Category: Indian Food

Place: Fusion Flavorz 
Location: Almond House Building, Road No. 12, Banjara Hills 
Cuisine: Chaat, Indian & Chinese 
Meal: Lunch

After reading some raving reviews about the Nawabi Dosa you get at this place, here I was on a Saturday afternoon for lunch. It was quite difficult to find the place, for the address mentioned it to be behind Jagannath Temple on Road No. 12, but it was almost a kilometer away from the temple, tucked inside the Almond House Building. The entrance I walked in from seemed like the back door, and was quite shabby. For an open-air restaurant, the ambiance was alright. There were a couple of huts with cane furnished tables with wall mounted fans. I sat at a table for two right in the front, and observed that the other tables and sofas were quite dusty. Me apart, there was just one other table occupied on a Saturday afternoon.

The menu handed out to be was shabby and in a disastrous state, with pages ripped, cellophane tape hanging out in the corners. Having gone through the menu on Zomato, I ordered for the Special Fusion Combo which served a Soup, Crispy Pops, Aloo Tikki, BBQ Sticks and choice of Nawabi Dosa, Noodles or Fried Rice. I asked for Sweet Corn Soup and Nawabi Dosa.

The soup was served in less than 10 minutes. It looked quite colourful and was tasty. It felt nice to have a good Sweet Corn Soup after a long time.

Before I finished my soup, the rest of the meal was served. From first look, I was quite appalled by the quantity served and thought it was too less. There was one Aloo Tikki, five pops, and one piece each of six vegetables (Onion, Tomato, Mushroom, Zucchini, Paneer and Capsicum) on the BBQ stick (though they mentioned plural in the menu), and of course the Dosa. There were no chutneys and sauces served until I asked for them. And neither was water served till I asked for it at the end of the meal.

Taste wise, the Tikki and the Pops were decent, and went well along with the spicy Imli chutney/sauce. The BBQ vegetables were below par. I was hoping for the Dosa to negate the BBQ experience, but I was in for disappointment. The Dosa coated with Kaju and Suji Rawa paste on the inside seemed undercooked and lacked salt. The chutneys and the yum sambar served along helped me gulp it down, but otherwise, it was quite a disaster. It was probably because of my high expectations that I felt more disappointed with it.

Overall, a not so great meal. I told the guy about the lack of salt, and he confirmed the same with the kitchen. Service wise, I would have liked them to be more proactive. Though the place is well made, it needs better maintenance, and on price front, I thought quantity of food served could be improved.

Hoping for a yummy meal, I was actually quite disappointed.

Food: 7/10
Service: 5/10
Ambience: 6/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 231/-

Verdict: 6/10

Place: Prem Di Rasoi 
Location: Chirag Ali lane, Abids 
Cuisine: Indian 
Meal: Dinner (with mom and dad)

It’s been a week since I got back to Hyderabad, but have been avoiding eating out (cos I’m scared of the inflation in town). Anyways, last night, we dropped in at this dhaba type restaurant at Abids, suggested to dad by one of his Marwari friends. The restaurant is located just behind Jagdish Market, on Chirag Ali lane. Ambiance wise, the place was pretty neat, and reminded me of Santosh Dhaba (in every sense). We sat in a corner, and were attended to immediately.

Their menu was comparatively short compared to other similar restaurants. We started off with Manchurain, and ordered Kaju Paneer, Punjabi Kofta, Stuffed Paratha, Masala Kulcha and Roti for the main course.

The Manchurain was served right away. They were crispy and pretty good, but I thought they could have been more spicy. The quantity served was decent.

In about 10 minutes, the main course was served. Both the curry’s looked yum. Of the two, I liked the Kaju Paneer better. The paneer was very fresh, and the gravy was smooth and delectable. But the reason I liked it better was because it reminded me of Malai Kofta at Shanbhag (one of my favorites in the whole wide world :D). The Punjabi Kofta was good too, but again I would have preferred it to be more spicy. The kofta balls were made up of paneer, and were soft and tender, while the gravy was thick and tasty.

Of the breads, I couldn’t differentiate much between the Stuffed Paratha and Masala Kulcha, for they both has same stuffing. While they were palatable, they were not close enough to the Stuffed Kulcha you get at Santosh Dhaba. The roti was soft and good.

To end it off, we ordered a Badam Thandai which was pretty good, but had a lot of cardamom essence, and ice.

Overall, a decent meal. The service was pretty decent, and ambiance was neat. Prices wise, I’m guessing they were very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food served. I’d recommend you try this place for some good Punjabi food the next time you are in and around Abids.

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 692/-

Verdict: 8/10

Place: Santosh Dhaba 
Location: Hotel Jaya International lane, Abids 
Cuisine: Indian 
Meal: Dinner (with cousins)

Met my cousin sisters after a long time, and wanted to take them to Blue Diamond for dinner. But for some reason, Blue Diamond was closed on this day, and so decided to go hog at my other favorite, Santosh Dhaba. After struggling to park the car on this narrow lane forever, I was ready to gulp down some good Indian food. Of all the Santosh Dhabas in town (there are three – Abids, one near Paradise and Santosh Banjara), this one has the best ambiance for it looks more like a restaurant than a dhaba. It is brightly lit, and the seating is quite comfortable.

My cousin asked for Veg-65 for starters, while I ordered Santosh Special – Kofta curry and a couple of Stuffed Kulchas for main course. These guys are known for their super fast service, and food was served in no time.

The Veg-65 tasted more like Veg. Schezuan, but the balls were a little too hard. The quantity served was pretty good though.

The main course was served in the next 5 minutes. The Special Kofta came in a tomato based thick gravy with cashew nuts. There were a couple of Kofta balls, which were very well cooked. Overall, it was finger licking good, and I actually ended up licking my plate towards the end. The stuffed Kulcha, with tons of cashews, were excellent. These guys, by far, serve the best Kulchas in town.

Overall, a yummy meal. We weren’t really hungry, so ordered minimal food, and it was still sumptuous. The service was good, and the bill came up to a decent 322 bucks for 3 people. If you have a craving for some good Indian food, and haven’t been here already, I would definitely recommend this place. Go hog!!

Food: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 1: Rs. 322/-

Verdict: 9/10

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!

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

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

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

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?? 🙂 )