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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BAMBOO BIRYANI FESTIVAL!!

BAMBOO BIRYANI FESTIVAL!!

The biryani is taking different forms. Till date we saw different variants which includes dum, fried, pulao etc..but today i came to know a variety of biryani (pulao) from the owners of RV spice, kphb. It is called the Bamboo biryani. Which is made inside the bamboo and the biryani is half cooked with enough of masala and the ingredients. The bamboo is them placed on coal and the coconut shells. The coal will burn effectively with coconut shells giving more scope of heat. And a hint of solid gelatin fuel is also added for express heating.

The cooking time is 30 min and the out put is removed from the bamboo shell and served in a plate. If wanted for delivery they will wrap it with silver foil and give it with the chicken shorbha and raita.

They management of RV started this as a kick start to their food festivals and today was their annual celebration week, starting from 20th December to January 1st 2015. They hired a chef, named bujji who hails from razole of east godavari district of Andhra pradesh. He is a local country chef who operates his local kitchen in razole and he also does the dry items like chicken varieties and fish varieties.

Finally my portion of chicken bamboo biryani has arrived and it was more then 300 gms in quantity and the chicken pieces are sufficient and the spice levels are too high. They used the green chili mix and the clove mix for spiciness. The biryani is served with chicken shorbha and raita. The biryani is very near to the traditional country chicken pulao and its taste is very good. The tender chicken pieces are well cooked and the marination was good enough for the taste. Satisfied with the preparation style and the taste. The prices are high, but the quantity and quality are par to that.

Rating: 4.5/5.

Add:

RV spice
Opp bahar cafe, jntu- hitech road, near forum mall.
KPHB.

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Jonathan's Kitchen

Jonathan’s kitchen is the new restaurant which is a part of the Holiday inn express suites, located in financial district of gachibowli, Hyderabad. It is located far away from the public living and opposite to Deloitte and beside Amararaja.

The restaurant is located on the ground floor and beside the bar. The entrance is from the parking entrance. The first look of the restaurant will give a lively look of the ambiance which is made up with the marbles, rope and some of the best wooden work in the midst of a live tree. The place is lit well for the focus and the décor is simply superb.

The dining area is vastly spread with the options of A-la-carte and buffet, the cutlery and glassware are updated versions of the current scenario and will be appealing. The seating arrangement is done according to the customization of customers.

Coming to food, tried almost everything on menu from different sections. We started with sushi and ended up with desserts. That was a huge food journey with bloated out our tummy with happiness and here is our detailed part of our food journey.

SUSHI

VEG MAKI

CRISPY COTTAGE CHEESE TEMPURA

VOLCANO

SHAWARMAKI

The sushi was served first. The shawarmaki and the veg maki were really good in the section. The chicken was well cooked and the ginger made the perfect combination. The cottage cheese tempura was also among the best sushi I had. It was coated with extra batter and was deep fried. The stuffing was even better. Volcano is a sushi made from the fish and the top later is formed with the mayo strengthened with honey mustard and the sushi along is very good. If had separately the salad would be a nice one to flavorize the taste buds, loved them.

APPETIZERS

veg

MARINATED OLIVES

FORACCIA OLIVE MELT

FALAFEL KEBAB

BABY CORN TEMPURA

 The marinated olives were served along with the garlic bread, which steal the show. The sun dried tomatoes along with the green olives made my day. The cheese along with the marinated olives on the garlic bread is heaven and one should experience this. And the foraccia melt was also made in the same way, but it was the soft bread cut in small pieces, Liked them. The falafel kebab and baby corn tempura were decent and consumed a little extra oil which will kill the taste. Even the dip will help you end with some bland taste. Otherwise, the flavors are good.

Nonveg

CHICKEN SATAY

ORIENTAL CHICKEN DURMMETS

PEANUT CRUSTED FISH

BUTTERED PRAWNS

The non veg appetizers were the frozen one, which were deep fried and then tossed in their respective sauces. But the chicken satay and the oriental chicken drummets were stand out among these. The chicken was tender and the flavor was well tugged in. The buttered prawns are a disappointment with excess of oil and the butter also ruined the taste with the bland tomato puree. The peanut crusted fish is served with the peanut sauce, which was a different taste from the regular and the bitter taste was over powering all the time.

SOUP

MINESTRONE DI VERDUE

NOODLE SOUP V/N

The soup was served in the middle of the meal and the hit among the soup section is the noodle soup. The veg and non veg version are equally good with good amount of veggies and noodles with a pinch of tofu in it. The minestrone soup was tad bit thick and too tangy for the flavor. The diced pasta in it, gave no support to the taste and the tomato puree, damaged more.

SALAD

GREEN APPLE CARPACCIO

SALAD NICOISE

The salad section is decent with the green apple, walnut and cheese. But the excess of lime juice made it a tad bitter for the taste. If not spread equally, would have been a superb salad. The nicoise was also decent and the taste would have been good, if the temperature is a bit colder.

SANDWICH/BURGER

HEALTHY MIX

CRISPY CHICKEN

The sandwich was a veg one, it’s made up of the whole grains bread and the stuffing was very good and the flavor was good enough for the crispy chew. They gave the mustard sauce as the accompaniment which made the taste of the sandwich even yummier. Like it and suggested for the people who are looking for healthier options in their diet.

Crispy chicken was given in Panini bread and the stuffing was huge. It was served with the fries bucket, which looked yummy and the taste was excellent and a good accompaniment. The chicken was even and the tasted better. But a little bit of temperature is recommendable.

FROM THE EAST

ASIAN GREEN VEG WITH TOFU

CLASSIC STIR FRY V/N

YU XINAG CHICKEN

FRIED RICE

The main course just started with the Asian green veggies with tofu, it was simple and the soup version of the noodle soup which I had earlier. They added a little more of the veggies and the tofu and It was made thick with extra corn flour. The flavors and spice levels are good enough. Recommended along with the rice. Classic stir fry, both veg and non veg versions are served with the honey chili sauce and the crispy nature made them even yummier. Like the texture and presentation. The fried rice was made with eggs. And it was a different schezwan style with little bit of spice added to it for the texture and taste. Liked it with the wet curry and the noodles.

CURRY HOUSE

MAKAI KI SABZI

DAL TADKA

KADAI MURGH

PANEER LASONI PALAK

The curry house is a section of selected veg and non veg curries from the Indian kitchen which were show stealers and the best among them was the dal tadka. The best among the ones which I had previously, the tempering of the tadka and the salt levels are perfectly moderated. Loved it with the olive naan, for extra tangy flavor. And when had with rice, you will end up with a home fed feeling. The second best was the kadai murgh, it has got the creamy texture and the perfectly cooked chicken which is succulent and tender, made them melt in my mouth. The lasooni palak was a new item for me to try, but the first experience was very good and the excess of lasooni made the dish so flavorful and the green texture is awesome.

ROTI

NAAN

CHILI OLIVE NAAN

The chili olive naan was an absolute hit with the perfect soft and crispy edges with the mouth watering, olives for the extra taste. The butter naan was also well cooked and the dal tadka is any time try with it.

DESSERTS

LEMON TART

CHEESE CAKE

TIRAMISU

The Desserts were very good presented with a hint of gastronomy and the tiramisu is a clean hit with a dash of rum in it and the layers were perfectly done. The chocolate stick is yummy.

Lemon tart is on downside with excess of lime in it made the taste, less flavorful. The cheese was ordered twice for the texture and the softness of the biscotti. A little more temperature would make it a perfect cheese cake.

SERVICE

The service was exceptional and their hospitality is to be noted. The professional touch to it makes it even pitch perfect for the delivery of the awesome hospitality. The gestures’ were perfect and they never took the second chance to fail.

Overall, It is a place for those who want a relaxed holiday with perfect ambiance and the lively food with some good music and dj. The Holiday inn’s jonathan kitchen is always ready for the perfect date. 

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