Aam -e-khaas

Khandani rajdhani...ek food parampara...this restaurant is known for its Rajasthani and Gujrati flavors in their food and their typical feeding spoon service. Apart from that, yesterday, when they invited some of us ( food Bloggers) for their ongoing Aamalicious) a festival of mango based dishes in their menu. 

When i got an invite, i got bored with the mango for the season and i though max they would shell out some aam ras along with some roti.. But the menu which was posted for the knowledge was way impressive and i was impressed with the dishes they stated out were, mind boggling. I never expected such dishes to be on their menu especially the aam festival has made it possible for me to relish their food. 

The food started with their standard masala chaas, it was very thirst quenching and i am relaxed with that. Then they brought the aam panna, it was a masala mango drink which was also very tangy and sweet, which brought me back to the joy of food. Now i am charged and ready for the food love. 

They served the  sprout salad, cutlet and the dhokla. with some green chutney and red chutney. The djokla was absolute disaster and it had no moisture and softness. The cutlet was no good to me as it was less crunchy and it was not hot. 

Then they came up with the dal bati churma, and the chaat. The dal baati churma was served with ghee and it was good with the churma to have that extra sweetness with the baati and dal. Chat was good and decent. 

Then they served us the vegetables among which i liked the aam ki launji, paneer sopta. They were soft and the flavor was excellent though. The paneer had the right amount of spicy taste which took me for granted and the cabbage was a little bland with no salt.

In dal section, i liked the aam ki kadi, as the dahi and the aam both came together with the blast in the mouth. The sweet dal A.K.A gujrati dal, was also good enough with enough spice in it. The roti was good and the puri which was served was oily and crispy, it got shattered away when i tried to have the sweet dal. 

The kichdhi was good, the bland flavor with little salt is good enough for the veggies to complete with. The jeera rice was served with ghee and it lacked the flavor and was bland. Never liked it though. The pressure in the kitchen was evident. 

The desserts were made in special for the day and they made the mango jalebi, fruit custard,mango lassi. The mango jalebi was a pure heavenly feeling when i had the first bite and i was never down from there till when i relished another one. 

It was so soft and juicy that the mango strip was made to fry with the outer part of the jalebi which was even good. Fruit custard was decent and not a hit for me. 

The legendary aam ras was the king of the show and we had lots of roti with the heavenly combination. It was a pure bliss to mention. The mango lassi was also purely delightful for me to end the meal. It was heavy and too dizzy for me to make a move from my table , as i relished the most heaviest meal on earth. 

With the excellent service, we are happy for the staff and managemnet of Rajdhani for hosting us for the lovely evening and hope they will continue their consistency in terms of the food at all times during the festival. 

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Soda bottle opener wala

If you have a boring day at work, or if you are out of mood from the regular things. Then you need a place which is quite different from all the odds to get your mood back with a twist. such place comes with the twist of taste in their menu with a totally different cuisine which is very new to Hyderabad late off. SODA BOTTLE OPENER WALA, is the new restaurant in the vicinity of the posh lanes of jubilee hills will be a perfect host for the short bites, casual time pass cafe and some serious food destination. What ever the mood, you can fit in the right place and music.

When they announced their opening date i am one of those food enthusiasts who was very excited to try their food on they very first day and as per the plan i have landed and it was on invite.

As soon as i entered the lobby was quite of a Irani shop with jars full of old school chocolates like mango bite, poppins, orange candy etc.. and some artistic stuff to boast the Irani theme. I liked it very much to the nativity they brought it close to the authentic classy look. The one i saw in bangalore and Hyderabad had some similar stuff but...each has its own set of themes for the people to enjoy. The running train, the funky terms and conditions and some cutlery stuff made to convey the style of the theme.

To start with the food i asked for the parsi choy, which was a black tea made with ginger, lemon and mint which i made more comfortable with the brown sugar which was extraordinary to start a meal with a hot drink.

Coming To food what I liked most

Bhendi bazaar seekh parantha

Chicken farcha

Vada pav

Eggs kejriwal

Kolmi fry

Masala pepsi

The seekh kebab was amazing and the moisture in it was an invite for the kebab to taste and declare that the aroma and flavors wont evaporate even it is warm. The parantha was crispy and went very well along with the kebab. One can purely enjoy the bliss of the parsi cuisine with this dish.

Chicken farcha was a fried chicken which was covered with egg. This chicken was boneless and the egg chicken combination was absolutely delicious. The coating of salt and chili powder made it even more tastier. The fresh coriander chutney is an additional complimentary to the taste.

Vada pav, the classic Mumbai style which you cannot avail in any part of Hyderabad. The freshness and soft pav with the vada was awesome with the salted green chili along with the tomato ketchup is pure bliss. I just can’t stop with one.

Eggs kejriwal, the name was very different from people think and it is a dish with half boil on pav with the masala drizzle. One should try to eat this in one gulp to enjoy the real taste. It was really amazing with the pav and this is my first time, though enjoyed it thoroughly.

Kolmi fry, was a prawn fry which was made with one of the best prawns and they are well cooked to the point that they melt out in the mouth in the very first bite. The green chutney was amazing on side.

Masala pepsi, which was not new but the jeera flavor which was very strong with the pepsi made me feel refreshing in the scorching heat. It was a stress buster for me.

Items which I liked moderately

Sali mutton

Berry pulao

Brinjal patio

Prawn patio

Caramel custard

Sali mutton was a dish of mutton garnished with potato sticks, the tomato base and the jaggery were not so equally blended. But the taste on the other side with potato sticks was very good. But overall somehow I didn’t connect with it. May be it was first time or not being aware of the flavors of it.

Berry pulao, flavor wise it was excellent, taste wise it had that blend of some caramelized rice with taste but the masala part was a miss. I expected a twist in the base of the rice which happened to be missing and I had to adjust with the top part which was amazing for me to taste along with the potato.

Brinjal patio- one word, I don’t know, but somehow the basic instinct of the taste buds was not happy with the flavor or the blend of spices. Would do more work in understanding the dish.

Prawn patio- it has got almost the basic masala and the onion part with the prawn which was cooked in the onion tadka. It was partly uncooked and tasted very normal to me.

Caramel custard- The presentation was very good and the taste at the first instance was a bitter and when inquired with the chef he said it is as it is and I used to have it the sweeter way. So couldn’t connect myself. But the new taste was also good, as I mixed it with the irani chai with brown sugar which gave me a splendid flavor. I loved the tea.

Over all the experience of the parsi cuisine was very good and the best part of the restaurant was they will be operational till night without breaks and the evening time is the best time to try out the quick bites at this place. With the service on a moderate note, would suggest this restaurant for those who are looking for the new cuisine and a different experience on a whole note.

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Simply South-->Revival of Home food. ( by chef chalapathi rao)

Simply south, is one of my favorite restaurants with which i regularly connect myself with the food when i am bored with the other cuisines or the regular food. Because the flavors or the taste or the quality which i get here reminds me of my second home and chef chalapathi rao makes the magic with his food. 


Since a big fan of south Indian food and simply south, i just made it on the launch day of the second venture of simply south here at gachibowli. This restaurant is located in the same building where AB's and kfc share the same work space. It is located on the first floor. The new restaurant is well spacious and very comfortable for the family diners to make a big group with out any breaking of chains. Its almost a 70 seat capacity with a very big PDR having a capacity of 40-50 covers. 

With the new introductions in the menu along with their regular and vegetarian menu....the whole menu was simply superb and reflected the missing charm in some part of the sections, which they added on public demand. They also made typical changes to the Hyderabadi part....and the new chef for the cuisine delivered it perfectly well. The taste, aroma and the quality is a par match to the simply south benchmark. 

Today i ordered for the items which are totally new to the menu and all of them are chef's recommendation. i ordered for 

Gosht goli shorbha

Dum ka murgh

Nizami tarkari

Kari melagu kozhambu

Parota

White rice

Butter milk

Badam halwa

Elaneer payasam

Gosht goli shorba was an flavorful extract of lamb cooked with the meat balls( dumplings). This was yakhni. And the aroma was absolutely brilliant and it is one of its kind and different from what we regularly have.

From the Hyderabadi part i ordered for the dum ka murgh, and nizami tarkari. The dum ka murgh was very well cooked and the consistency of the gravy was perfect with the oil layer on the top. The chicken was very tender and the flavor of the tandoor was ofen felt with the very first bite of the chicken and it went well with the veechu paorta, which i ordered along with the curries. 

Nizami tarkari was a vegetarian dish which was made with the mix vegetables and the flavor was very good with a hint of the light gravy which made it go well with the rice. The oil is excess on its part but liked to the flavor. 

Then i ordered for Kari melagu kozhambu...this is a typical chettinadu mutton dish, the well cooked tender mutton is then again cooked in the spicy gravy of chettinad spices, which is flavored with coconut milk and pepper for the better taste and texture. The very first bite of it will give you a punch in the face with an explosion of pepper and you will like it at the very first bite. Having had the mild gravy of dum ka murgh. I experienced the richness of the chettinad gravy which gave me enough time to enjoy it thoroughly with either parota/rice. ( Suggested to order)

Getting finished with my main course, one of my friend ( vishal ferandes) also dropped in and we continued to share the remaining items. 

I ordered for the desert again with the new list consisting of elaneer payasam and badam halwa. 

The elaneer payasam was way too good with the rice texture of the reduced coconut milk with tender coconut pieces in it, to gave a heavenly feel of the dish. The very first bite gave me a feel of the parupu pradhamam another desert which had the same blend of cocnut milk in it. Which resembles it to be in the border of Tamilnadu and kerla. 

The badam halwa was also very consistent in texture, color and taste. It was very light and the badam taste was very pouring. 

I ended my meal with a butter milk, which was made with a dash of garam masala and coriander powder. It was very good and consistent taste. 

The final part of the meal would be a good pan to finish with. Had a sweet pan which was available in the counter. 

With the good service, good food and good tradional back ground of the food journey, chef chalapathi rao has made his mark in the vicinity of the gachibowli, where a proper south Indian food is a scarcity. With his addition of his culinary experience, south Indian food lovers will definitely embrace the new place and i wish the management and staff a very big all the best and hope they do their best to make their way a long one. 

Till then,,,happy eating. 

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