Name : Rajdhani
Location : 4th Floor, Big Bazaar, Ameerpet
Type of Food : Gujrati/Rajasthani Thali (Veg)
Cost : Reasonable
Ambience : Functional
Service : Warm & Quick
Experience : Great
Contact # : 64593998
Rajdhani is a no-nonsense place that serves only Gujrati/Rajasthani Thalis. The focus is on the quality of food and service. The service is extremely hospitable. It's similar to being some esteemed guests at someone's home rather than being customers in a restaurant.
And did I mention it is extremely quick. Go, grab a chair and it starts.One guy comes with Chutneys and papad and salad. The third guy with the sabzis and the fourth guy with the dals. Then there is Khichdi and Chawal. And of course the sweets. And dare I forget the dollops of ghee (Optional). The food is unlimited. The menu changes everyday.
One word of caution though. Maybe this is not place for you if you like your food real spicy. Nothing is spicy and the Gujrati Dal and Gujrati Kadi is actually sweet.
I have been there twice; once on a weekday and once on a weekend. I wud recommend going for a weekday lunch if you can manage as the service is far better. It is a lil crowded on weekends. And my weekday thali was much better than the weekend thali. The weekday thali had Dal Bati and I am huge fan of Dal Bati.
So give this place a try if you want to sample Gujrati/Rajasthani food or if you are in mood for a quick wholesome khana that tastes a lil like home cooked meal.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Restaurant Review - Punjabi by Nature
"Punjabi By Nature", a chain from Delhi opened up in Hyderabad 2-3 months back admist quite a lot of hype. And of course being Punjabi by birth and also being Punjabi by nature we were very eager to visit it.
So one Saturday we landed up in front of this place and man was it crowded!! The whole of Hyderabad and its aunt was there, waiting. So we did the sensible thing and went to Ohri's next door. Hyderabad is crazy in this particular way. You can see hordes of people hanging around every new restaurant. I think we Hyderabadis just love to eat out and try out every new place.
Last weekend, we decided that we have given enough time for things to cool down at PBN and we can now try it out. So we again landed up there. The crowd was still there and we waited for 30 mins and finally got a table.
It is a two level restaurant with a pretty good modernish ambience. The stairs to the upper floor are lighted and look pretty good while walking into the place. We were escorted to our table at the upper floor near the good-looking bar. The seating in that particular section is very spacious. And then we were handed the "Liquor" Menu which had only Mocktails.Imagine the horror!! We learned on inquiring that the restaurant has applied for the liquor license but have not received it yet. So we ordered our mocktails which were pretty good and refreshing.
The menu, I felt was pretty limited. We ordered Fish Tikka for appetisers. It was pretty good. Soft and Juicy. For the main course, we ordered what else but "Punjabi Chicken" and 1 Tandoori Roti and 1 Naan. Imagine our surprise, when the waiter told us that 1 tandoori roti will be enough for both of us as their rotis are two feet long!! And no he was not exaggerating. The food, I felt was strictly OK. I was very underwhelmed by the place. Maybe it was because we had heard so much about it from our Delhi friends and had our expectations really high. The food was very very heavy and both of us had upset stomachs the next day. It was not a good feeling.
But I must mention that the service was excellent. The guy who waited on our table was cheerful and had a great attitude.
Food - Not really good. Need to visit again
Ambience - Good
Service - Great
Repeat Visit - Yes ; to give it another chance
If you love punjabi food and want to give this place a try it is on Road # 12, Banjara hills very close to Ohris' but on the opposite side. They do not take reservations on phone.
So one Saturday we landed up in front of this place and man was it crowded!! The whole of Hyderabad and its aunt was there, waiting. So we did the sensible thing and went to Ohri's next door. Hyderabad is crazy in this particular way. You can see hordes of people hanging around every new restaurant. I think we Hyderabadis just love to eat out and try out every new place.
Last weekend, we decided that we have given enough time for things to cool down at PBN and we can now try it out. So we again landed up there. The crowd was still there and we waited for 30 mins and finally got a table.
It is a two level restaurant with a pretty good modernish ambience. The stairs to the upper floor are lighted and look pretty good while walking into the place. We were escorted to our table at the upper floor near the good-looking bar. The seating in that particular section is very spacious. And then we were handed the "Liquor" Menu which had only Mocktails.Imagine the horror!! We learned on inquiring that the restaurant has applied for the liquor license but have not received it yet. So we ordered our mocktails which were pretty good and refreshing.
The menu, I felt was pretty limited. We ordered Fish Tikka for appetisers. It was pretty good. Soft and Juicy. For the main course, we ordered what else but "Punjabi Chicken" and 1 Tandoori Roti and 1 Naan. Imagine our surprise, when the waiter told us that 1 tandoori roti will be enough for both of us as their rotis are two feet long!! And no he was not exaggerating. The food, I felt was strictly OK. I was very underwhelmed by the place. Maybe it was because we had heard so much about it from our Delhi friends and had our expectations really high. The food was very very heavy and both of us had upset stomachs the next day. It was not a good feeling.
But I must mention that the service was excellent. The guy who waited on our table was cheerful and had a great attitude.
Food - Not really good. Need to visit again
Ambience - Good
Service - Great
Repeat Visit - Yes ; to give it another chance
If you love punjabi food and want to give this place a try it is on Road # 12, Banjara hills very close to Ohris' but on the opposite side. They do not take reservations on phone.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Restaurant Review - Chhattees (36)
Discovered this great place this weekend. We were driving around the city looking for swim wear for hubby. Not available at Lifestyle, not at Central, not at any Nike , Reebok or Addidas outlet in Banjara hills. WTF ?? Then remembered a shop at Madhapur with the sign "Swim Wear available for the family". Went there and bought the stuff.
On the way back, impulsively decided to try out the new place called Chattess (36) that has opened up on Road # 36 (where else), Jubilee Hills (It is a little ahead of Barista on the way to Hi-tec city. There are signs there). Went without any expectations and came back with a very pleasant experience.
It is behind a new building that is being constructed. Looks like that a residential house has been converted into a restaurant. Something on the lines of "Southern Spice" but much bigger. It is a pretty big place with lots of options on where to sit. You can sit out on the ground floor, sit out on the terrace on the first floor, sit in a lounge-like area on the ground floor, sit inside on the first floor or the best of all sit in a balcony-like area on the first floor. That is where we sat in the balcony-like area on the first floor. Imagine a BIG balcony-kind space open on two sides, having four set tables with lot of space between them. Imagine the area painted a warm crimson and the two ceiling fans also painted the same color (Yup thats right). Now imaging a beautiful chandelier hanging in the middle. Its pretty nice. Thats what we felt and so we sat down there though the place was not very popular with other people who either wanted to sit inside in the AC or out in the open because of the heat. But it was good for us.
Now comes the important part, the food. They have Indian, Thai and Chinese. Glancing through the appetisers came across "King Crabs" with choice of sauces. Whoa we decided on that as hubby digs crabs. So we ordered the King crabs with Schewan sauce and beer and breezer. I have never eaten crabs before and it was a messy affair but it was yummmy!!
We decided on Dal Ghosht ( Lamb+Lentils) and rotis for the main course which was the most wonderful thing I have eaten in a long time. The lamb was tender and the full of flavor. The gravy had the consistency of a haleem. It was wonderful with plain tandoori rotis.
The best thing was the service. Most of the times, waiters get your two rotis together and dump them on the table and by the time you finish the first one the second one is already cold. And if you ask them to get it after some time, you have to wait and wait. But that day was my lucky day. As soon as I put the last morsel from my first roti in my mouth, the waiter was there with the second hot roti. That was the best part.
We finished the meal with the so-called fresh kiwi ice cream. It did not taste very fresh and was a little bit too sweet for my liking.
I would definitely like to go there again for the food and service.
So here are my ratings :
1. Food - Yummy
2. Ambience - Nice
3. Service - Great
Repeat visit - Yes.
The prices are pretty reasonable when compared to other places like it.
1 Beer (the big bottle of RC) + 1 Breezer + 1 Fresh Lime Soda + King Crabs + Dal Ghosht + 4 Butter rotis = RS 1,100 Approx
Contact # : 64580000; 64590000
On the way back, impulsively decided to try out the new place called Chattess (36) that has opened up on Road # 36 (where else), Jubilee Hills (It is a little ahead of Barista on the way to Hi-tec city. There are signs there). Went without any expectations and came back with a very pleasant experience.
It is behind a new building that is being constructed. Looks like that a residential house has been converted into a restaurant. Something on the lines of "Southern Spice" but much bigger. It is a pretty big place with lots of options on where to sit. You can sit out on the ground floor, sit out on the terrace on the first floor, sit in a lounge-like area on the ground floor, sit inside on the first floor or the best of all sit in a balcony-like area on the first floor. That is where we sat in the balcony-like area on the first floor. Imagine a BIG balcony-kind space open on two sides, having four set tables with lot of space between them. Imagine the area painted a warm crimson and the two ceiling fans also painted the same color (Yup thats right). Now imaging a beautiful chandelier hanging in the middle. Its pretty nice. Thats what we felt and so we sat down there though the place was not very popular with other people who either wanted to sit inside in the AC or out in the open because of the heat. But it was good for us.
Now comes the important part, the food. They have Indian, Thai and Chinese. Glancing through the appetisers came across "King Crabs" with choice of sauces. Whoa we decided on that as hubby digs crabs. So we ordered the King crabs with Schewan sauce and beer and breezer. I have never eaten crabs before and it was a messy affair but it was yummmy!!
We decided on Dal Ghosht ( Lamb+Lentils) and rotis for the main course which was the most wonderful thing I have eaten in a long time. The lamb was tender and the full of flavor. The gravy had the consistency of a haleem. It was wonderful with plain tandoori rotis.
The best thing was the service. Most of the times, waiters get your two rotis together and dump them on the table and by the time you finish the first one the second one is already cold. And if you ask them to get it after some time, you have to wait and wait. But that day was my lucky day. As soon as I put the last morsel from my first roti in my mouth, the waiter was there with the second hot roti. That was the best part.
We finished the meal with the so-called fresh kiwi ice cream. It did not taste very fresh and was a little bit too sweet for my liking.
I would definitely like to go there again for the food and service.
So here are my ratings :
1. Food - Yummy
2. Ambience - Nice
3. Service - Great
Repeat visit - Yes.
The prices are pretty reasonable when compared to other places like it.
1 Beer (the big bottle of RC) + 1 Breezer + 1 Fresh Lime Soda + King Crabs + Dal Ghosht + 4 Butter rotis = RS 1,100 Approx
Contact # : 64580000; 64590000
Friday, April 18, 2008
Hyderabad Restaurants - Little Italy
Me and DH (Dear Hubby) love eating out. I think it is that I love eating out. And Since having wasted a considerable amount of money on this activity, I feel almost qualified to give you Silent Melody's eating out guide.
So here it comes in no particular order, the places we frequent:
1. Little Italy
Love this place for its wonderful food. This place is a haven for pizza-lovers and vegetarians. It serves only Vegetarian Italian food, yummy italian food it must be said. The wood - burn thin crust pizzas are amazing. There is a large choice of pizzas to be had. Pastas are good. I did not like the rissotos though.
The ambience is fine. They used to have outside sitting which was great when the weather is good. Hyderabad has a serious lack of eating places where you can sit out, which is something I like I lot. I am not sure if they still have a place to sit out as some major construction was taking place the last time I drove past Little Italy.
They have live music at times which is good. There is a boutique in there which looked pretty expensive. There are wine bottles at display which strangely speaking we never tried.
If you are vegetarian and love Italian food THIS is the place for you. If not but you want to try something new you must visit this place. You can try the Weekend Buffet priced at around Rs 400 as far as I remember. That way you can try all the variety available there and decide if it works for you. The atmosphere for the buffet is great.
The crowd here has lot of firangs. They seem to love this place. Speaking of the crowd reminds me of this incident. Picture a beautiful late evening during the monsoons. Me & DH plan to go to Little Italy and have a pizza. The weather is good, the breeze balmy and we are sitting outside at the candlelit table. Two young guys come and take up the next table and order for Tangdi Chicken or something like that. The waiter informs that this is a vegetarian place and those two guys are shell-shocked. The expression on their faces is like really funny as if they can not believe that an expensive looking place can be vegetarian.
So here it comes in no particular order, the places we frequent:
1. Little Italy
Love this place for its wonderful food. This place is a haven for pizza-lovers and vegetarians. It serves only Vegetarian Italian food, yummy italian food it must be said. The wood - burn thin crust pizzas are amazing. There is a large choice of pizzas to be had. Pastas are good. I did not like the rissotos though.
The ambience is fine. They used to have outside sitting which was great when the weather is good. Hyderabad has a serious lack of eating places where you can sit out, which is something I like I lot. I am not sure if they still have a place to sit out as some major construction was taking place the last time I drove past Little Italy.
They have live music at times which is good. There is a boutique in there which looked pretty expensive. There are wine bottles at display which strangely speaking we never tried.
If you are vegetarian and love Italian food THIS is the place for you. If not but you want to try something new you must visit this place. You can try the Weekend Buffet priced at around Rs 400 as far as I remember. That way you can try all the variety available there and decide if it works for you. The atmosphere for the buffet is great.
The crowd here has lot of firangs. They seem to love this place. Speaking of the crowd reminds me of this incident. Picture a beautiful late evening during the monsoons. Me & DH plan to go to Little Italy and have a pizza. The weather is good, the breeze balmy and we are sitting outside at the candlelit table. Two young guys come and take up the next table and order for Tangdi Chicken or something like that. The waiter informs that this is a vegetarian place and those two guys are shell-shocked. The expression on their faces is like really funny as if they can not believe that an expensive looking place can be vegetarian.
Poem, Not Mine
Do not know about you guys but I feel like this at times.
The Woman who Worries Herself to Death
by Kathryn Simmonds
She wasn't robbed or raped or made a scapegoat of,
she didn't take ill-fated flights on shaky planes and
no one splashed her house in paint. Kids with hoods
and sovereign rings and hates left her alone. That twinge
she sometimes felt was just a twinge. Her fillings didn't leak.
At office dos she danced and no one laughed.
Her children didn't have disorders, fail exams, take smack.
Her husband didn't love his secretary
or get the sack. But, if you saw her fidgeting
towards the dawn, her breathing playing tricks,
a thousand what ifs snaking in a queue, you'd feel for her,
you'd wish she had something to pin her torment to.
Courtesy: The Guardian
The Woman who Worries Herself to Death
by Kathryn Simmonds
She wasn't robbed or raped or made a scapegoat of,
she didn't take ill-fated flights on shaky planes and
no one splashed her house in paint. Kids with hoods
and sovereign rings and hates left her alone. That twinge
she sometimes felt was just a twinge. Her fillings didn't leak.
At office dos she danced and no one laughed.
Her children didn't have disorders, fail exams, take smack.
Her husband didn't love his secretary
or get the sack. But, if you saw her fidgeting
towards the dawn, her breathing playing tricks,
a thousand what ifs snaking in a queue, you'd feel for her,
you'd wish she had something to pin her torment to.
Courtesy: The Guardian
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Back Again!!
I am almost tempted to open a new site and then start all over again and write everyday(At least that is the intention). A blank page, a new start..It is all very tempting but come on how many new starts can a girl have? How many new blog sites should be created before we get a regular one??
So no more, I should continue from here.Life had gotten into an awful mix of lethargy and frustation. Now is the time to snap out. Why now? Because have beeen undergoing a lot of inspirational & rejuvenating corporate trainings lately. Is there such a thing, I hear some people ask. Well well I hear you folks. I was a cynic till last week but just decided to have an open mind for a change and it did make a difference.
So no more, I should continue from here.Life had gotten into an awful mix of lethargy and frustation. Now is the time to snap out. Why now? Because have beeen undergoing a lot of inspirational & rejuvenating corporate trainings lately. Is there such a thing, I hear some people ask. Well well I hear you folks. I was a cynic till last week but just decided to have an open mind for a change and it did make a difference.
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