Restaurant Reviews

Shanbhag | Restaurant Review

Place: Shanbhag
Location: Basheerbhag, under the flyover
Cuisine: North-Indian
Meal: Dinner (with bro)

Dropped into Shanbhag last week with my brother for dinner. As already stated in my last review, this is one of my favorite restaurants in town, and their Ghee Rice is the best. The place was a little more crowded than the last time around, and we made ourselves comfy in a corner.

We planned to order a couple of curries and Ghee Rice, but ended up ordered their North-Indian Thali, which came with Tomato Soup, Paneer Butter Masala, Gobi Masala, Rajma, Dal, Pulao, Rice (all unlimited), 2 Roti or 8 Poori’s, Raitha, Curd, Gulab Jamoon and Ice-cream. It had a been a long time since we last had one here.

The Tomato Soup was served along with Masala Papad. Their soup is usually very good, and today was no different. It had a nice sweet and sour tomatoey taste to it.

The Thali was served pretty soon, and of the curries, the Paneer Butter Masala was the best. The paneer was very fresh, and almost melt in my mouth, while the gravy was just yum. The Gobi Masala was equally good, while the Rajma was alright. The Dal was tasty as well. All the curries were served as per our requirement. The Roti was soft and good.

The Pulao had a nice flavor and tasted pretty good. I could feel the ghee in it.

Overall, an awesome meal. For a North-Indian Thali, it didn’t have the unnecessary Rasam, Sambar and other South-Indian stuff. The curries were yum, and the pulao was decent. For the price, it was actually worth every penny. The service was very good, and reminded me of Rajdhani, for they were pampering us to eat more. The ambiance is decent, but the tables are placed pretty closed to each other, which made it quite uncomfortable. But otherwise, nice service, great price, and more importantly, awesome food!

Food: 9/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 228/- (Rs. 114/- per Thali)

Verdict: 9/10

Update on 20/05/2014: Thali now costs Rs. 160/-

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!!

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

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

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?? 🙂 )