[racer_ash]

^^Unfortunately, my stomach played spoil sport for the entire last week and I seriously suspect my canteen food and not any other outside food. But even then, I visited Spice Village to try their Ulavacharu Biryani. I had heard a lot of praises from my colleagues about this Telugu delicacy and I wanted to give it a try.

Good quantity. Sufficient for 1.5 moderate eaters and 1 heavy eater (aka yours truly). Basically it is normal Biryani with some kind of dark brown gravy (I suppose thats what is Ulavacharu) and the usual chicken pieces thrown. Did not fully enjoy it though as I took it as a take-away as I was not comfortable eating alone in the restaurant. Also the gravy was too tamarindy to my taste and this did not go off even after fully mixing it with the Biryani rice. Maybe the authentic taste itself is like that which I dont know. Spiciness was sufficient though and the Basmati rice used was of real good quality. The chicken pieces carried the same flavour of the gravy and that was not to my liking.

New years eve, and my engineering friends showed up at my bachelor home and we were planning for the usual stuff. Someone wanted to have Chinese and someone wanted Tandoori. There is this place called Olive House on the Chirec Public school road in Kondapur, close to where I stay. The place looked promising especially the new board which announced the opening of a Kabab center in the same premises. So here we were, ordered one chicken Lollipop and a full Tandoori chicken. Prices were in the range of around 180 bucks for the lollipop and 400 (IIRC) for the Tandoori. We were impatiently waiting as our stomachs were rumbling and we still had to buy dinner (fried rice and noodles) from a local fast food centre. The order took around 35 minutes to prepare and it was given piping hot with a nice aluminum packing with a medium size plastic container with Pudina Chutney.

Both the dishes were lip smacking. The lollipop was more chicken and less of the floury upper crust, which is good as per me. The tandoori chicken was divine and well coloured and had 4 large pieces that were well marinated and charcoaled. The pudina chutney was excellent to taste and went extremely well with the soft chicken. Now thats what I call finger-licking good. These guys even have home-delivery for orders beyond 300 bucks but not sure at what radius they deliver.

So thats it for now. 3 more days of bachelorhood left for me and I hope to try out some other places on Saturday since my school friends are next in line to visit my bachelor home. I plan to try out this place called Just Biryani which is near Swaadh/Tiny Village on the same road.

End Note: In case you guys are wondering why there are no sea-food reviews. Its because, I am allergic to sea-food (dont know why, but the fishes and the prawns must be thanking their stars). My throat and lips get puffed up as soon as I consume it. Tried in multiple places and with the same outcome So, I stick to Chicken only and an occasional Mutton. My friends are gracious enough to accomodate this weak-point of mine

[karmachakra]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Thats a wonderful summation of your entire food journey in Hyderabad. I will repost your entire post after making minor edits to the paras, punctuation etc and iam sure it will be helpful to lot of foodies on this thread

Is the food in GGN comparable or better?

Thanks Mobile008 and thanks for all the edit... Well the food in Hyderabad has its own charm and taste. Gurgaon is good, but in a different way. What I love about Hyderabad was the biryani, the buffet and the low costs. Gurgaon is good, but has a very vast range - and quite expensive to be honest... Yes I do love the mughlai and north indian food in gurgaon...

[Motormania]

My new favorite place for chicken - ShahGhouse!

Insanely amazing Arabian Chicken! Perfectly cooked, lightly spiced, super soft chicken with green chutney and onion. Rs.190/- per plate of pure heaven!

Chicken biryani - This has become my regular biryani place. Exactly the way I like it. I ask for less masala, which suits my taste buds perfectly. Good amount of chicken, unlike Paradise, Shadab.


Sarvi -


Tried their Chicken biryani. Was ok. Tad spicier than that of ShahGhouse and the rice was a bit more "sticky". The chicken pieces and raita was tasty though.


Ala Liberty


Pure vegetarian! Liked their starters and chaat counter. Main course had limited options and didnt find anything interesting. The white sauce pasta was pretty decent. Didn't quite like the paneer dish. The welcome drink was amazing though. Loved the dessert counter with chocolate mud cake, pastries, ice-cream and gulab jamuns!

The gulab jamuns stole the show! The restaurant gets really crowded and most of their service staff seem unable to cope up with the rush. Can't really blame them though.


Mist n Creams


The staff says that I am their most frequent/loyal customer Been going there almost every other week since they opened. I ride almost 30-35 kms one way on a Sunday to dig into their ice-creams!

Best part is they make your ice cream in front of your eyes using liquid nitrogen. Decent number of options on the menu. I am absolutely in LOVE with the Choco-all-In. Really smooth and tasty ice cream. Can't have enough of it! The milk shakes too are really nice. Mostly order the Oreo shake and love it to bits.

The ice-creams are priced between Rs.120-180/- and milk shakes at Rs.120/-. Tad pricey but totally worth it.

[PVS]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Excellent Review PVS. Good to see some effort on this thread. Keep it up

Btw, have you moved to Kerala?

No Avi, I have moved to Kuala Lumpur, not Kerala , guess I need to modify my signature.

Glad that you liked the review - thanks! Since I get some much of valuable information in this thread, I guess I need to contribute in whatever way I can!!

[deepv]

Tried out Shadab (@ Banjara Hills) a couple of days back, had been thinking about picking up for some time while coming back from office, but due to the amount of traffic on that stretch from Sagar Society junction to Srinagar Colony junction would not muster courage to do another roundabout.

Anyways!!!

I picked up Mutton Mughlai, Kheema Naans & Rumali Rotis.

- Mutton Mughlai was a bit mild in spices, not sure if its because the person asked whether I want more spicy and I told keep it normal. Mutton was fine though, and yes the gravy had kajus (remember someone mentioned about kajus being used in their gravy!!). Overall it worked well for us as we used Kheema Naan with gravy & rotis otherwise.

- Rotis were good, but Kheema Naan was the best of the lot, pretty soft & tasty. One could very just pick of a couple of these for quick lunch/dinner with some salad if need be.

Any particular suggestions for their Mutton/Chicken curries?

[zen91]

Thanks to all those who suggested Hotel Prince at Mehdipatnam for its Chicken Biryani. Since ages I have always relished Mutton Biryani and so I believed that biryani always has to be..Mutton.

Prince has changed this perception the day I had it first. I have tried their biryani thrice and each time I was amazed with it. The texture, moistness, flavor, quality of rice and the perfect blend of light masala and rice is simply awesome. If it is chicken biryani, it would certainly be from Prince for me.

[traveloholic]

Originally Posted by zen91

Thanks to all those who suggested Hotel Prince at Mehdipatnam for its Chicken Biryani....... If it is chicken biryani, it would certainly be from Prince for me.

Welcome to the club Brajesh Bhai. Prince for sure serves one of the most juiciest biryani with the perfect combination of flavour and aroma. I always love having Chicken biryani from Prince and never get tired of it.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by racer_ash

In case you guys are wondering why there are no sea-food reviews. Its because, I am allergic to sea-food (dont know why, but the fishes and the prawns must be thanking their stars). My throat and lips get puffed up as soon as I consume it. Tried in multiple places and with the same outcome So, I stick to Chicken only and an occasional Mutton. My friends are gracious enough to accomodate this weak-point of mine

Oh! Thats sad. Iam also a picky eater of seafood and only enjoy Fish & Prawns and that too from only a good place. These items were added to my palate some years back until then i was also a chicken and mutton eater

I still get horrified even from the thought of trying out squids, crabs and anything else that sounds even remotely similar

Originally Posted by karmachakra

Gurgaon is good, but has a very vast range - and quite expensive to be honest... Yes I do love the mughlai and north indian food in gurgaon...

Delhi is my second most favorite city after Hyderabad for great food and as you rightly said being such a huge city, there is a vast option and pricing indeed is way in different league from Hyderabad

Will repost your post in a few days, it requires a bit of work on it....

Originally Posted by Motormania

My new favorite place for chicken - ShahGhouse!Insanely amazing Arabian Chicken! Perfectly cooked, lightly spiced, super soft chicken with green chutney and onion. Rs.190/- per plate of pure heaven!

Are you sure, you and racerash aint brothers? You both seem to have a deep passion for chicken. Just kidding

Btw, please post the name of the area of the joints too like for example where is ice cream joint located?

Originally Posted by deepv

Any particular suggestions for their Mutton/Chicken curries?

I think you came with us to the original outlet during the haleem meet? Their Pakistani Chicken/Mutton is supposed to be really good in curries department.

Originally Posted by PVS

No Avi, I have moved to Kuala Lumpur, not Kerala, guess I need to modify my signature.

Boy! you do get around the world man. Nice to know you moved to KL, I used to visit KL many times during my early career days. Now Can i assume i have a place to stay if i visit Malaysia..LOL

I can give you some tips on good food in KL too but, dont want to dilute this thread

Originally Posted by zen91

Thanks to all those who suggested Hotel Prince at Mehdipatnam for its Chicken Biryani. Since ages I have always relished Mutton Biryani and so I believed that biryani always has to be..Mutton.

Firstly, welcome to this thread Brajesh Bhai. Secondly, Iam like you when its biryani it has to be mutton. But, after having Prince CB twice, I too have become a fan. Even though i pass them daily, it never occurs to me to stop and pick up a parcel ( should plan one soon)


Last night, after watching a movie, visited a new dosa bandi next to Famous Ice Cream in Mojamjahi Market. they are open from Midnight to 6am

Absolutely fantastic dosas. Priced at 40 bucks for Paneer to 30 bucks for Masala Dosa. Must visit for those late night hunger pangs

[Motormania]

Indeed I have a weakness for chicken dishes!

ShahGhouse - Tolichowki, near Nanal Nagar crossing (adjacent to Maruti Suzuki showroom)

Sarvi - Banjara road no.1

Mist n Creams - MLA Colony, near Omega Hospital


Going back for my weekly quota of ice-cream at MnC!

[PVS]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Boy! you do get around the world man. Nice to know you moved to KL, I used to visit KL many times during my early career days. Now Can i assume i have a place to stay if i visit Malaysia..LOL

I can give you some tips on good food in KL too but, dont want to dilute this thread

Of course Avi, you are most welcome, anytime!! Just drop me a PM when you are coming!! Well, as far as food is concerned, I have managed to locate the Tamil joints located near Masjid Jamek , discussing food options in KL will be diluting this thread, so just PM me if you know some cool places that server good food(Veggie!!

[SILVERWOOD]

Originally Posted by zen91

Prince has changed this perception the day I had it first. I have tried their biryani thrice and each time I was amazed with it. The texture, moistness, flavor, quality of rice and the perfect blend of light masala and rice is simply awesome. If it is chicken biryani, it would certainly be from Prince for me.

Originally Posted by traveloholic

Welcome to the club Brajesh Bhai. Prince for sure serves one of the most juiciest biryani with the perfect combination of flavour and aroma. I always love having Chicken biryani from Prince and never get tired of it.

+1 Nikhil bhai and Brajesh Bhai on Prince.

Alpha comes a distant second when it comes to chicken biryani.

Waseem.

[mobike008]

Couple of days ago, we dropped into "Needs" Begumpet for lunch after a brilliant preview of a legend

Visiting this place after atleast two years, ambience continues to be below average but, their food continues to remain very good

We ordered their famous paranthas :-
Gobi Parantha (Rs. 25)
Muli Parantha (Rs.25)
Egg Parantha (Rs.35)
Rajma (Rs.50)
Lassi (Rs.20)

Gobi Parantha was excellent and I felt full just after one parantha but, was forced to order an Egg and it was heavely but, simply too heavy for me

Rajma was almost as good as you get in North India ( I mean almost, considering the price) at small outlets

It is always choc o bloc with working people and college students during lunch time

Good reminder to visit them atleast once in 2-3 months.

[HPP]

Back in the US but had a lot of good food as usual while in Hyd.

The first three are places new to me and places I'd recommend:

Olive Bistro in Jubilee Hills:
A preemptive sorry, I forgot the names of dishes we all had. Prices were probably on the higher side, but worth it in my opinion.

I went with a few cousins and nephews. We started with a couple thin crust pizza's, they were good, I'd order them again. Next most of us ordered pasta dishes and to be honest, based on the waiter(how confusing he was), I didn't know what to expect. To my delight the food was great, we had a wide selection of their pasta menu and everyone was satisfied. I'd choose pasta there again. One of my nephews ordered a burger (beef), he liked it, but I had a bite and wasn't that impressed (but I live in the land of great burgers, so my judgement isn't fair to what's available there).

Yum Yum Tree in Barkas (between Old City and the Airport):
Stopped there with some nephews. The place isn't really family friendly, but good for a guys out meal. Based on my nephews suggestion, we all ate the BBQ Chicken burgers. I didn't know what to expect, but again I was pleasantly surprised, it was good and I'd order it again. Based on the name, I didn't want a "BBQ" burger thinking it would be the American BBQ taste (I usually want something I can't get in the US). Happily, it wasn't anything like a BBQ flavor you'd get in the US, but tasty nonetheless. Prices were good VFM.

Hyatt - Jubilee Hills - 24hr cafe service:
A group of us went there around 3am to check it out and have some coffee and dessert. The inside of this place is stunning, we liked it a lot. All the coffee's, hot chocolates and teas we tried were very good. Next up were some desserts: Chocolate Mousse, Blueberry Cheesecake, and Apple Crisp were all great. Prices as you'd guess are a little high, but worth the rare experience.

Other places on my list every trip:
Aroma's
Ming's Court
Bade Miyan's Kabab
Deewan Dhaba (after Runway 9 of course )
Pariwar Dhaba
Paradise
Maks Kitchen
4 seasons

This was a trip full of weddings, so enjoyed all the meals associated with them.

Any place that serves a good Chicken 65 is someplace I want to try.

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by HPP

Any place that serves a good Chicken 65 is someplace I want to try.

For a great Chicken 65 try Copper Pot @ Hotel Platinum, Himayatnagar. One of the best I ate.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by HPP

This was a trip full of weddings, so enjoyed all the meals associated with them.

Oh Boy! Nothing to beat the food at Valimas. I love that food even though the dishes are pretty much standard but, the quality of food is way beyond many good hotels as the Khansamas show their true skill there

Originally Posted by NoRules

For a great Chicken 65 try Copper Pot @ Hotel Platinum, Himayatnagar. One of the best I ate.

Is it? When did you have it last?

Been there twice in evenings and that place is always empty. Mind you, not even a single table is occupied. We walked out both times.

Papaji Chicken 65 is my favorite. No Coating, Pure chicken
Bakery Version, King and Cardinal. Best Chicken 65 for 50 bucks. Again, no coating, pure heaven