The Great Kabab Factory

A guest post from Akanksha … read on for the excellent recommendations

The name itself sounds so fascinating. A factory for kebabs.. A fountain of icecreams and a tree that grows chocolates - Isn't that what we've always wanted?? The guys who wait on you are dressed in overalls and you need to make sure you befreind an agile and happy looking guy because well.. you'll realise the importance of that during your meal!

Stick to the starters. Don't even think of trying the main course which has some sad sabji and an ok ok dal makhni with an average chicken/mutton/veg biryani. Its a minimalistic main course because the concept of this factory revolves around as many rounds of starters as your tummy and those loose pants permit!

After the starters, move directly to the desserts. On different days you have different options.. order one of each and you can taste and share.. Shahi tukda/Double ka meetha is damn good. Kheer/Sevai, kulfi on sticks are aso decent. Pan icecream is something I tried here for the very first time and I loved it. Do give it a try.

They throw in ulimited beer with your sunday lunch and one beer on other days.. The place is a little expensive and comes to 600 bucks on a sunday afternoon. But it's worth it!

Kebabs on the platter:

Galauti kebab - Just thinking about it makes me go weak in the knees. It is finely pounded meat and a lot love from the heavens .. really.. nothing else can make it melt so beautifully in your mouth.. Reorder multiple rounds of this kebab.. ocassionally with an ulta tawa ka roti.. and make a roll with the chutney and onions.. yum!

Other kebabs are good and you can pick which ones to repeat after you've tried all in the first round. Also ask him for other options for breads. I personally like sheermal.. its got a hint of sweetness which goes very well with most of the spicy kebabs.

Love the place and strongly urge you to visit it TODAY!

Location: Banjara Hills, near to the TRS office

Cuisine: Kababs, of course!

Price: Rs.500/- for lunch per head, and Rs. 750 for dinner per head

Our Place

The name strikes a very interesting chord with you! It's like, you call up a friend and say, "Bhai! Let's meet at Our Place"! Basically, I think the name gives you a sense of belonging!

And neither does the ambience disappoint you, nor does the food! Lemon Coriander Soup, Tiger Prawns, Apollo Fish, the Saucy Chicken, and the veg spring rolls are excellent options for starters!

For main course, I have only one recommendation, for both the name of the dish and taste is just mind blowing! Eat the Kung Pao Kaprow (pronounced by me as Kappa Rao ;-) )! This is a thai flavoured rice that is very unique to Hyderabadi's. No other restaurant in the city serves this dish, that is spicy and tasty in equal measure! This rice is available in both veg and non-veg. forms. Frankly, you wouldn't need any dish to accompany this rice, but if you insist then maybe any mild saucy dish should be good enough with it.

Also, try to get a table on the hill here; it is quite a different experience!

Location: Road Number 10: Banjara Hills

Cuisine: Continental

Price: Rs. 400-500/- for two

Southern Mirchi

Nagarjuna circle is slowly starting to boast of nice food joints that are hidden from main road! You have Roll Call and Subway for snacks, Midways for Bakery stuff, Harahs for lunch, and now Southern Mirchi!

When you first open the menu, you will not find anything southern about it. The appetizers are all Chinese, but hidden amongst that big list of Chinese are a few southern dishes like chicken fry, fish fry etc.

But what's southern about this place is the main course! The fish fry is very good here. For the main course, mutton iguru, chepala pulusu, chettinad chicken, chicken pulao, white rice etc are all good options. We also had Egg Porutu, which was also good. Basically this dish goes well with roti/naan, and we don't get this dish in many restaurants!

We ended our meal with a "tooti fruity" icecream! This place has is opposite to cinema paradiso, and has been decorated from the outside in a way so as to give it the southern touch. The interior is good, but doesn't have the authentic southern touch. Ohh and also, the waiters could do with a clean uniform!

Location: Nagarjuna Circle

Cuisine: Chinese, South Indian

Price: Rs. 300-500/- for two

Holi

I have been there once, and don't think that I will be there again. Not that the food is bad, but somehow it isn't inviting! Vegetarians seem to be having a lot of options, and also the menu of this place resembles very closely to that of Ginger Court. I really don't know what else to write beyond this : !

Location: Kondapur

Cuisine: Continental

Price: Rs. 189 + taxes for buffet

Mantra

The name is what attracted us to this place, but the experience was so bad that now the very name sounds repulsive! This guy brings Paneer Chat Phat when we ordered Paneer Butter Masala and then tells us that both are same curries, so we shouldn't bother much! We go in at around 2'o clock on a Saturday afternoon, and he tells us that the fish they have is stale, and fresh ones will arrive at 2:30!! And the food we ordered was not something to remember either! Anyways, this being a one time experience I am not sure if we can write off the restaurant, but I am not going back there for sure!

Adios Mangoes :(

You know, these are testing times! I don't know whether to feel happy about the advent of the belated monsoon, or feel sad that the Mango season has come to an end! Mangoes made this summer yummier, and their taste just countered the disgusting feeling because of the excessive heat this year. Last year, I didn't have as many, but this year, I used to eat an average of 3 Mangoes per day! Infact, you know what - Mango is to the fruits, just like the lion is to the jungles!

But like they say, all good things have to come to an end. So for this year, it's adios to mangoes! The wait is on for the next year!