Restaurants in Sindhi Colony, Hyderabad

Sindhi Colony, Hyderabad - a small colony just behind TankBund and MG Road. The moment you step on the road that leads inside to this colony, it seems as if Hyderabad changes. We spent our initial days in Hyderabad looking for a roof over our heads here and that is when we fell in love with Hyderabad and Sindhi Colony - spending lots of time there. A lot of our friends lived in and around Sindhi colony. This was because the Satyam buses which go all the way to Bahadurpally used to start from Anand theater near Sindhi Colony. Unlike Ahmedabad, the theatres of Hyderabad are still very much alive - thanks mainly to Telugu movies and their strategic locations.

Sindhi Colony has a largely cosmopolitan crowd. Located just besides Hussainsagar and TankBund, it is a wonderful place to live in. And to the delight of us Gujaratis, it has a sizable Gujarati population too. The Gujarati food restaurants and sweet shops catering to the Gujarati sweet tooth do attest to this.

As we move in from Anand theater on Prenderghast road towards Sindhi Colony, the first restaurant we encounter is Corn Club.

Corn Club restaurant

This restaurant as the names suggests basically serves many different varieties of corn dishes. It has a nice corn sandwich. One other specialty that they serves is the Makke Di Roti and Sarso Da Saag combo. The food is nice, more often than not and tastes really well too. You can also have a bowl of corn if all you want is a light snack on your way in or out of Sindhi Colony.

Sri Sarvana Bhavan restaurant

This restaurant is the typical "Tiffin" outlet of Hyderabad serving tea, coffee, juices and south indian food all around the day. The idlis of this restaurant are recommended. Overall its a  South Indian food joint where all you do is to order, have your food standing and leave.

Haridwar restaurant

The Haridwar restaurant in Hyderabad's Sindhi Colony is undoubtedly the best family restaurant around. It has a menu which has something of everything. There is a bit of South Indian, a large North Indian menu, a few Hyderabadi dishes and some snacks too. Haridwar restaurant provides some of the best Punjabi food this side of Secunderabad. The best place to have a wholesome meal for one and all and a flat 10% discount for all Satyamites on producing your ID card.

Temptations, Sindhi Colony

There are many ice cream joints all over Sindhi Colony and Hyderabad, but this one deserves a special mention as it was the one place where we spent many hours savoring ice creams in the Hyderabad heat.

Chung Hua

This restaurant is a wonderful small Chinese restaurant. This is one of the few places where you get original Chinese hand made noodles. The non veggies have recommended their golden fried prawns as being very tasty. The restaurant is small but still a good place for a nice dinner once in a while when you are bored of Bowl O China nearby.

Makhan Bhog

Just bang opposite to Dimmy's Pan Shop, there is Makhan Bhog. This place is no restaurant, but is one of the best places to buy sweets and all sorts of Farsan items from. The sweets - right from Gulab Jamun to Ras Gullas are all very highly recommended.

Mamta Sweet Shop

This sweet shop is owned and run by a Gujarati. You can have Dhokla, Ganthiya and all the different lip smacking varieties of cholesterol loaded "Gujarati Farsan" in Hyderabad that all Gujaratis crave.

Dimmy's Pan Shop Chaat

Dimmy's Pan Shop has a small chaat corner in front of the shop which serves some really delicious chaat items. The sandwiches are recommended and so are all the fruit juices from here. There was a small "Laari" opposite to Dimmy's which served "Dabeli's in Hyderabad". In the hot summers they also used to serve "Ice Golas in Hyderabad" here from a laari opposite to Dimmy's.

Chillies Restaurant

We had our first party at this restaurant when all 20-25 of us got together for a huge wholesome meal together just before we left for Snow World. The restaurant has a good ambience and decent service, but the food is a let down. It has an underlying South Indian taste in all that you order. It is in the lane that goes straight towards Paradise from Mamta Sweet Shop.

RajGujarat Restaurant
I get a lot of hits from people searching for Gujarati food in Hyderabad. RajGujarat is a typical thali place where we Gujaratis used to have Gujarati food in Hyderabad. RajGujarat is a place that serves Gujarati thalis and also serves A la Carte. The thalis are the specialty though. The food is a lot like Gujju - Marwadi food and the rotis are not that bad either. They are actually thin and not made of maida..You can have your fill with a full thali that usually consists of two subzis, one dal, rotis, rice and papad all for Rs. 45. This was what we cost conscious, low budget, well paid Satyamites used to eat during the weekdays.

Pizza and Softies in Sindhi Colony, Hyderabad
Besides this a new open air Pizza joint had also opened in Sindhi Colony when I was leaving Hyderabad. This place served pizzas and ice cream softies, sundaes etc. The pizza were much cheaper and looked a lot like the ones from premium stores. Except that the toppings were not as well made and the cheese was quite a bit different. Having pizza from here was a faster way to get to our food and we had quite a few eat outs there.

Hot Chips
All types of chips are available for sale at this shop. It is a favorite for all those who indulge in drinking binges on weekends. Some of the largest variety of fresh chips can be found at this shop.

There are many other places in Sindhi Colony where we used to eat and which do deserve a special mention. I will be putting more information about them later.

Sahib Sindh Sultan restaurant, Hyderabad - Banjara Hills

We visited the Sahib Sindh Sultan restaurant, Hyderabad in Banjara Hills for a Friendship Day party. The Sahib Sindh Sultan restaurant, Hyderabad is another offering from the prestigious BJN group. India's first passenger train between Boribunder and Thane was pulled by three locomotives - Sahib, Sindh and Sultan. This is how the restaurant gets it name. Sahib Sindh Sultan, Hyderabad - the restaurant has interiors that are created to give a feel of India when the first railway line was installed between Boribunder and Thane. The railway theme is present throughout the restaurant with a Pullman-style carriageway which makes one feel as if you are sitting in an actual train.

The comprehensive menu starts with its choice of food from the North West Frontier Province, which is named as Fish Tikka a la Lord Rippon, Lady Canning’s Reshmi Paneer Tikka, Kanpur Tomato Shorba, Sir Francis Drake’s Lobster, Jhansi Rani ki Farmaish, Vulcan Foundry Murg Badam, Roti ki Boti, Karara Palak Chaat and many other dishes like these. The food at Sahib Sindh Sultan restaurant comes in many different cuisines with Gujarati, Rajasthani and Punjabi food available. They also stock hard drinks and some exquisite desserts.

The food is served on huge silver plates and it is usually in a large quantity and we loved it as it was fit for our group of fifteen. We started off with some luscious starters. I don't know why, but I love starters the most amongst North Indian food. The tables are usually served with four different chutneys and bread sticks. The service was excellent as in all BJN group outlets, the food was the usual North Indian fare but the decor and the ambiance were clearly the highlights of Sahib Sindh Sultan restaurant, Hyderabad. All the while that you are eating, you can hear the sounds of train arrivals and departures, besides the ringing of the station master's bell.
Finally, you get to the Benarasi paanwala who just like Angeethi, serves some highly prices strictly average paans. There are some shops which are highly recommended for the paans, but most of the times, the paan in Hyderabad are strictly average.

The visit to Sahib Sindh Sultan was a wonderful affair for us as we loved having our fill in its wonderful ambience. Getting out and reaching home in the rain was a different matter altogether as the rickshaw wallahs standing outside City Center demanded exorbitant rates - especially in the rains. So, we hired a taxi and all of us scrambled inside one Tavera and reached straight home - hale and healthy. :-) Late night transport to and fro from Banjara Hills is always a costly affair - in ways more than one and I would recommend avoiding it.

Sahib Sindh Sultan was also a costly affair, but worth every penny. :-)

Loony ratings:

Ambience : 9/10

Food : 8/10

Price : 7/10

Quantity : 8/10

Service : 8/10

Address : City Center Mall, Road No 1, Banjara Hills.

Phone No: 66570000, 66683337

Ohri's Tadka, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad

A visit to Ohri's Tadka on Banjara Hills was long due. That was when we heard that they are organising a Punjabi food festival. We had visited Rajdhani just the other day, but true blue foodies that we are, we couldn't resist going to the food festival. A celebrity chef from Delhi - Mr. Sweety Singh was invited for the festival. We reached the Banjara Hills, Road no 12 outlet a bit late in the afternoon as we shopped around before reaching Ohri's and so we were hungrier than ever.

The Ohri's Tadka outlet on Banjara Hills is a huge building and they have all the floors to themselves with different cuisines served on different floors. There is everything from chaat and ice creams to continental and also North Indian cuisine.

By the time we reached there, we were famished and so we decided to go for the full buffet lunch. The menu was elaborate and excellent. The dishes were something that I have rarely eaten and all through the taste was truly Punjabi. Being a vegetarian, I stuck to the usual veg fare and even that had my stomach filled to the brim. The pickles were a must have. I have rarely tasted such good, fresh pickles before. The different types of naans and rotis that we ordered were also sumptious. All in all Ohri's Tadka served us true North Indian fare, something which we rarely encounter in Hyderabad.

It was pricey though. The buffet lunch was worth Rs. 245 and the dinner for Rs. 295 (taxes extra). This included a welcome drink, two types of shorba, 5 pickles, 3 non-veg, 3 salads and 6 veg curries, 2 dals, 3 types of breads, 2 veg rice, 1 hot and 1 cold dessert, 1 non-veg biryani and a live counter of falooda and kulfi.

We were told that the menu changes everyday, and some of the dishes are Saag Meat, Special Punjabi Meat, Dhaba Butter Chicken, Patiala Shahi Murg, Sarso Da Saag, Afghani Chicken, Kadee Pakoda, Makki Di Roti, Aloo Wadiyan, Gobi Masala, Pindi Chole, Baingan Da Bharta, Palak Gobi, Amritsari Fish Curry, Baingan Masala, Aloo Kulcha, Amritsari Machlee Fry, Lachaa Parantha, Shahi Paneer, Onion Kulcha, Paneer Lababdaar and Mutter Paneer. For the desserts, there are Malpua, Punjabi Kheer, Gulab Jamun, Moong Dal Da Halwa, Gajar Halwa, Dabba Kulfi and Matka Kulfi.

Loony Ratings:

Ambience : 8/10
Food : 9/10
Price : 8/10
Quantity : 9/10

One of the "Must Eat At" places in Hyderabad.

Moksha Restaurant, Necklace Road, Hyderabad

While working at Satyam, there were times when the weekdays were hectic, what with all the tests and projects that we had to work on during our training. This left us little free time during the week. Saturdays, thus were spent resting at home or finishing upo with official tasks and planning for the Sunday. So, by evening, we used to be hungry for food and some excitement. Initially the evenings were spent in Sindhi colony, where we lived as if we were in an extension campus of Satyam. But soon we got bored of the usual restaurants in Sindhi colony and decided to try out different places.

The Moksha restaurant is a short walk from Sindhi colony. The Moksh restaurant is by the Biligiri group. They have a very good ambience, with the restaurant facing the Hussainsagar Lake and beautifully landscaped with a small fountain and rock and marble seating arrangements outside. On the inside, it is a well lit restaurant with the usual family restaurant like settings, though I have to admit that the space is huge.

The Moksha restaurant, Hyderabad serves the usual North Indian, Chinese food and some Andhra specialities. The service is prompt, or may be it was for us as we as usual were early there. I love eating at complete ease, with loads of time on hand to stuff myself to the brim. I am ambivalent about the food at this place. It was the usual stuff with nothing spectacular. The USP of the restaurant is definitely its location. You have a view of the wonderful Hussainsagar from this restaurant and there are very few restaurants in Hyderabad that offer this.

The menu is elaborate and what you order is what your experience as to how good the food is will depend on what you order. There are some exotic items like Kheema Khaleji, Dal Maska and the Deghi Mirch Murgh Tikka. We though stuck to the regular fare and ordered Chilli Mushrooms and Garlic Soup for the starters. Next up we had the Diwani Handi and Tawa Paratha from the Live Tawa counter. We didn't order any desserts and liked what we had. The food was expensive, but decent. They also serve all kinds of drinks in this hotel.

Overall, the experience at Moksha was a decent one.

Ratings:
Ambience : 6/10
Food : 7/10
Price : 7/10

Quantity : 7/10

A so so place which is quite expensive too.

Haveli Restaurant, Begumpet

Haveli Restaurant, Begumpet, Hyderabad
Shopping or even strolling at Lifestyle was a usual weekend activity that I indulged into during my Hyderabad days. My residence was quite nearby and Lifestyle was a good hangout zone with many eateries, drinkeries around the mall. The Haveli Restaurant is located in the Lifestyle building, Begumpet and since we pledged to visit every restaurant in Hyderabad, we paid this one a visit too.

Located on the first floor, this restaurant is very well decorated. The interiors are superb, with elaborately carved woodwork. It has intricate wall carvings and the beautiful crafted tables and chairs that are all well spread out ooze comfort as well as luxury. This restaurant is one where you can see that a lot of money has been spent on the interiors of this place.

The menu of this restaurant offers many different foods. There is Continental, Oriental and good old Indian fare available here. Haveli restaurant though is famed for its Dum Biryani and Hyderabadi cuisine. The chef here cooks a superb Biryani. Even though sizzlers and oriental fare is available, you will be best advised to stick to Indian food while eating here.

The lunch buffet for Rs. 180 is especially recommended. The buffet usually starts with a soup and starter, one each for Veg. and Non veg. Next, there was the Biryani, Chicken and Lamb for the meat lovers and Veg. Biryani, Paneer saagwala, Chana Masala, Aloo Jeera and Mixed Veg. for the veggies. The salads were lovely. There were the sprouts, the regular carrot/onion/cucumber, chicken salad, aloo-chana chaat and boiled egg with cheese n’ sauces salad too. There were different types of Chinese dishes like Schezwan noodles and spring onion fried rice. They also served Dahi wadas and Talimpu rice for the South Indian cuisine. The food was just alright, but the Dum Biryani was awesome. It is considered a Haveli specialty and it was as good as it gets. Finally there came the desserts. From the traditional Hyderabadi double-ka-meetha, succulent gulab jamoons to the Caramel Custard, Fruit Souffle and Vanilla Ice Cream, all the desserts were superb. The souffle and custard were sumptuous and the gulab jamoons made from khoya or channa were also the best I have had in a while.

There is the Club 8 pub just beneath the restaurant and a bar inside the restaurant. The place is perfect for a nice business lunch or for just having a few drinks and a dinner near your workplace before you hit 10 Downing Street below on a Friday night. A meal for two at Haveli restaurant is bound to cost anything above 500 bucks without drinks. Our review ratings for Haveli restaurant, Begumpet:

Ratings:
Ambience : 7/10
Food : 8/10
Price : 7/10
Quantity : 8/10

Large quantity, tasty Hyderabadi food.

Padharo Restaurant, Ameerpet, Hyderabad

Padharo Restaurant, Ameerpet, Hyderabad
We were regular visitors to Shreeji restaurant in Ameerpet, and the Padharo restaurant, was just on the way. This restaurant was one that was owned by a distant relative of a friend, which means that a Gujju was involved. So one fine day, we decided to grace the restaurant. It was also because there were no other restaurants to go to other than those that served Andhra meals.
The ambience of Padharo restaurant and its interiors give a Rajasthani-Gujarati feel. The walls are all mud colored with Bandhanis(specially colored cotton cloth) hanging along them and lots of masks on those walls. The whole set up is rustic and tries to create a village like charm. Yet the seating is comfortable, unlike many other theme restaurants in Hyderabad.

The Padharo restaurant menu has a lot to offer, but it basically sticks to a Mughlai and North Indian menu with a few Asian dishes. We went there during lunch and ordered the full lunch buffet as I was very hungry and they gave us a complimentary pint of beer with the lunch. There are different options like the Masahari Platter for mutton, the Samundari Platter which offers sea food etc. The food was quite alright. The staff and the service were both very good and commendable.

Just next to the Padharo restaurant there is the PMatka pub. This pub, it says serves beer in earthen glasses or pitchers. They serve draught beer from beautiful pots with taps attached to it. There is a dance floor and a DJ too. We didn’t go there at night but considering the facilities, this place would be abuzz at night.

The overall experience at Padharo was quite good, primarily because of the service. The Padharo restaurant is located in Ameerpet. It is very near to Greenlands hotel. Take a turn inside from underneath the flyover that passes by Lifestyle.

Address:
404, 405 and 406
4th Floor Meridian Plaza,
Ameerpet, Hyderabad

Phone: 91-040-30588488/89

Our review ratings for Padharo:

Ratings:
Ambience : 8/10
Food : 8/10
Price : 8/10
Quantity : 8/10

I personally had a really nice experience here.

Tibbs Frankies : Tibbs at Begumpet, Hyderabad

How Tibbs came into being
"The year 1967 Mr. Amarjit Tibb on returning back from England had a stopover in Beirut. During his brief stop there he stumbled upon a very ingenious Lebanese preparation, which was a pita bread wrap, with a variety of stuffing's, this fascinated him. Upon his return the idea still lingered on and he kept innovating it to suit the Indian palate, after a year of research along with his wife they hit upon the perfect concoction. This Indianised wrap was soon tried among friends and family and after testing brilliantly it hit the markets. That was a new era to the term fast food in Mumbai, it caught on like fire in the Jungle, people accepted it and kept asking for more.

Now came the problem of naming the product, again a number of brain storming became the order of the day till a unanimous decision on the name was taken i.e. Frankie
This name went on to become synonymous with taste/quality/value for money, and till date stands for the same.

Frankie was then registered as a trademark to Mr. Amarjit Tibbs Company."
Mr. Amarjit Singh Tibb, introduced Tibbs Frankies to Mumbai with a single outlet at Vihar Lake, which today has spread to numerous outlets all around the country.
The chain of Tibbs restaurants has made Frankie very popular around the country.

Tibbs Hyderabad

The Tibbs restaurant in Hyderabad is a small shack near the Lifestyle store building in Begumpet. The restaurant has a very simple menu which apart from the Frankies also offers sandwiches and ice creams. The Tibbs restaurant is also present in many other locations in Hyderabad. One which I used to frequent quite regularly was at the STC - Satyam Technology Centre canteen at Bahadurpally.

Tibbs is usually a takeaway joint or a small shack with the now famous - albeit a little outdated Tibbs logo staring at us from all places.

Tibbs restaurant in Hyderabad is always heavily crowded, primarily because of the hordes of blue collared workers who work in the building adjoining it and frequent the place regularly. Another reason could also be the fact that in spite of having some really good restaurants, the area near the Begumpet flyover does lack a fast food joint where you can have a bite and run.

Now, we come to the food part. The Tibbs Frankie is as delicious as ever. The best part of the Frankie, I personally have always believed is the special Frankie masala that the Tibbs guys add to the Frankie. It is the one thing that gives the Frankie its special tangy, spicy taste.

The Tibbs Frankie at Begumpet was good, but not as good as the one at Churchgate station. This is the one reason why I always salute McDonalds. They have probably the best franchisee system that I have seen. More about it and the Jumbo King vada pav later.

If you want to eat at the Tibbs Frankie in Begumpet, I will strongly suggest you go for the cheese vegetable grilled sandwich which was one of my favourites. The other was the almond something ice cream cone that they give there.
Nevertheless, Tibbs Frankies are an institution and all thanks to Mr. Amarjit Tibb. My restaurant ratings:

Ratings:
Ambience : 6/10
Food : 7/10
Price : 7/10
Quantity : 7/10

Strictly so so....:-)

Ohri's Jiva Restaurant, Somajiguda, Hyderabad

Just like Rajdhani and Taj Tristar, this Hyderabad restaurant also provides a sumptuous buffet lunch that has everything from starters to desserts – and loads of it. The best part about eating here is that the food is sumptuous, the service is quick, the sweets are plentiful and most importantly, there are no limits to how much you eat. Ohri’s Jiva is located near the Somajiguda flyover. It is on the right side of the Rajbhavan road after you take a left from under the Somajiguda flyover.

Ohri’s is one of the biggest chain of restaurants in Hyderabad. They have a wonderful Ohri’s restaurant at Banjara Hills which specializes in providing some of the best Punjabi food I have eaten in Hyderabad. But Jiva’s Kitchen, as the Somajiguda outlet is called, is clearly the more famous of its restaurants. Ohri’s Jiva kitchen is famous for its unlimited buffet lunch and I did feel that it really was a wonderful experience eating there.

Jiva’s kitchen has a small counter in the front where they serve fast food and also different variety of dishes and plates that need to be ordered. That area has space enough of 20-30 people. In this space, you can have your fill of various combos like Chhole Puri, Pastas, Biryani and other fast food items. In the back, though there is a huge space where they serve buffet and you can load yourselves up on all the sinful delicacies on offer there.

The starter is served with the soup and then there will be a variety of rotis to choose from. They serve the phulka roti – which I felt was the best part about the restaurant. Serving the phulka is tough because making them is tough. For one, they are small sized, next they need to be turned over and over again – unlike the tandoori roti or kulcha. They take a fair bit of time and you need to cook a lot of these in order to be able to serve them to your customers continuously. At Ohri’s they had a guy who was constantly engaged with only the phulka rotis. Other than phulka, there are the usual butter roti, puris etc available.

The next course was the longest for me. The sweets were Rasgullas, Rasamalai, Gulab Jamuns, Cake, ice cream with toppings and some fruits. I experimented with having a Gulab Jamun topped over an ice cream and it tasted delicious. Recommended recipe from Chef Loony.

Finally, there was the trademark Biryani and a few other types of rice, a few dals too. There were atleast 3-4 different subzis. Different variety of pickles, Raita, Dahi, salads etc. was all available. All in all, Jiva had a huge variety of food available and I made the most of it all.

The food was delicious, not very high in oil, well cooked and with enough sweets for me to call it a sure fire paisa vasool.

Ratings:
Ambience : 8/10
Food : 8/10
Price : 8/10
Quantity : 10/10 - Cant complain here ..... right ;-)

Tandoor Restaurant, Nr. Lifestyle Mall, Begumpet

Starter : Location
Just beside Lifestyle building, in Begumpet, Hyderabad, is this superfine restaurant, specializing, as the name suggests in providing sumptuous Punjabi food. Because of the space crunch and probably also because of the exorbitant property prices in this part of the city, the Tandoor restaurant is located such that it is not conspicuous and you will miss it unless you are looking specifically for it. This restaurant is one of the best options to eat at in Begumpet, if you want to go to an exclusive Punjabi food restaurant in Hyderabad.

First Course : Ambience
Tandoor is very well decorated with superb interiors in the same class as some of the best Punjabi food restaurants in Hyderabad. It has a big chandelier right in the middle of the hall. There is a big glass opening at one side, from where we can see the chefs cooking roti. The cutlery was silver coated and the plates were good, though a little worn out. The whole restaurant didn’t have enough windows and you might have the same feel as you will when entering into a darkly lit pub. In one part of the restaurant, there is space for the Thali, from where the Thali menu will be served.

Main Course : Food
Tandoor serves alcohol, so before you jump for the food, you can surely savor some wine. You will definitely need some beer to digest the high prices of the food served in the menu. A meal for two will easily cost you atleast 4-500 bucks without the drinks of course. The menu is uninspiring and serves the usual Punjabi fare. We started with the Shorba, which was not very good. Then we had the usual Paneer Tikka which was quite tasty. We followed it up with the Dal Makhani and Peas Pulav combo, which was very well prepared. It was the best Dal Makhani I have had in Hyderabad.

Dessert
The Bill. :-)

The crowd at this restaurant can be very big on weekends and so be sure to book a place in advance if you want to visit on weekends. Tandoor is just another branch of the restaurant with the same name located in Bangalore.

Ratings:
Ambience : 8/10
Food : 8/10
Price : 7/10
Quantity : 7/10

Angeethi Restaurant, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad

The name Angeethi means an open stove that burns charcoal to keep rooms warm in winters. Angeethi restaurant, Hyderabad is located at the Center Point building on Banjara Hills, Road No 1. A hotel of the BJN group, it is considered to be one of the best places in Hyderabad to have good North Indian food at. In fact the whole top floor of this building has BJN group restaurants and I will be reviewing the rest of the restaurants soon enough.

The theme and the décor of Angeethi at Hyderabad is atypically different from that of normal restaurants and hotels. Angeethi is one of the few concept restaurants in Hyderabad and according to my knowledge it is one of the best. The interior of the restaurant has been made to look like a dhaba with a bar called “Sharab Theka” and a pan shop called as the “Soorma Bhopali Pan Shop”. They have posters of Amitabh and Dharmendra strewn across the walls. Even the menu is made to look like a newspaper.

The excessive wait to get inside this restaurant is always a big problem for people who love Angeethi’s food, but the rewards of the wait are excellent too. There are a lot of must haves when you visit this restaurant and they are cheese kurkuree, barra kebab, sabootha choosa, makkai di roti, corn methi malai, murgh rada masala, sarson da saag, tawa prawns, dal maska. The desserts consisting of gulab jamun, faluda, kulfi with pista and crushed nuts is also sumptuous.

The only drawback with eating out at Angeethi restaurant in Hyderabad is obviously the long wait and the high prices. If you want to visit on weekends then you need to spend the entire evening waiting for your turn to come. The fluids at this hotel ate just too exorbitantly priced. A meal for two will cost you upwards of 500 bucks. But the ambience and the experience do make up for it all. Also, the menu is such that you will have to consult the staff in order to understand everything well and nicely.

Ratings
Ambience : 8/10 (On popular demand)
Food : 8/10
Price : 6/10
Quantity : 7/10

Loony Tip
The buffet could be a good deal for people who want to savor good Punjabi food, eat to their fill and not feel too bad about it too. It costs 200 bucks and can be had in the afternoons from Monday to Saturday.

Bowl O' China Restaurant

The Bowl O China restaurant chain was started by the Hyderabad House group. It has its outlets in Sanjeev Reddy Nagar, Kharkhana and Begumpet. The ambience of the Bowl O China restaurant, at its SR Nagar outlet is very good. The restaurant has used dark red and black colors for walls and furniture. The lamps that they have hung from the ceiling are very beautiful too.

One of the favourite places to dine at for all Satyamites, Bowl O China, provided good quality Chinese food at a very inexpensive price. I have eaten just about every other vegetarian dish available at this restaurant. The restaurant, according to me serves the best Chinese food or the Indianised Chinese food I have eaten. The food is not too spicy like what is found on the road side Chinese Stalls, yet is really tasty and well made.

The menu is eclectic with a lot of items so unique that they are not found in any other Chinese restaurant. The momos are delicious and are called as dim sum in this restaurant. There are items such as the crispy chicken gyoza, black bean prawns etc which may not be there in most of the general Chinese restaurants in Hyderabad. Last time we went, we ordered the Tom Yum soup, hakka noodles, burnt garlic fried rice along with chilly honey chicken. All these dishes were good especially the noodles which I ate and which had a nice flavor of herbs. For the Non Vegetarians, Bowl O China serves Halal meat only. The service is prompt and usually doesn't make you wait a lot. But the restaurant, because of its popularity is usually full, especially so on weekends and that might translate into some waiting time.

Since, we Satyamites used to live at Sindhi colony, the Bowl O China was our favorite Chinese food restaurant in Hyderabad. Also the Satyam discount - 10% off on the bill, helped matters a lot too.

Located at
Sanjeev Reddy Nagar
Kharkhana
Ameerpet

We used to visit the restaurant from Sindhi colony. It is near the Mayfair building of Satyam, which is its registered office. If you start from Paradise and move towards Mayfair, you have to go on till you reach the next circle. Bowl O China is located at that circle.

Restaurant Report
Ambience : 8/10
Food: 8/10
Price: 8/10
Quantity: 8/10

What it serves best?
Dim Sum - the Veg as well as the Chicken variety is delicious here.

Rajdhani : Gujarati Restaurant in Hyderabad

Rajdhani - Ek Khandani Parampara

Located at : Above Big Bazaar, Ameerpet

This chain restaurant is not just restricted to Hyderabad, but is spread out all over the major cities of India. Rajdhani restaurant serves only thalis - a full platter of Gujarati food that contains everything - from Farsan to Dal-Rice.

A typical thali will have atleast three different farsans served with one or two sweet dishes, 2-3 different subzis and a choice of Phulka Roti, Thepla, Bajra Roti in the first course. The variety of Farsans on offer is large and same goes for the sweets. You can also have the Sweet Roti - Puran Poli aka Vedmi that is one of Gujarat's specialty, if you are lucky. Later, you can have buttermilk or chhaas as we call it with Aamras if its summers. At times the management serves the Baflo too - that is a drink made out of unripe mangoes - kachi keri specially in Gujarat and is said to protect one against the heat.

The final course consists of Daal, Rice, Khichadi, Kadhi with Ghee to add. Though I am ready to bet that by the time it comes to it one is so full of food that you will be having the smallest morsels possible.

The other specialty of this restaurant is the method of processing Phulka rotis. In unlimited meals, usually items are mass produced. A Phulka Roti is very difficult to mass produce. The Rajdhani management have specifically gotten a system of stoves made up that will help them mass produce Phulka Rotis.

Remember to have the Smoked Chhaas if possible. It is a chhaas that will have the flavor of burnt coal as it will be processed using it. Don't worry, its perfectly hygienic though.

The waiters in Rajdhani serve a lot of different items and you will be surprised at their speed and promptness. All Rajdhani joints across the country have a staff that is trained to use hand movements to order food from their colleagues. If you observe them working, you will realise that they call and get the food to your plate without using a single word, just by waving their hands and doing different actions.

Finally, when it is time to leave after having your fill with Gujarati food, don't forget to tong the plate at Rajdhani- Pizza Hut style.

Gujarati Food in Hyderabad

Being a Gujarati has its benefits. Whether you are travelling in Mahabaleshwar, Matheran or Mount Abu, you will never be short of Gujarati Food. The dhoklas, theplas, khakhras and undhiyu are all famous and found, not just in Gujarat but just as much outside Gujarat. In India, most tourist places have hotels that serve Gujarati food. The reason being that most tourists are Gujarati.

Hyderabad too is not short of places offering Gujarati food, and here we will be listing some of those places. Though some of the places do not exactly serve Gujarati food, but they are definitely places worth going and eating at for any Gujarati and hence they are also recommended.

1. Rajdhani Restaurant

Located at : Above Big Bazaar, Ameerpet

This chain restaurant is not just restricted to Hyderabad, but is spread out all over the major cities of India. Rajdhani restaurant serves only thalis - a full platter of Gujarati food that contains everything - from Farsan to Dal-Rice.Check this post on Gujarati Food in Hyderabad for more.

Restaurant Report
Ambience : 6/10
Food: 10/10
Price: 6/10
Quantity: 8/10

2. Bombay Vihar

Located at: Lifestyle mall, Begumpet

This restaurant serves superb ethnic food. It serves pure vegetarian Gujarati food, Rajasthani food and even Marathi food. The Dal Baati is something that I had tried a few times at this hotel. It was just about alright. The quantity in the food that they serve is very less. Other than that the food is top class. The ambience is also very good.

Restaurant Report
Ambience : 8/10
Food: 8/10
Price: 6/10
Quantity: 6/10

3. Shriji Food - Ameerpet

This restaurant is located at some distance in the lane opposite to Lifestyle, which goes into Ameerpet from under the fly over. this restaurant is located in an open space behind a multi storey building. Shriji, though attracts the most visitors, most of them youngsters living away from home. This restaurant serves food that is not necessarily gujarati food, but has a home made flavour to it and most importantly, it serves Phulka rotis. The most important food items that you will have to eat at this hotel are Bhindi Subzi, Dal Tadka with Phulka Rotis. The Bhindi Subzi comes in two different varieties. You can try both, though I loved the fried Bhindi variety more. The Jeera Aloo that they serve is also truly sumptous. They also serve a huge quantity of yoghurt if you order and it is also very tasty indeed.

4. Kaka nu Tiffin

Finally, I will come to the Gujarati Food option that we resorted to in Hyderabad. we ordered a tiffin from a Gujarati uncle who brought us the sometimes sumptous, the sometimes shitty Gujarati food from his own home. His phone number is 9290750388. Basically from Rajkot, Kaka as we call him is a true Swaminarayan from Saurashtra and is always fun to talk to.

Restaurant Report
Ambience : 10/10 - At home :-)
Food: 7/10
Price: 7/10
Quantity: 7/10

5. Punju Kaka

When we were bored of the Gujju uncle's food, we used to head towards the Punjabi Uncle's Dhaba. This small joint is located in the Lane opposite to Pantaloons, Begumpet. Its near the Bangalore Iyengar Bakery in that lane. The uncle here serves sumptous stuffed parathas. They were the best stuffed parathas that I had eaten till I recently visited Chaitanya's in Pune. An Aloo paratha costs 12 bucks, Gobi paratha was 15 and so was the Paneer paratha. Other than these uncle served atleast 2 to 3 different subzis and daal as well as rice and biryani. A simple paratha and a simple roti was also available. The prices were fixed per item and you can have what you please.

The joint is a very small, cramped place with place for barely 7-8 people inside at a time. The food is best as a takeaway.

Restaurant Report
Ambience : 5/10
Food: 8/10
Price: 7/10
Quantity: 7/10

Any of you still searching for good eating joints, restaurants and hotels in Hyderabad, just ping me, I will try my best to help you out.

Chutneys Restaurant Hyderabad

Chutneys, Hyderabad is not just an ordinary restaurant. Its an institution that by far churns out the best South Indian cuisine in Hyderabad. The idlis are mouth watering, the dosas sumptous and the four chutneys they serve with these dishes are manna from heaven. For anyone visiting Hyderabad, Chutneys is another must visit hotel.

Located on the busy Road No 3, Banjara Hills, this hotel has an uninspiring facade, but the long wait for a meal will make you realise its true popularity. The ambience is definitely not worth taking your girl friend out, but the food at this restaurant more than makes up for it.

Restaurant Report
Ambience : 6/10
Food: 10/10
Price: 6/10
Quantity: 8/10

What it serves best?

Basically all South Indian dishes are sumptous. The South Indian menu is very short and simple at this restaurant and they also serve Chinese, Punjabi food here. But that is definitely not recommended. You can have the South Indian thali or go for my personal favourites. The "Steamed Dosa", said to be prepared specially for Tollywood star Chiranjeevi is a must have. Its a low calorie version of the dosa. The "Babai Idli" of Vijaywada is another specialty where the pour hot Ghee and Karam powder over the normal idlis. The "Four Uttapams" is also a personal favourite. An Uttapam is divided into four pieces like a pizza and all four pieces are stuffed and prepared differently, giving you four different Uttapam flavours in one.

All in all, this restaurant serves the best breakfast in town and the best South Indian cuisine in Hyderabad. For more reviews of this hotel you can visit MouthShut or Burrp.

P.S. - I hope I can get the photographs too soon.

Hyderabadi Biryani at Paradise

The Hyderabadi Biryani is the epitome of Hyderabadi cuisine. Anyone visiting Hyderabad, no matter for how long, must savour this dish at its famed restaurant. The cooking of a biryani is a complex procedure better explained here in this cooking blog.

Paradise Restaurant
The Paradise restaurant in Secunderabad is one of the best places to have your Biryani in Hyderabad. This restaurant started from a small shop and currently has three stories of the same building to itself, most of which are full throughout the year. The food at Paradise, inspite of all the fame it has, is fair priced and big on quantity. Personally, I believe that the price is one of the basic reasons for its enduring popularity.

Restaurant Report
Ambience : 6/10
Food: 8/10
Price: 7/10
Quantity: 8/10

What it serves best?

A Chicken Tikka Kebab starter followed by a Hyderabadi Biryani ending with a typical hyderabadi dessert, which is made up of Vanilla ice cream topped with apricot puree makes up the best food at Paradise.

For vegetarians, a Paneer Tikka starter followed by a Vegetarian Biryani will do good. The other Punjabi dishes on offer are also decent but this is the recommended fare.

Loony Trivia:
It is said that cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar orders Hyderabadi Biryani from here and receives it at his place in an hour.

Shadaab Restaurant and Hyderabad House
Residents and biryani lovers in Secunderabad though love the Shadaab restaurant near the Charminar for its sumptous Biryani and in Hyderabad, it is the biryani from Hyderabad House that is highly revered. Hyderabad House is a takeaway joint like Dominoes with a distinctive logo, located all around Hyderabad.