The word Ananda describes moments of bliss and happiness in life. A perfect feast with delicious food is also bliss. Ananda is the name of a newly opened south Indian restaurant in Film Nagar. It’s all about the experience and joy of feasting and relishing the flavors of Andhra.
The restaurant is tucked inside a lane beside Sony showroom near MLA colony, Jubilee hills. The first impression it gives you is that of a home of wealthy rural gentry. The stunning traditional ambience of the house is perfect for a restaurant and provides a unique backdrop for an Andhra meal.
The interiors are done with teak wood, paintings, carvings and handmade stuff and the art work on the furniture is simply brilliant. There are separate dining areas according to the preference and a special place on the first floor for group dining. Comfortable seating arrangements along with a soothing background score make the dining experience a memorable one.
The food emphasizes more on Andhra cuisine, but North Indian cuisine is also available. They have already become well known for their regular thali. Both the veg and non veg thalis are on offer here. The non veg thali has options of two non veg dishes (limited portions) which vary from day to day. This is in addition to all the items served as part of veg thali.
Though the local preference in Hyderabad is for very spicy food, the spice level of the items of this thali have been quite low, providing people from other parts of the country a comfortable way to taste local cuisine. However, many ardent Andhra food lovers may argue that what is Andhra food without the spices, and they should ask for enhanced spice levels while ordering.
The items served in the thali were sumptuous. It had the following items—Vankaya (brinjal) Koora, Tomato Rasam, Bendakaya (ladies finger) Pachdi, Dosakaya Pappu, Aloo Fry, Kothimeera (coriander) Rice, Sambar, Papadam and Curd. And along with these the non-vegetarian dishes were Kodi Iguru, Pudina Chicken and Andhra chicken curry as the sides. My Bengali friend opted for Chapala Pulusu.
Among the vegetarian items the green Kothimeera Rice was flavorful and it’s tadka was perfect, which was made with ghee and lot of spices in it. Dosakaya pappu (dal) was good and it made a good combo with ghee and the fried papadam. The Vankaya Koora was a bit sweet as the spice level of green chili was moderate and the gravy was made even sweeter with fried onions. I didn’t find it to my liking.
The Tomato Rasam served as the soup to us and it was perfect and the taste was more traditional. The tempered lentils were also very good. The Chana masala was just ok, but it was not appealing with the rotis. The rotis were dry and were not soft at all.
My favorite of the non-veg items was the Pudina (mint) Chicken which I ordered for the main course. It was very well prepared with enough moisture. The chicken was soft and the aroma and taste of the dish was exceptional. Combining the dish with rice or roti was equally satisfying. I recommend to try this dish.
Kodi Iguru was more of North Indian curry. Though I liked it because of the flavor, it was definitely not Andhra. The chicken is not as tender as in Pudina Chicken. The spice levels are moderate and it can just be called as the normal chicken gravy.
The Andhra chicken curry was a bit spicy and the gravy was made with a hint of green chili and dry chili powder. The chicken was good and tender and the thickness of gravy was near about perfect.
The dessert served was Semiya Payasam. The sweet levels are prominent and the sabudana was pleasing.
The vegetarian thali is Rs 165 and the non vegetarian version is Rs 240 (inclusive of taxes).
The service was also very prompt and the attention to detail was perfect.
For a long lasting memorable personal dining experience with family and friends with a very nice ambience and good food – do visit Ananda.
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