[mobike008]

We had our Saturday lunch at "Pebbles" in Himayathnagar. It's part of the same group that has its big hotel opposite to Reshmi's Dhaba in parklane. Cant recall the name now

Their lunch buffet is Rs.299 AI from Mon-Sun. But, due to a snapdeal voucher, I paid 199 AI/head

Place is small and situated in a dungeon kind of place ( basement) but, the ambience is lovely and is upmarket

Welcome drink of some green mocktail. Lovely !

Soups were very good
2 NV Snack. Kebab was delicious, chinese starter was hard and tough
Veg starters were better than NV starters

They had 3 cold NV salads. One of them was grilled chicken salad which was one of the most delicious salad I had in a long time.

Live counter with Dosas, Pasta, Lasagna's etc. Ordered one cream based pasta. Yuck !

Breads were very good and went well with Methi Chicken

Mutton Biryani was excellent as it was fresh and had an awesome flavour with masalas deeply rooted into the meat.

Dessert was Fruit Truffle and Chamcham. Both were delectable

They had a horde of other dishes for veggies and didnt try any of them.

Overall, a VFM place for good food experience.

Saturday Dinner was BC Rolls. Ordered 6-7 of them and except the egg roll which i was eating for the first time which was bland and sweetish. All others were excellent.

I had a Sheek Kebab Roll and would rate this LOWER than the Mutton Tikka Kebab Roll.

P.S: I passed by Quiznos last night around 930pm and it looks fabulous from outside. Perched on an incline gives it a high hat look. Going by the reviews I dont think i am going to step in there ever. I am not the one who pays 200 bucks for a measly sub. I can enjoy Sub of the day in my office for a special price of Rs.55

[traveloholic]

Saturday is the day, I generally look forward to. Not because, it’s a weekend, but because its the day I venture out to have some great food and experiment.

Mast Kalandar

This Saturday was none the less more adventurous. Ventured out with Wifey after a long time and was loitering around Gachibowli area, when we planned to hit Mast Kalandar as I always loved the Veg Kebab Platter there. Loved it everytime I had it. Many people here would be surprised to see me speak about Veg Food, but this is one dish, I would love to eat.

Accompanied by my 2 month old baby, I was sure that we would not be dining in at Mast Kalandar, hence got Take Away of The Great Indian Maha Combo, Full Full Biryani Combo and Jumbo Kebab Platter.

Overall bill about 450/- something, but loved every morsel of the food served. The Take Away were packed properly in a pre-packed platter and was easy to carry without a single drop of it leaking out.

What I loved most was the “MASALA CHAAS”, which was heavenly. I’ve had a good Chaas after a very long time and would surely love to go back for more. If someone loves Shikanjee, then this is the place to go.

The Gulab Jamuns were totally avoidable. I’ve never tasted anywhere, Gulab Jamuns better than the ones served at Haveli, Begumpet.


Paaya, Haleem and etc at Shadab

I had to purify myself for the SIN I’ve committed in the morning. Headed to Charminar, scouting for good aromatic and tasty food. Been thinking of having some good Nihaari for the last couple of days and Saturday was the day, I could let myself lose on old city and do the honors.

The evening, which started with a simple plan of Nihaari turned out to be an extravagant dining experience. Headed to Shadab for their signature Paaya aka Nalli Shorba or Nalli Nihaari. In Hyderabad, it is called as PAAYA. There were many other things on offering like Zubaan (Tongue), Jabda (Jaws) and etc.



Reached Shadab and ended up ordering Haleem first as Abhijeet (FleetMaster) could not have Haleem last time during the Haleem Meet. Hence, Haleem was the first dish to be ordered followed by Paaya and closing the deal with a glass of Falooda.



Post the dinner siesta, we headed towards various other areas in Old City to meet some friends and etc.


Butter Dosa

Landed at Ravi’s Butter Dosa Outlet for a small session of Butter Dosa’s at Ravi’s outlet. Even though being a Push Cart Joint, the overflowing crowd at his outlet is the proof that some of the best foods are served at these Make Shift Venues.

[mobike008]

Yesterday there was an impromptu call for lunch treat by Shyamal ( non-tbhpian) for a Gujarati Thali at Shyam Nivas which is in a lane diagonally opposite to KFC at M.G Road enjoyed by :-

Mobike008+1
Shyamal
Milecruncher+1
Hillram + 2

Their Thali is priced at Rs.95 on Sunday's and is really a nice simple way to relish the gujju experience. Everything unlimited. 4 types of breads (Phulaks, Jowar, Bajra, Poori)

Assorted veg curries out of which i loved the Gatte Ki Sabji which is actually a rajasthani curry. Delicious

Dal was bland and tasteless

Dessert was Shrikhand and it was one of the most delicous that I had after the one made at home by my mom.

We wanted to takeaway but, they ran out of it. Great place for a gujju meal and dont count calories when you go there as they keep serving in passion and all rotis are nicely ghee laden.

-----------------------XX------------------------------

Yesterday evening decided to pay a visit to Royal Haleem Center which has been raved about here so much. They are situated in HH lane on Rd.No.3 Banjara Hills.

He quoted Rs.60 for a plate. I told him I want less quantity one, so he gave me Rs.40 plate one. Sidey !

First few spoonfuls were terrible. Some liquid floating on top and when I dug into the haleem the lower portions had some decent chicken chunks and tasted quite nice.

Final Verdict : That tasting session reconfirmed my belief. Haleem has to be Mutton, no two ways about it. I wanted to taste chicken haleem once, I did that. But, I dont think i am going to ever eat that again.

[mobike008]

Last evening from RHC, we drove down to "Over the Flames" on the Gachibowli road.

Its a small place in a basement below MORE supermarket.

We ordered for following :

Spicy Chicken Salad ( Rs.50)

Crunchy and generous amount of chicken in it. And, very good quantity. Excellent is the word for this salad

Poultry Pizza ( 10")....(Rs.150)

This is one of their most popular thin crust pizza and irrespective of which size ( 10", 12", 14") you order it comes with 6 pieces

It had generous does of Mozerrela cheese and chicken toppings with additional topping of Chicken Salami. One of the best pizzas that i enjoyed in a while

Veg Lasagnia ( Rs.80)

Creamy Cheese topping with flat pasta ( Fettucini?). Dangerously delicious

Tiramitsu ( Rs.50)

A small piece of this famous dessert. Very nice

Total Damages : Rs.343 ( Just 4% VAT is added). It's a great place for Italian food. I will now go regularly to this place. Thanks Rajesh for sharing this place's info.

Had a long chat with the owner ( Paresh) and he is planning to extend as response since he started ( 8 months ago) has been overwhelming it seems. In a couple of months, he is starting a mobile pizzerria

Poultry Pizza ( 10")



Veg Lasagna



Menu Card

[mobike008]

As Haleem season is coming to an end. As part of our adieu plan, the following bhpians met last evening for another bout of haleem session

Mobike008
Milecruncher
Hillram
Traveloholic

1st Pit Stop : Hyline Bakery, Gunfoundry. This was one of the best haleems that i tasted this season. Ghee was dripping from all corners and meat was smooth and flavoursome. However, it was almost devoid of any masalas. I really liked it. Hyline should be in Top 5, if not Top 3

2nd Pit Stop : Sarvi, Mehdipatnam. What to say! Mindblowing haleem. Consistent in all ingredients and when compared to Hyline, you can feel heavy doses of spices in this version

3rd Pit Stop : Shahghouse, Toli Chowki. We reached there around 10:30pm and to our aghast, haleem ran out and there was a waiting of 45mins for it to come from their Shalibanda branch. We decided to chuck it and head back.

A mindboggling trivia from Shahghouse

Yesterday from 4:00pm to 9:30pm they sold 25 Handi's of Haleem

1 Handi : 1200 Plates
Do the math. That's a Rs.24 Lakhs counter in < 6 hours

We split here and Traveloholic and myself decided to make a final pitstop at Cafe Bahar in Hyderguda

We ordered :-

Murg Mussalam ( Rs.160)

Sweet, Creamish and Horrible stuff.

Mutton Biryani with Double Meat (Rs. 250)

They got this fresh out of the handi and it was one of the worst biryani that i ever had in my life.

Cooked with normal rice, tough as nail meat pieces and seemed more like the pulao you get in Sandarshini type of outlets. Between us we had 1/4th and quit.

Tonight, its going to be madness in old city and we'll all be there to say "Adieu to Ramzan" and more importantly to Haleem

[hyd_traveller]

Punjab Sind

Picked up one Shreekhand and to my utter surprise, found it to have curdled and was totally spoilt.

Packing Date : 09-Aug-2011

Expiry Date : 07-Nov-2011

Opened the pack around 20 minutes after purchase (the time taken to reach home).



Will never go back there for any packaged stuff.

Only for Fresh Malai Paneer and will buy only after tasting it to make sure it is not spoilt.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by hyd_traveller

Picked up one Shreekhand and to my utter surprise, found it to have curdled and was totally spoilt.

IMO, the best and fresh Shrikhand is from Mahalakshmi Dairy Products (searchable on Google) Store in a lane next to Balaji Ratanlal in Kacheguda.

Their dairy products are very fresh and is immensely popular store in that area. Their Lassis are also quite delectable. And, are popular for their Shrikhand and run by Maharastrians.

[sr912m]

Tried Hotel Niagara @Chaderghat for dinner on Sunday (thanks to mobike). Ordered
rotis (two rounds) . first round was very good , second round was so - so. @10 rupees a piece , definitely VFM.
Kadai Chicken(Rs. 130) - Chicken pieces were tender and tasty , although gravy was greesier than would have preferred.
Khubhani ka meeta with malai (Rs . 40) - Very good.
Service - Asked for Lassi , maitre'd was in no mood to take the Lassi order ,just (forecfully) suggested mineral water. I think they were in a hurry . This was around 10 PM , in the upstairs AC hall and also no water in wash rooms. He just handed over a jug of water from one of the tables. I think for the money they charge, may be this is the kind of service to be expected .
Overall OK.

Tried Chicken Haleem from Royal Haleem Center (thanks to FordManchau and NoRules). This was my first ever Haleem. Found it to be OK. After reading mobike's post , avoided tasting the liquid they poured on top of Haleem.

[traveloholic]

Originally Posted by mobike008

IMO, the best and fresh Shrikhand is from Mahalakshmi Dairy Products (searchable on Google) Store in a lane next to Balaji Ratanlal in Kacheguda.

Their dairy products are very fresh and is immensely popular store in that area. Their Lassis are also quite delectable. And, are popular for their Shrikhand and run by Maharastrians.

I mentioned about Mahalakshmi a couple of days back but no one responsed :(

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post2469430

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Basundi, Shrikhand and a lot more at Mahalaxmi Dairy Products, Kutbi Guda Road, Kachiguda.
Any diary product, Mahalaxmi is the place to go. Right from Milk to Curds to Basundi to Shrikhand to Maska to everything under the sun. This is the place to go to for your dairy needs. Quality's never been compromised till date. Try their Basundi once and you will go again for sure.
Mahalaxmi Dairy Products (17.388837,78.490032)

From Maheshwari Parmeshwari/Big Bazaar, proceed straight towards Kachiguda Railway Station. Once you cross Big Bazaar, you will come across a small X road, with a small petrol bunk on the left. Turn into the right lane, the lane exactly opposite the Petrol Bunk. Drive a couple of meters ahead and you will see Mahalakshmi Diary Products on your right. It would be a Blink and Miss place, hence keep your eyes REALL WIDE open on this road.

Advice: This road further exits at Kothi, near Womens College. So, if you want to proceed ahead you can drive straight and then take Kothi route back home as taking a U-turn is a big pain in this lane.

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by sr912m

Tried Hotel Niagara @Chaderghat for dinner on Sunday I think for the money they charge, may be this is the kind of service to be expected .
Overall OK.

Chaderghat Naigara is an over rated place. It was and will always remain a place where people go for biryani after all places shut shop. I have been going there since 1994 but not even once i dared to eat there during regular hours, when I was sober. It is plain and simple dirty, even their AC hall. It is the only place which serves biryani parcels at ungodly hours like 3-4 AM and enjoys patronage of people like me and my friends.

Originally Posted by sr912m

Tried Chicken Haleem from Royal Haleem Center (thanks to FordManchau and NoRules). This was my first ever Haleem. Found it to be OK. After reading mobike's post , avoided tasting the liquid they poured on top of Haleem.

When I order RHC haleem I tell them: Zyaada pyaaz, ghee nahi, shorba upar upar waala.

I liked it and ate it almost every evening since I tasted it. But then not everyone has same taste. Haleem, ab bas. Eid mubarak.

[LonelyPlanet]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Last evening from RHC, we drove down to "Over the Flames" on the Gachibowli road.

Its a small place in a basement below MORE supermarket.

I have tried this place and this is a real VFM. Taste would match the best in town at very affordable prices.

The service is a tad unorganized - if you can ignore that bit, you surely will not come out disappointed.

[kkr2k2]

Hi guys,
Need some update info on the availability of Crab. As per this thread, there are three places:
1. Utupura
2. Anjappar
3. BBQ Nation.

Any other newer places apart from the above??

BTW, how much is the BBQ nation lunch buffet these days?

[hyd_traveller]

Originally Posted by kkr2k2

Hi guys,
Need some update info on the availability of Crab.

The HICC-Novotel Saturday Night Dinner Buffet includes : crabs, 4 types of fishes, 1 pork, 1 beef, some chicken, many veggies in their BBQ apart from the usual suspect dishes one can expect from a 5* buffet. Also all beverages, totally unlimited, the only limit being timings, 7:30pm to 11:30pm.

Pricing is 1350 + 14.5% + 3.09% + 2.5% Service Charge.

Table booking in advance is a must or so I feel.

[kkr2k2]

I have seen your post on Novotel earlier but didnt wanted to consider looking at the price tag!!!

Originally Posted by hyd_traveller

The HICC-Novotel Saturday Night Dinner Buffet includes : crabs, 4 types of fishes, 1 pork, 1 beef, some chicken, many veggies in their BBQ apart from the usual suspect dishes one can expect from a 5* buffet. Also all beverages, totally unlimited, the only limit being timings, 7:30pm to 11:30pm.

Pricing is 1350 + 14.5% + 3.09% + 2.5% Service Charge.

Table booking in advance is a must or so I feel.

Is the above charge per person or per couple??

[hyd_traveller]

Originally Posted by kkr2k2

Is the above charge per person or per couple??

Per person for you. Per couple for me.