[Gadgetfreak]

Originally Posted by hyd_traveller

If it is only for pongal, idli, vada and / or upma / tomato bath, you need to eat at Iyer's on Dharam Karam Road in Ameerpet opposite Hockey Ground. He opens at around 8:15 and is reputed to run out of pongal by 8:30 odd and other stuff many a times. Note that there is no board announcing the venue, there is no seating and you need to jostle in the crowd to manage to get your hand on the food. I eat there twice a month and ensure to reach by 8:30/8:45. All dishes are priced @ Rs. 20 each.
Exact Location on Google Map : https://maps.google.co.in/maps?daddr...sz=19&t=m&z=15
Landmark : There is a Sai Balaji Tiffins just before Iyer's and the crowd hanging around Iyer's eating out of plantain leaves cannot be missed.

What you are talking about is APPA. I have been going to him since last 18 years. He serves on banana leaves. He also used to take maths tutions earlier. His quality and quantity has fallen, but the wait time is still the same, he has become very proudish lately. I had been to him some 2 months back.

Iyer coffee shop belongs to APPA's cousin brother. He makes some good coffee.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by hyd_traveller

If it is only for pongal, idli, vada and / or upma / tomato bath, you need to eat at Iyer's on Dharam Karam Road in Ameerpet opposite Hockey Ground. He opens at around 8:15 and is reputed to run out of pongal by 8:30 odd and other stuff many a times.

Originally Posted by gauravdgr8

The name of the shop is Iyer Coffee Works. Very close to my place. I too visit it every alternate sunday.

Bajaj saab, I enjoyed the breakfast here once whilst you were just watching me gobbling down the upma and vada

To be honest, it was just about ok and would not go into my list of top road side tiffins at all.

Nothing to beat the breakfast that you get on this side of the city for Dosa, Idly Wada like Lakshman, Pragati, Scoops, Begum Bazaar etc.

[traveloholic]

As goes a famous saying in Turkish "Ben bütün gün gıda konuşabilirsin. Ben iyi yemek seviyorum. It does not mean that I can speak Turkish, but the quote means a lot to me as it is describes what I do whole day "I could talk food all day. I love good food"

Been there and done that already, however Sunday was the time, when I visited Fisherman's Fare to treat my family with some Turkish Delicacies. The moment I walked in, thus I spoke in chaste Turkish "Barış içinde yenen bir kabuk anksiyete partaken bir ziyafet daha iyidir", which meant "A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety"

We were there at leisure and had all the time in this world to spend there, given that the food they served was good and piping hot. Pita Bread and Hummus were always on the top of the list, so was the first order.

Hummus was good albeit a bit grainy. I would love my Hummus to be a smooth silky velvety paste as opposed to being grainy. The taste was great and I enjoyed licking off the last serving off the serving spoon. It was good and it went very well with the fresh soft Pita Bread, which was super soft and amazingly good.





What followed was a mix of MediTurkish Food.

Ordered Kusbasili Pide, which is something akin Pizza. Chopped Mutton, Bell Peppers and Cheese spread on Turkish Bread. It was quite bland to my taste and we had only a slice each. The rest was packed off for take away.



Hummus done, Pita done, Pide done, now's the time for some lip smacking food and that was what we went for.

Ordered Chicken Fajita and Chicken Kiev.

Chicken Fajita:
Roasted chicken served with Vermicelli Rice, French Fries, Fresh Lettuce and Grilled Bell Peppers off a pipping hot sillzer. This was the YUMMM dish I loved at FF and would go again and agin for sure. Wiped off the Fajita with the complimentary Pita Breads served with it.





Chicken Kiev:
Grilled Chicken Breast stuffed with Spinach and Mushroom, served with Vermicelli Rice, French Fries & Fresh Lettuce. Right from the moment you see it till the time you scrape off those last its and bits strewn on the plate, I am sure you would not look up and indulge in the sinful act with pleasure.



Overall, I loved the food at Fisherman's Fare and would be back for more.

Till then "Hoşça kal ve mutlu yeme"

[jayded]

Originally Posted by LonelyPlanet

I was there along with 2 other friends at the same time. Were you on the table close to the entrance?

Oh! Yes buddy, we (5 of us) came in around 10:10 and occupied the seat near the door. I was sitting closest to the door with my back facing it. Sorry to have missed you. My white Figo was parked at the entrance, and had a blast driving around in the rain after the heavy dinner

Hope you guys enjoyed your food as much as we did.


Talking about difference in the taste across regions. I was shocked to see the upma that was served to me initially here in Hyderabad since we are used to a more solid look compared to the watery gooey look here which I have not still managed to come to terms with. To make matters worse, most of the Kerala restaurants I have tried did not have Upma on their menu and hence I am deprived of having the kind of Upma I like. There is a restaurant (earlier it used to be a jewellery shop) at Madhapur named "Taamaram", just besides Cafe Nandhini which serves pretty OK Upma, just that it's a bit too oily.

[autotranny]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

As goes a famous saying in Turkish "Ben bütün gün gıda konuşabilirsin. Ben iyi yemek seviyorum. It does not mean that I can speak Turkish, but the quote means a lot to me as it is describes what I do whole day "I could talk food all day. I love good food"

Overall, I loved the food at Fisherman's Fare and would be back for more.

Till then "Hoşça kal ve mutlu yeme"

Tempting stuff indeed Nikhil, How much was the total damage ?

[spadix]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Ragda is a filling of white peas,while puchka has a filling of Aloo and at times black channa.Let me try the keshava reddy one.Fingers crossed.Or the next time you are in Mumbai try the panipuri available there and you would be able to differentiate between the puchka and the ragda filling.

Now I'm really confused. All the road-side chat bandis in Hyderabad use white peas + alu + spices and like NoRules said, will additionally heat the filling up for you if you like.

Perhaps you've not had the road-side variety yet in Hyderabad?

Originally Posted by NoRules

Now, I do not understand this. Where in Hydie chat bandis did you find only aloo / black chana filling in paani puri?

I have seen the black chana and aloo filling only at places like Dadoos / Bikanerwaala / Balaji Grand bazaar and some outlets on MG road.

Every regular chat bandi in Hyderabad serves the ragda filling (made of peas and aloo) and on request - they heat it up and add the spices before dipping the puri in the water. There is a little aloo too in the peas filling but I have not seen even one bandi which serves only aloo and chana filling. You might occasionally find these guys who put up a stand of puris and the filling (not the bandi types - these guys typically can set up shop anywhere - it is like a moble chat bandi) and they serve what you are talking about but go to any regular 'chat waala', you will agree with me.

+1

Originally Posted by NoRules

Coming to the chat bandis at Bangalore, the less talked about, the better. They use a tasteless filling of peas and some thick liquid, there is no tamarind taste in the water, no hint of aloo and I am talking about the regular bandis. The 'famous' places in Jaya Nagar / Indira Nagar etc are just like the Dadoos / Bikanerwaala of Hyderabad, aloo / chana filling.

That's right. The bandi chat in Bengaluru is really tasteless. Had it just once at RT Nagar bus stand (the big square - forget the name of the place now). However what I had mentioned earlier was the Calcutta-style pure pani puri only outlets (e.g. the guy who stands just outside the entrance to Patel's Inn at RT Nagar, the guy outside the Calcutta Chaat outlet on Koramangala 60 ft road etc.). They are similar in taste to the Kesava Reddy Sweets offering, and from the discussions so far it seems to me that puchka is the Calcutta-style.

Regards,
spadix

[hyd_traveller]

Originally Posted by gauravdgr8

The name of the shop is Iyer Coffee Works.

The guy who serves is Naresh. Just keep shouting his name and you will get hold of some after waiting atleast for 20 minutes.

No Gaurav, this is the shop just before the coffee shop but in the same building.

Naresh knows my likings so I do not even have to tell him my order, he sees me and just serves.

It is the owner who, when he sees me, tells Naresh what I will eat or should I say just orders me what I should eat on a particular day.

Originally Posted by mobike008

To be honest, it was just about ok and would not go into my list of top road side tiffins at all.

Nothing to beat the breakfast that you get on this side of the city for Dosa, Idly Wada like Lakshman, Pragati, Scoops, Begum Bazaar etc.

Agreed but this Iyer place is a Tamil style food place which was the topic and not as the top destination.

Secondly, the comfort of getting decent food just down the road weighs much more than having to drive right across the whole city which is okay once in a way but not on a regular basis.

[traveloholic]

Originally Posted by autotranny

Tempting stuff indeed Nikhil, How much was the total damage ?

Thanks Ajay, the total damage we incurred for all this including Service Charges was exactly 1000/-. I would call it 1000/- worth spent.

[racer_ash]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Been there and done that already, however Sunday was the time, when I visited Fisherman's Fare to treat my family with some Turkish Delicacies.

Hi traveloholic. Yummy looking food. I am sure you had a good time. I must say, apart from being a traveloholic, you are also a foodaholic.

By the way, where exactly is this restaurant. Is it in the same complex as the 4 seasons food court which is opposite to the Maruti showroom/service centre?

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by RoadTiger

Chutneys - I've been there a zillion times by now. For some reason, most of relatives visiting us love the place ... I, for one, feel the place serves decent food but is overhyped.

Absolutely right. It is simply overhyped

I went there for breakfast on Sunday after a long time and we had Babai Idly and Steamed Dosa ( Chiru Dosa) with those standard tasteless chutneys.

Their coffee is excellent though and 1/2 is equal to 2 coffees from another hotel. Lovely taste and huge quantity

I like them serving water in those huge copper glasses

I would not go back there for South Indian Tiffins but, their Thali is pretty good

My favorite used to be Shanbagh before now its "Minerva" which is a zillion times better than Chutneys

Originally Posted by racer_ash

By the way, where exactly is this restaurant. Is it in the same complex as the 4 seasons food court which is opposite to the Maruti showroom/service centre?

Yes, same compound. First restuarant on left and is situated on 1st floor.


Sunday evening had decided to go to Palace Heights but, since it was raining got a bit lazy and decided to eat nearby at our favorite VFM chinese restuarant " Bowl O'China" at Himayathnagar

Ordered the following :-

1. Veg Spring Rolls

It was oily and bland. When I complained, they offered to present a new dish. I declined and we ate a few pieces and left the rest. BAD

2. Schezwan Egg Noodles

This as usual was excellent. Spicy, Yet Soft and full of egg and extremely tasty

3. Chicken Schezwan with bamboo shoots and broccoli

This was also excellent

Total Damage : Rs. 450

@Nikhil, I loved the Chicken Kiev and Fajita at Fisherman Fare. Rest of the stuff does not look that enticing or was it?

[traveloholic]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

I must say, apart from being a traveloholic, you are also a foodaholic.

I guess Hydeez would be able to throw much light on this aspect. Would love to hear what Hydeez have to say about me being a "Foodaholic"

Originally Posted by racer_ash

By the way, where exactly is this restaurant. Is it in the same complex as the 4 seasons food court which is opposite to the Maruti showroom/service centre?

Originally Posted by mobike008

Yes, same compound. First restuarant on left and is situated on 1st floor.

Yes, as rightly mentioned by Mobike008, it's the first restaurant as soon as you enter the compound. You need to take the stairs to reach Fisherman's Fare. It's directly above the Pista House outlet at Yousuf Tekri.

Originally Posted by mobike008

VFM chinese restuarant "Bowl O'China" at Himayathnagar

I am still to get in terms with Bowl O'China. I don't find the consistency across their outlets. I would have loved to have food, if the taste was consistent across all their outlets.

Originally Posted by mobike008

@Nikhil, I loved the Chicken Kiev and Fajita at Fisherman Fare. Rest of the stuff does not look that enticing or was it?

Hummus and Pita Bread was good. The Kusbasili Pide was a bit bland and not as per my liking. However, it was good to taste something different, however, when I visit next time, it's gonna be Lahmacun Pide for sure.

On another thought, I have decided what I would be having, the next time I visit Fisherman's Fare. Next time, it's gonna be Sarma Beyti Kebab, Kiretmitte Kusbasili and Lahmacun Pide.

[p'arth]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Absolutely right. It is simply overhyped

I went there for breakfast on Sunday after a long time and we had Babai Idly and Steamed Dosa ( Chiru Dosa) with those standard tasteless chutneys.

Their coffee is excellent though and 1/2 is equal to 2 coffees from another hotel. Lovely taste and huge quantity

I like them serving water in those huge copper glasses

I would not go back there for South Indian Tiffins but, their Thali is pretty good

My favorite used to be Shanbagh before now its "Minerva" which is a zillion times better than Chutneys

Completely agree to Minerva over Chutneys ... especially the Minerva at jubilee check post is amazing. Its south indian thali @ 160 is every penny worth ... and finishing off with a half filter coffee is bliss.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by traveloholic

I guess Hydeez would be able to throw much light on this aspect. Would love to hear what Hydeez have to say about me being a "Foodaholic"

Actually you never were a traveloholic as you dont travel much ( that does not include the travel you do from one eating outlet to another). Therefore, you should have chosen foodoholic as your handle name. considering your passion for all things calorific, It still makes me wonder why you didnt

Originally Posted by traveloholic

I am still to get in terms with Bowl O'China. I don't find the consistency across their outlets. I would have loved to have food, if the taste was consistent across all their outlets.

Try Himayathnagar, ever since i started eating here. They have been pretty consistent and i dont go to other outlets at all.

except for the bad experience on Sunday for Veg Spring Rolls.

Btw, I hate hummus and pita bread. It simply cannot be enjoyed by an indian palate

Originally Posted by p'arth

Completely agree to Minerva over Chutneys ... especially the Minerva at jubilee check post is amazing. Its south indian thali @ 160 is every penny worth ...

Is there a difference in taste for both outlets?

I can certainly see the difference in price. Rs. 120 vs Rs. 160 for a thali

[xydon]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Actually you never were a traveloholic as you dont travel much ( that does not include the travel you do from one eating outlet to another). Therefore, you should have chosen foodoholic as your handle name. considering your passion for all things calorific, It still makes me wonder why you didnt

And his signature shall be "Food Expenses surpass my Income by leaps and bounds"

[racer_ash]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Is there a difference in taste for both outlets?

I can certainly see the difference in price. Rs. 120 vs Rs. 160 for a thali

Dunno about the difference in tastes. But I would anyday pay 40 bucks more for the Jubilee hills one over the Somajiguda minerva. The latter has a horrible basement parking and it reminds me of the old dingy wet and dark dungeons. I would never park my car there. Atleast the one in JH check post has better parking, even though its open.