By Dashmeet Kaur
Baigan ke baata nakko karo, samjhe?
Ustad, ek chaaye to mangao yaaro.
Dabaake bhook lagri mama, biryani toh khilao!
Hyderabadi food and lingo are not just about baigan and biryani, potte. The sumptuous charm of this city lies in its aptness to not only seamlessly merge its hi-tech hub with its ancient heritage but also blends the classic Andhra cuisine with bountiful Nizam culinary offerings.
Be it the friable dosas, aromatic haleems, succulent biryanis and the search for the elusive luqmi (small fried pockets of mutton that can out-triumph any self-respecting samosa) that seems to be hastening towards extinction-all this and more will have any true food lover falling in love with Hyderabad; while it is peppered with eateries, bakeries and watering holes, here’s an elaborate hog-on-to-list that sure needs to be explored.
Chutney’s
Uttapams. Idlis. Pesarattus. Corn Dosa. These are just few of the toothsome reasons as to why one can never find a seat at Hyderabad’s most famous vegetarian restaurant. It also includes a selection of six different types of chutneys. Simple South Indian fare with interesting twists with the ordinary dosa like the Paneer Tikka Dosa makes this place stand out from other corners. Considerably, this is the best stop for a typical South-Indian breakfast.
Paradise
This food empire is limited to Hyderabad with over six outlets throughout the city, specialising in Hyderabadi, Indian and Chinese delicacies. The secret to Paradise’s wild success? It’s the ridiculously good biryanis, the BEST in town by general consensus (Cent percent truth fellahs, relished it selfishly) and you thought I’d pan out the recipe? Hah, my culinary skills are nearly as inspiring as Gordon Ramsay’s patience.
Hotel Shadab
Hippety-hop past the usual commercial restaurants that scream biryani, and instead skippety-stop for some delicious chicken nihari (priced at Rs 60, it is only available on Saturdays) at this amazing food joint. It features some of the best biryani and kebabs that you can hopefully hunt down in Hyderabad. *Drool-drop-gorgeous*
Subhan Bakery
Pune’s famous Shrewsbusy biscuit has a passably a strong competitor in the southern market *raises the curtains* a.k.a the Osmania Biscuit. These biscuits are named after the seventh nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan who had a marked liking for these buttery-soft salt biscuits flavoured with cardamom. Subhan bakery boasts of a large following for a cuppa chai and a quick biscuit, alongside its other assortment of cakes, cookies and nom-noms.
Hotel Savera
Luqmi, a crispy savoury snack was once a popular appetiser found everywhere in Hyderabad, but it’s presence is slowly diminishing. It’s deceiving since in the first glance it looks like a samosa, but bite into it, and you’ll know that samosa is a distant poor cousin as compared to its rich flavouring of minced meat and other spices. These square pockets of food haven could be savoured at Rs 8 per plate, and their mutton biryani (at a jaw-breaking Rs 80) is even better, needless to mention the very comfortable price than the fare to traverse to the hotel.
Famous Ice Cream
Enough with the biryani talks*virtual burps*. What’s a meal without the ultimate heart-throb? Ice cream! The famous ice cream sits in the heart of the Mozamjhi market in Nampally that offers two scoops of fruit ice cream for just Rs 20! So treat your taste-buddies to some varied flavours that range from custard apple to watermelon and litchi. The best way to savour this delicacy would be to order a litre of it, and share it with your bunch of favourite people(or not?).
I hope the interest bugs have bitten you, so why not bite into any or all of these food joints on your next visit to my city?
Other than these places in Hyderabad, there is an eat street at Necklace Road. To know more about it, click here.
