[mobike008]

Nikhil Miya, Saturday dinner se lekar Sunday dinner thak ka silsila abhi bakhi hai. Jaldi aane do

[traveloholic]

Avi Bhai, was busy celebrating your birthday all the day

Saturday Dinner se lekar Sundar Dinner tak ki journey's on the way.

[ranjitp1]

This is quite an interesting site,worth a look

Great Deals on Dining, Weekend Activities Online | Snapdeal.com

[traveloholic]

Thursday Lunch > Thursday Dinner > Friday Lunch > Friday Dinner > Saturday Lunch > Saturday Supper > Saturday Dinner (Spicy Hub) > Sunday Breakfast > Sunday Lunch > Sunday Dinner*
My food binge for the last weekend.

Been loittering around the city the whole day, we were both tired and it was good time in the evening & were sure that it would be dinner time, but the time we reach home. Moreover, Mom would also be back from office & would be waiting for dinner for sure.

As Wifey was in no mood to cook food after reaching home, we finalized that there would be no home made food today and would be ordered from outside. The hunt was on for "WHERE TO?"

The decission was taken, when we were pretty close by to where I stay. The only options were either some outlet at Malakpet or Dilsukhnagar or Chaitanyapuri or Kothapet.

The unanimous vote was for Spicy Hub at Kothapet & the voting authority was only me & I had the Veto power to change the decision, if someother outlet was suggested.

Spicy Hub's been one of our IN THE GOOD BOOKS eatery from the time we shifted to Maruthi Nagar from Vijay Nagar Colony.

Love the ambience at Spicy Hub. As opposed to a concrete structured ambience, this was more of a Natural Ambience for dinner. With greenery around, the whole appeal at having dinner at Spicy Hub becomes a different experience all together. Did not dine in at Spicy Hub this time as all we wanted was a Take Away.

Being an aficionado of Prawns, Prawns was bound to be one of the dishes for sure.

Always loved their Schezwan Prawns as it was on the spicier side and always loved the taste of Schezwan Prawns at Spicy Hub. THe prawns were well cooked but what took the cake was the spicy masala it was made in. It wasn't a deep fried or totally wet varient but was more of a damper varient of it. I've been having deep fried prawns for a long time, so wanted to change something for sure & it was made to order as per my requirements.

Kandhari Chicken was something i've never tried there and I wanted to try it out this time. Always loved their Kadai Chicken & Chicken Kolhapuri a lot. This time, wanted something else apart for the regular ordered ones. Kandhari Chicken was way way different from what I ate at many places.

I can call it to be a bit similar to Afghani Chicken but this was total boneless and had long streaks of boneless chicken pieces. The pieces were of sure from the breast region of the chicken, but were real soft and tender. I always avoid the breast piece as much as I can, as I feel it to be too dry and bland.

However, this was way different in taste and loved the soft pieces a lot. In case you plan to dine at Spicy Hub, then I would personally recommend you to try it for sure.

Paneer Shahi Kurma was good and would not like to write much about it except that it was filled with generous helpings of dry fruits. Overall, the taste was lovely and loved it a lot. Given a chance, shall surely love to have it again. Ordered Tandoori Roti's & Zeera Rice to make it a full course meal.

Total Damage: 650/-
Star Attraction: Kandhaari Chicken

[discobiscuit]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

BTW, Kababish sells one of the best Garlic Sauces & Dine-Hill serves one of the best Garlic Sauces.

This man speaks the truth

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

This is quite an interesting site,worth a look

Great Deals on Dining, Weekend Activities Online | Snapdeal.com

Windows of the World is one of the worst places that I have eaten.

[bblost]

Karachi Bakery.

Indifferent service

I bought a cake today morning. A beautiful chocolate cake with lovely white chocolate shells on it. Rs 600.

The cake tasted really good. And everyone in my team enjoyed it.

BUT the completely indifferent attitude of the Karachi Bakery counter left a bad taste.
They don't give any paper plates with a cake. I can understand that its store policy but I don't appreciate the counter boy telling me with quite a sarcastic tone that nothing is free and we need to pay for everything. This was in response to my surprise that this bakery does not give paper plates.
What is the cost of paper plates. Maybe 10 Rupees for 20 plates.

But rather than just saying its store policy or some non-sense like that, the boy gives me words of wisdom.

Idiots.
They just lost a customer.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by bblost

Karachi Bakery.

Indifferent service

Which outlet was it?

This info is not new to me though. Been frequenting their outlet at Mojamjahi market since very long and go there only if i am travelling out of town to pick up fruit and kaju biscuits ( they are the best) for relatives/friends.

Their pineapple cake is one of the most fluffiest and lightest cake that i ever ate in my life.

They are the epitome of indifference. For that matter, this could be the only store in our city where you stand in a line patiently for a long time to pay your bill

After paying the security guy kind of checks your bill and packet a bit too thoroughly for my comfort.

[mobike008]

Inspired by Nikhil, i thought let me also quickly pen down a comprehensive review ( Only once shall I and will I do this, Eh!!. Dialogue from my favorite movie Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrel) of BARBEQUE NATION that i visited last evening for dinner.

Reached at 9pm, it was packed to brim and was told waiting period of 45 minutes. When i casually mentioned the occasion, that guy at the entrance actually made sure we got our seats in <15 mins. I was pleased with this great begining to our evening.

Menu for the day :-

Veg Grill ( 5 Items) : Thai Grilled Veggies, Tandoori Mushrooms, Malai Paneer,Falafel with Hummas Sauce,Baby Potatoes

Non-Veg Grill ( 5 Items) : Tandoori Crab, Coastal Grilled Prawns,Chicken Tikka,Pesto Grilled Fish,Pudina Mutton Kebabs

Maincourse : Helluva lot of customary items
Desserts ( 8 Items) : Baby Gulam Jamuns, Pineapple Souffle, Kiwi Souffle, Blueberry Cheese Cake, Vanilla Ice-Cream, Pineapple Fluffy cakes and couple of items that i dont remember.

VEG GRILL

Thai Grilled Veggies: My mom ( pure vegetarian) freaked out on Broccolis,Cabbages,Lettuce, Shimla Mirchi ( forgot the english name for it..heheh) all grilled. Tasted Broccolis, Lettuce-awesome. Table next to us wanted broccolis but, waiter politely mentioned its specially for veggie diners.

Tandoori Mushroom : It was coated with flour and tasted very nice after it was coated with mango sauce.

Malai Paneer : White in color and bland. Not to my liking

Falafel with Hummus Sauce : This was the star of Veg Grill. Humungous
difference between falafel at "ALL SEASONS" and this place. Falafels were crispy, crunchy, melted in mouth at first bite and were coated with generous amounts of white hummus sauce was so delicious. I felt like just keep on popping them into my mouth.

Baby Potatoes : What to say, this is BN's signature dish. Small, melt in mouth types, baby potatoes...Slurrp

NON-VEG GRILL

Tandoori Crab: Never had crab in my entire life. But, decided to give it a shot. Asked for a small piece and tried gently the soft meat inside and i liked the taste but, looking at my mom's weird glances at me and the crab. I asked the waiter to clear it from my table immediately.

Let tell outline a small anecdote about this dish during our dinner. Table on left was occupied by 4 gentlemen and on right were a husband-wife with small daughter.

We ate our grills exactly for an hour. Imagine how much we must have consumed. Both tables on our side broke our record by 20-30 minutes atleast and they made a pile of crab shells on their table....LOL

Table to right. Husband was eating ONLY crab and his mound was larger than the left table.

Both guys went into a panic attack ( shortness of breathe, etc) and their dinner after that was identicle. Few pieces of watermelon and NO DESSERTS......Haha!

So i am guessing either the tandoori crab was superb or that you get it so expensive outside that these folks wanted to make the most of it at one go. Not sure, which one !

Chicken Tikkas : Perfectly marinated, grilled and totally juicy types. Simply out of this world. Can be compared with similar type of juicy chicken in angeethi ( forgot the name, its a starter) and is much better in angeethi. Juicy to the core !

Coastal Grilled Prawns : They were not the masala type of prawns that i like. Favorite being in Goa in a restuarant in panjim where the prawns were served in red masala coated in pure ghee. Thank god, didnt have a cholestrol attackt but, tasted heavenly. Here it was deviod of all that and was grilled and tasted a bit bland but, i garnished it with garlic sauce. Not too bad.

Pesto Grilled Fish : Green Sauce coated, perfectly grilled cubes of fish. Tasted soft and had a distinct taste of sauce that really tingled my taste buds.

Pudina Mutton Kebabs: Melt in the mouth types, pudina flavoured and perfectly cooked sheek laden kebabs that you roll on your tongue and let the flavours seep into your mouth and then gulp it down to savour it completely. Utterly Butterly Delectable

All of above with a Gilafi Naan that were baby shaped and sweetish. Different type but delicious

Our grilled sojourn lasted for an hour and we completely enjoyed the experience with chatter around, amazing eye-candy to sift through and a warm feeling of good food and relaxation that will help you remember that experience for a long time.

Finally decided to reluctantly ask our waiter to remove the grill from out table. I practically waded across to buffet table and looked at the long line of dishes and decided to select only Mutton Roganjosh, Naan, Chicken Samurai ( Gravy Based) and a little bit of chicken biryani.

Mutton Rojanjosh was mind-blowing. Maybe better than Angeethi's who's Roganjosh i absolutely cherish.

Chicken Samurai was thai-based with white gravy and large pieces of Simla Mirchi in gravy. Different and very good

Chicken Biryani was also amazing with mirchi ka saalan. Chicken pieces were so soft and fluffy that on touch of the finger, it was just melting away ( i beileve in eating biryani only with hand irrespective of type of restuarant)

We then made a massive effort to eat the desserts.

Blueberry Cheese Cakes, Baby Gulam Jamuns, Kiwi Souffle, Pineapple Souffle were outstanding and made us go for a second trip.

Cost :-
Rs.601 ( Nett for NV Buffet)
Rs.550 ( Nett for Veg Buffet)
Rs.280 ( 2 Soft Drinks)
Rs.240 ( 4 Masala Coke)
Total Damage ( 3 People) : Rs.2450 inclusive of Rs.100 bucks tips. Note they charge a flat 14.5% VAT ( sure of SC built into it) on both drink and food which IMO, is exorbitant.

Service was impeccable and even if high percentage of tax, deserved atleast a hundred bucks. They were responding with lighting speed and did everything except practically shove that food down our throats...LOL

I regret ordering the soft drinks as Masala Coke which was ordered by wifey and mom was so refreshing that i should have stuck to that in the first place, its a must to order this drink along with your food.

Generous masala poured into your thumbs-up with a whole bunch of mint leaves thrown in. My, My, it can even wake up senses which are in deepest slumber. MUST HAVE !!

Overall Opinion :
If your looking for a great, liesurely and warm foodie experience for dinner. This is the place.

Been here almost after a year and first time for dinner. Its really worth the extra money that you pay as quality of food is very good.

I just couldnt help but compare those Rs.199 type of restuarants for lunch and when you eat here you will notice why almost every dish/sauce/accompainment/experience even if crowded is so exceptional.

I can confess that I truly enjoyed this special occasion with an amazing gourmet food experience

My rating : 4.5/5 ( .5 less for being a tad expensive)

[bblost]

^ Good review of one of my favorite places.

It was the Banjara Hills branch of The Karachi Bakery.

Crabs are really good here. I realized after eating a few that it was in Oyster sauce. Damn. Oyster are forbidden and that kind of messed up my meal. But what's gone in, stays in. Felt a little foolish though as I take this bit quite seriously.

The thing about crabs is not many places serve it. And many places don't know how to cook them.
Eating them is also an art. BBQ Nation does not have a marrow spoon. They do have the nut crackers that help in breaking the shell.

The best crab I have had in a restaurant was Mom's Kitchen in Panaji, Goa.

The price of crabs is about 200 a kilo in the fish market.

[MileCruncher]

Avi awesome review! I'm now planning to head out there after reading your review and considering the price, I would definitely say, its a steal!

[traveloholic]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Inspired by Nikhil, i thought let me also quickly pen down a comprehensive review

WOW!!! I've inspired you to write this. Awesome description Avi Bhai.

As Kippu said to come up with a Book or Blog, lets come up with our own book (lets directly compete with Times Food Guide 2011)

Originally Posted by mobike008

Shimla Mirchi ( forgot the english name for it..heheh)

On records, Shimla Mirchi is called as either Green Bell Peppers or Capsicum.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by bblost

The best crab I have had in a restaurant was Mom's Kitchen in Panaji, Goa.

I love Mom Kitchen in Panjim too. I stayed a couple of times bang opposite in a friends apartment and their Chicken Xacuti and Prawn Vindaloo is also superb, very authentic.

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Avi awesome review! I'm now planning to head out there after reading your review and considering the price, I would definitely say, its a steal!

Do go there Ani. Make sure its for dinner and make sure you have ample time and plenty of space in your tummy.

Important Tip : Eat liesurely and spend atleast 2 hours over your meal

Originally Posted by traveloholic

WOW!!! I've inspired you to write this. Awesome description Avi Bhai.

As Kippu said to come up with a Book or Blog, lets come up with our own book (lets directly compete with Times Food Guide 2011)


On records, Shimla Mirchi is called as either Green Bell Peppers or Capsicum.

I am too lazy to write such lengthy reviews but, since it was based on a special occasion thought, why not!

Capsicum, heck! how can i forget that. This afternoon had Roti and Capsicum curry for lunch

If we decide to write a food book, TOI will lose hands down.

I don't beileve in stomping on "small" people's income flow

[hyd_traveller]

Originally Posted by hyd_traveller

The ground floor of the building housing Mainland China at Begumpet next to ITC Kakatiya used to be empty.

Now it houses Kibbeh.

So you have Kibbeh, Mainland China, Sigree, Flame & Grill all housed in a single building opposite CM's Camp Office and Walden.

I am not sure whether the name is Kibbeh or something else and what is the cuisine there but since Kibbeh sounds Lebanese so assume it is Lebanese speciality restaurant.

Originally Posted by mobike008

Kibbeh is Lebanese as past couple of weeks they been badgering me with their sms that says how good their hummus/falafel etc is

Correction - Kibbeh is not on the ground floor. It is on the 4th floor.

Kibbeh has an array of sheeshas and is not truly a restaurant but more of a lounge-bar.

Just not my type of place ...

Anyone tried the Arabian dinner buffet at Novotel Airport? I need feedbacks before visiting it?

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by hyd_traveller

Anyone tried the Arabian dinner buffet at Novotel Airport? I need feedbacks before visiting it?

I dont think you will find too many brave people spending Rs.1K ++ on this buffet plus drive all the way out till there.

Btw, they have a 20% off for Jet Privilege card holders.