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
