[hyd_traveller]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Appreciate if reports of Chef Inam and today's planned lunch outing of Fisherman's Fare is reported back with pictures would be appreciated by unfortunate souls like us who cannot make it due to their "food balancing act"

Originally Posted by hyd_traveller

Will ask Traveloholic to click some photos and report back in his characterstic style duly supplemented by Xydon's report. I doubt others like Neliguy, Silverwood, NoRules, etc. may report to avoid duplication.

Well, except for the N/V platter which was the first dish to be served, no photos unless Xydon did click.

Ramzan (photo courtesy Xydon) :
Get ready for Haleem!

[bblost]

On Wednesday, we had a small team outing at Ista.

Bill per pax was about 1,800.

We had the regular buffet. The food was enjoyed by everyone. Both veg and non-veg alike.
I particularly loved the beef dishes.

The grilled tenderloin was awesome. The temperature was medium rare. But I feel it was more like medium. Had to check google to get the correct idea. But what ever it was, it was super delicious.
A small pink center with brownish edges. I think this was just perfect. Absolutely loved the slices.

I also loved the deserts. I went way over board and I guess will have to double my cycling. But no regrets.

We were also served High Tea. This was a couple of hours after the buffet. But I could barely eat a kheema puff and a small piece of cake. Skipped my dinner that night.

[traveloholic]

Originally Posted by hyd_traveller

Will ask Traveloholic to click some photos and report back in his characterstic style duly supplemented by Xydon's report.

As usual, even before I could capture a picture, the Kebab Starters were off the platter. Why does it always happen that in midst of the foodie session, we forget to capture and document the lip smacking meal we had?

Fisherman's Fare, erstwhile Mediterranean Cuisine (Atlast I remembered the previous name of this restaurant) was where we landed for lunch today. Landed there with a zillion expectations and a gazzillion salivating taste buds eager to gorge on the Turkish Food served at Fisherman's Fare. The energy levels rushed underground as soon as we heard that the Turkish Chef was on Paternity Leave and we would have to make do with the Not-So-Turkish Food.

Not willing to take the risk, we ordered Deccan Kebab Platter which is an assortment of 5 different types of Kebabs, namely "Chicken Tikka, Murgh Reshmi Kebab, Mutton Boti Kebab, Garlic Fish Tikka & Saute Prawns"



Chicken Tikka was good albeit a bit on the harder side.

Murgh Reshmi Kebab was amazing and loved the flavor of it the most. It was soft, moist, had an amazing coating of one of the most delectable batter I've had till date.

Mutton Boti Kebab were good and delectable. Did not get the meaty feeling of the Mutton as it was minced meat, mixed with various pulses. Hence, I would pardon them as this is how it is supposed to be made albeit it could have been a bit thicker and not wafer thin.

Could not withstand the strong aromatic pungent smell of Garlic in the Garlic Fish Tikka and devoured all the pieces served as soon as possible. The more I was inhaling the aromatic garlic fragrance of the Fish Tikka, the higher and higher was I tripping.

Saute Prawns were good with a strong flavor. It would have been great if the Ginger-Garlic base flavor did not overpower the flavor of Prawns. Prawns are something I cannot compromise on and would rather strike off the restaurant off my list, if it does not serve Prawns.

Starters done, we were pondering over the order for main course and finalized on Biryani as our Turkish Chef was not there. Else, it would have been Chicken Kiev, Chicken Fajita and Chicken in Garlic Sauce for sure. Now, let me not kill myself to death by thinking again about these dishes. I shall move on to the main course.

Ordered Mutton Biryani, Chicken Pulao, Fish Pulao (others call it Biryani, I don't. I still consider it as Pulao).

Mutton Biryani was good except that the rice was very bland due to lack of Masala in it. Had a couple of nicely cooked soft boneless pieces of Mutton cooked to perfection.

Fish Pulao and Chicken Pulao were good too and loved the Fish Pieces in the Pulao.

As we ordered for another Mutton Biryani and Chicken Pulao, we saw the Turkish Chef slowly walk in to the restaurant. We were contemplating towards ordering the Turkish Food again, however as we already placed the order and the dishes were served, we let it go.

Next round of Biryani was something that made us all smile and grin. The Biryani had the perfect amount of Masala needed to ensure that the Biryani is delectable. This was what we were waiting for.

Overall, loved the food. Fisherman's Fare would be revisited again and again, reason... Global Cuisine served there. Hummus + Pita Bread here I come.

[hyd_traveller]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

the Turkish Chef was on Paternity Leave.

we saw the Turkish Chef slowly walk in to the restaurant.

Fisherman's Fare would be revisited again and again, reason... Global Cuisine served there. Hummus + Pita Bread here I come.

Not having been served Hummus + Pita Bread was the biggest disappointment of today.

Lesson learnt : Never Visit Fisherman's Fare on a Friday for Lunch. Apart from this, make sure to call them up and ensure Turkish dishes are available before going.

Notice from Traveloholic's rant that the chef who was on paternity leave turned up within an hour. So much for the yarn that the staff & management of the restaurant was doling out to customers just because they were not geared up for Turkish Food on a Friday at Lunch.

[xydon]

Originally Posted by hyd_traveller

Well, except for the N/V platter which was the first dish to be served, no photos unless Xydon did click.

It was 12:40 PM and I did not receive any call or message from hyd_traveller. We had planned to go to FF for lunch. hyd_traveller is a very punctual man who always reach before time at the pick up point and I didn't want to make him wait.

At 12:45 PM I started walking and sent an SMS to keep him informed that I'm waiting at the Point. I looked around and didn't see his car. The monsoon had started and it rained heavily yesterday. I always enjoy driving in rain while listening to old songs and Gazhals (Not that I understand them). Standing at the pick up point, I was enjoying the after effects of rain; hot, sultry and humid.

I don't understand one thing, why do the auto rikshaw guys ask "Do you want the auto sir?"?. I always wanted to ask them back "Why, don't you want it? How will you survive if you give the auto to me?" or "Do you think that I'll get fired and will not get any job so you are offering me you job!? Ahh, such an Angel."

I sat down on the footpath, sweating like a normal human (unlike the idiom). I started looking at the "Auto lighting thread" where I got a response from few fellow BHPians about why not to change to 90/100. Once again, to my surprise, an auto driver called me. Now imagine, if I was standing on the road side, he could have asked if "I WANTED THE AUTO". For heavens sake, I was sitting! I looked at him with a angry look on my face.

Sometimes things are not what they look like. Reading the posts of traveloholic, I thought he would be some "I know all" kind of a person. But when I met him, I felt he was a very sweet guy! Down to earth who didn't know the taste of the dishes in Haddippa as he was busy organizing things!

I looked at the auto guy and he pointed to a car standing right behind his auto sounding horn. Gosh! it was hyd_traveller. I jumped and ran towards his car. I hopped in and felt like I was sitting in an ice cream container. AC was turned on with blower speed on 2 or 3 and I liked it. Manza does have a powerful AC. I initially used to drive a Maruthi 800 whose AC was so powerful that I realized it was working only during nights!

hyd_traveller and I went to pick up Silverwood who was a smart being. He unfortunately didn't want to enjoy the post rain environment and hence hopped into an auto rishaw to take shelter from the dazzling sun. We, obviously missed him and went till his GH.

We picked up Silverwood and left towards our next pick up point to pick norules.

We, once again, were the first to reach. While I was looking at the "Ramzaan arrival poster", I bumped into Neilguy and traveloholic. Bumped in its literal sense.

We walked into the resto. This was the first time I was there and was busy looking at the ambiance. There was nothing special about the looks which could make you say "WOW!". We planned to order Lebanese (I guess) and a shocking news was delivered to us. "The chef is out and would arrive after an hour". Silverwood had to attend a meeting at 3:00 PM so we were already short of time, keeping hyderabad traffic in mind.

During our discussion regarding what the order would be, one more BHPian joined us in the most casual uniform; rajeshrawal. We all greeted him and welcomed as he was the champion of that place. He was disappointed, just like us, when he heard that the Lebanese cook had disappeared for an hour.

We ordered for one NV platter which had 5 dishes, Fish, Prawns/Shrimp, Chicken, Lamb and I'm not sure what the other was!, with 8 pieces each.

While I was a kid, I always liked magic shows. I liked people making things appear and disappear with a flick of a wand and a secrete mantra! (Aa braka dabra, gilli gilli gilli! Something like this) I never got chance to learn magic probably because I wasn't interested or I didn't want to accidentally make my parents or friends dissapear.

I somehow was a part of a magic today. The waiter made sure it appeared and we made made sure it disappears!

We first ordered 3 biryanis; Lamb, Fish and Chicken. Once round one was completed, just like Rocky Balbao, we still had enough stamina for round two. We ordered for 2 more plates of biryani and once the biryani arrived (Ting: Bell sound), we jumped on it. Again, we did the magic trick (Aa braka dabra gilli gilli gilli) and the plates were empty and our stomachs were full.

Food was good but that wasn't what we went there to taste. Will have to go once again to give a better review.

Keep watching this space!

Xydon.

[hyd_traveller]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Ordered Mutton Biryani, Chicken Pulao, Fish Pulao (others call it Biryani, I don't. I still consider it as Pulao).

Originally Posted by xydon

We first ordered 3 biryanis; Lamb, Fish and Chicken. We ordered for 2 more plates of biryani and once the biryani arrived, we jumped on it. Again, the plates were empty and our stomachs were full.

Surprised to note the lack of critic in NoRules, the expert on Biryanis.

Wese the 5 rice dishes biryani or a pulao? No idea!

All I can say is that the rice was the same in all the three types (mutton, chicken & fish) right down to flavour, taste, saltiness and everything A to Z. Fisherman's Fare makes the rice separate and adds the choice of meat as per customer's order. My verdict : Thumbs Down as it is not authentic Hyderabadi style despite the fact that the rice was good and so was the meat.

The 2nd photo in the above post by Xydon : shows Silverwood leaning across me and grabbing Xydon's plate of starters. Silverwood said, "Let Xydon get the kicks by clicking but please allow me to eat in the meantime." That is why after this photograph, no more pictures were clicked.

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by hyd_traveller

Surprised to note the lack of critic in NoRules, the expert on Biryanis.

Had a side discussion with Nikhil about the grainy look of the meat and while I thought khus khus should not be used in marination, Nikhil thought it should be. I have personally not seen any chef using khus khus in biryani or even on the various recipes I checked out on net.

Biryani was okie dokie, fish in fish pulao being bad.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Fish Pulao and Chicken Pulao were good too and loved the Fish Pieces in the Pulao.

Originally Posted by NoRules

Biryani was okie dokie, fish in fish pulao being bad.

What is this? Contradictory views. Please clarify whether fish was good or bad so I dont order without this due diligence when i go there for lunch today

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

...Mutton Boti Kebab were good and delectable. Did not get the meaty feeling of the Mutton as it was minced meat, mixed with various pulses. ...

What kind of Boti kabab is made with MINCED MEAT???

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

What kind of Boti kabab is made with MINCED MEAT???

Boti is what the menu claimed but it was actually seekh kebab. Unfortunately I did not get to eat any and had to borrow a little piece of it from Waseem's plate.

[traveloholic]

Originally Posted by NoRules

I have personally not seen any chef using khus khus in biryani or even on the various recipes I checked out on net.

Poppy Seeds is an integral part of Mutton Biryani recipe. You generally do not see Poppy Seeds as they are ground into a fine paste and this is mixed in the mutton marinade. The Poppy Seed does add the much required rich flavour to the meat and this makes a huge difference. I can pass you on the recipes from all my chef's and their list has Poppy Seeds.

Originally Posted by NoRules

Biryani was okie dokie, fish in fish pulao being bad.

Fish in Fish Pulao was good and tasted good. Bajaj Saab can also concur on this same.

Originally Posted by DerAlte

What kind of Boti kabab is made with MINCED MEAT???

My Bad Sir, it should have been Mutton Sheek Kebab. The reason I wrote Boti Kebab as it was mentioned in the menu albeit we were served Mutton Sheek Kebab.

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Poppy Seeds is an integral part of Mutton Biryani recipe. You generally do not see Poppy Seeds as they are ground into a fine paste and this is mixed in the mutton marinade. The Poppy Seed does add the much required rich flavour to the meat and this makes a huge difference. I can pass you on the recipes from all my chef's and their list has Poppy Seeds.

After our discussion yesterday I checked with the chef who taught me the finer nuances of cooking biryani and also checked several Hyderabadi biryani / masala recipes online (Sanjeev kapoor, Sanjay Thumma) and also the Banne Nawabs masala I always use - no one uses poppy seeds. May be Fisherman Fare uses it but I personally have never used nor came across it as part of recipe.

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Fish in Fish Pulao was good and tasted good. Bajaj Saab can also concur on this same.

Whatever little I ate was after removing the top fried layer which had a pungent smell making the fish almost inedible. I think Waseem did not even make an effort to eat the fish.

Xydon / Neel, any comments on the fish in fish pulao?

[xydon]

Originally Posted by NoRules

Xydon / Neel, any comments on the fish in fish pulao?

Can't! I couldn't get my hands on it :-). I had chicken and lamb.

I would vote for KIMS chicken biryani over FF any day.

[hyd_traveller]

Well, as it is said, one does not go to FF for biryani and having said that, one also does not go to KIMS (a hospital) for eating out even if it is a chicken biryani par excellence (parcel for me, please someone).

Having said that, let me add that much before RR turned up but after we came to know that the chef who cooks the Turkish food is not available, I did propose that we shift to Shah Ghouse just across the road.

The idea was opposed by NoRules despite it having been seconded by Silverwood and thirded by Neilguy and fourthed by Traveloholic. Xydon did not take sides (maybe because he is a newbie).

At that moment, Rajeshrawal walks in and he also refused to shift venue and vetoed the idea.

In deference to RR's wishes (let us not forget that this lunch was originally proposed by RR at Hadippa on Wednesday and we few agreed to it) it was decided to listen to him and that is what sealed the fate of our lunch.

In future, I will say no to Indian or Chinese at Fisherman's Fare and yes to only Turkish. I will also say no to Chinese at Chutney's.

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by hyd_traveller

The idea was opposed by NoRules despite it having been seconded by Silverwood and thirded by Neilguy and fourthed by Traveloholic. Xydon did not take sides (maybe because he is a newbie).

At that moment, Rajeshrawal walks in and he also refused to shift venue and vetoed the idea.

In future, I will say no to Indian or Chinese at Fisherman's Fare and yes to only Turkish. I will also say no to Chinese at Chutney's.

LOL

Sure Bajaj saab. Reason why I did not want to move to Shahghouse was I and Silverwood were famished and I did not want to waste few more mins in shifting to another venue and frankly, I wanted to taste the fare @ FF. That was the only restaurant I did not visit at that complex. 4S, Mandar, Siddique kebabs, Shah Ghouse, Pista House - I tasted food at all the outlets and I wanted to do FF.

Henceforth lets stick to the strength of the place we go to.

On the topic, got take away from Sarvi, Banjara Hills - Iranian chicken Kebab, Tangdi Kebab and special mutton biryani. Liked the kebabs, yet to eat the biryani. Kids and wife liked the biryani too. Sarvi has always served good biryani, wish they had a good dining space at Banjara Hills outlet so that we can eat piping hot and fresh kebabs and biryani.