilled perfectly. Overall, a good start to the meal.

I was disappointed with the fact that the waiter didn’t inform us that both curries ordered would have similar gravy. The Zafrani Kofta had three kofta balls in a creamy rich gravy while the Bararasi Aloo had baby potatoes in a similar one. Strangely, the three kofta balls had different taste – one was perfect, one had excess hing which gave it a sour taste, while the third barely had any salt. The baby potatoes on the other hand were undercooked and were difficult to cut even with a knife. Thankfully though, the gravy was finger-licking good. But what’d the point??

Of the bread, the Butter Naan was pretty good while the Onion Kulcha and Stuffed Paratha tasted more or less the same. They all had a sumptuous coating of butter which made them soft and tasty.

Not sure if I’d ever return to this place again, I decided to give their special Potli Biryani a try, and ordered for the same.

It took a while for the biryani to be served, and when it came, it looked like a large batura. The maida based Potli had biryani stuffed inside and cooked in the oven. We watched the waiter struggle to cut open the large Potli, and when he did, the biryani quantity served just two of us. Why waste so much maida for such less biryani? On taste front, it was like pulau with a lot of masala, and while it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t exceptional either.

Overall, a mediocre meal. The starter was good, but the curries were a disappointment. The biryani too was just average. Service seemed pretty slow as well, and as already mentioned, the fact that I wasn’t informed about similar gravies was a turn off. The food was pretty pricey as well, while the quantity wasn’t great. So in all honesty, giving this place a miss isn’t a bad idea.; try it if only you have no other option.

Food: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 1514/-

Verdict: 6.5/10

Place: Saranngi Vegetarian Restaurant
Location: PG Road
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Lunch (With cousins)

Having read some good reviews about this place, I was here with a couple of cousins on a Sunday afternoon. The place was brightly lit and had neat interiors. We made ourselves comfortable at a corner table.

They had a pretty decent menu, with quite a few starters. The Stuffed Mushrooms sounded really interesting, and so I asked for the same, but it was unavailable. I asked for a paneer starter and they didn’t have that either. Apparently, they don’t make their special dishes on Sundays (this was the reason given). Strange! Anyway, we ordered Chilli Baby-corn and Haryali Spring Rolls (which surprisingly was available). For the main course, we ordered some kinda special Kofta curry along with Naan and Roti.

The Baby-corn was served in about 10 minutes. While they looked good, the corn wasn’t fresh and the batter too seemed stale. Therefore, the dish turned out to be more or less a disaster.

The Spring Rolls took quite a while. Instead of using regular wrap, these were made with spinach. The stuffing was very masaledar unlike the usual, and tasted pretty good. I would have liked them to be more crispy though.

These guys were very particular about presentation and this was apparent with the Kofta, which again looked really colourful. The kofta balls were soft and well cooked while the gravy was slightly spicy. however, it tasted pretty decent. The Butter Naan could have been better.

Overall, it was an average meal, and not great as I’d expected. The fact that I don’t even remember the name of the Kofta I ordered says something. The service was pretty lethargic, and the fact that they didn’t make specials on a Sunday was a put off. Thee quantity of food served was very good, but the prices being charged were no less either; 800 bucks for two starters, a curry and rotis is quite a lot. You could give this place a try if you’re close by, but it’s not something worth driving to.

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 825/-

Verdict: 6.5/10

Place: Taj Mahal
Location: Under Narayanguda Flyover
Cuisine: Indian
Meal: Dinner

Taj Mahal happens to be one of my amma’s favourite restaurant in town, and while travelling down Narayanguda road a couple of weeks ago, we dropped into our least preferred Taj Mahal (Abids Taj Mahal is the best followed by S.D. Road). We stopped by at around 9:00 PM, and walked into the Air Conditioned section on the first floor which was partly full.

Coming to Taj and not ordering a Cutlet is a sin, so that’s what I ordered the moment we settled in. For rest of the meal, we ordered Upma, an Onion Rava Masala Dosa and a Special Biryani.

The Cutlet was served soon, and it tasted as good as ever. Served along with a special tangy tomato chutney, their Cutlet is stuffed with spicy veggies and fried to perfection. I don’t think you get this kinda Cutlet at any other place in town. Yummilicious! We actually for another before we finished the first.

Their Upma is also pretty famous, and it didn’t disappoint. Dad was telling me that of the three Taj Mahal’s, only these guys squeeze lemon in their Upma. While I would have preferred it without the lime, it was still pretty good.

The Rava Dosa tasted good, but it wasn’t roasted enough. Making it a little more crispy would have made it taste yum.

It took forever for the Biryani to be served. While it looked really colourful, it lacked flavour and needed more masala. However, it tasted decent along with the gravy served along.

Overall, it was a pretty decent meal. The Cutlet is worth every penny and I wouldn’t mind coming back just for it. The service is pretty decent and the ambiance, which caters to family crowd, is neat. The prices too aren’t that bad. While I prefer the Abids one as well (which lacks the ambiance), this ain’t a bad choice to spend some quality time with your family.

Food: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 500 /- (approx)

Verdict: 7.5/10