Absolute Telugu Buffet

By far, the largest buffet which has almost all of telugu land delicacies! Since I am a big fan of our food, I found this place fascinating! Almost every item is very good in their menu. What stands out are there – mamsam pappucharu and pappucharu Annam. All the other items are quite tasty too – will not describe all of them here J - Suffice it to say that you can visit them once and decide for yourself! However, during my latest visit, I saw that they changed the pot bowls in which they serve to common steel bins. The pot bins were one of their chief attractions. I hope they bring them back! 

Update: Unfortunately, this place is now closed!

Habanero

I had this sudden yearning for Mexican food. The last place I remembered eating was Tex-Mex, some years ago! Did a quick search and found Habanero! Went here for lunch on a hot afternoon – ordered the Holy Guacamole (I am a die-hard fan of anything made with Avacado. I wanted to return to Habanero some other day, so I called them enquiring if Holy Guacamole was available. They said no – so I didn’t go!). The other starter we ordered was Jalapeno poppers – which was quite yummy too. We also ordered a Fajita, Quesidilla, and Salads – all of them were very good and as flavourful as you would expect them to be J. And their Mojito drink was sooo soothing – a perfect drink for the hot afternoon! 

Palamuru Grill

Whatay place J - truly bowled over! Quick service and very very very tasty food! Gongura Mutton with Pulkas, Fish Pulusu with pulav rice, Chicken pulav, mutton chops for starters, chicken wings for starters, ragi sankati with pachi Pulusu – the list is just endless. 

In 2017, they have added "Kunda biryani" to their menu. This is cooked in a clay pot, after you place the order. The taste is simply fabulous! This doesn't have an overdose of biryani masala, that sometimes spoils our taste buds! Pot Biryani with a spicy curry will transport you to heaven! 

Just go there, have a bountiful and go back to relive the experience! The pan we get outside is also quite good J. 

Bombay Duck

The name sounds different, but there’s nothing Bombay about it J. This has two sections – French and Italian on the ground floor; Continental (Indian and Thai) on the first floor. We settled in the ground floor J - too lazy to walk up you see! Though we were told the menu was French and Italian, it had the utterly delicious middle eastern BabaGanoush J. Ordered it without any hesitation – it comes along with nice soft Pita bread. For main course, we had their speciality chicken and fish dishes. The fish was deep fried (which we didn’t know – just assumed it would be grilled), so didn’t enjoy it much. The chicken was quite good though – tasty and filling. I forgot my debit card here – the manager kept it safe till I went back the next day. 

Tansen

Another place that has a superb ambience! This place serves Hyderabadi and a few North Indian cuisines. We had their fish platter for starters – the choice of fishes the chef used, was simply superb. They were very tasty and were melting in the mouth J. We had the Sirmal (a different type of naan) which was very heavy on the pallete J - but the taste was very good, when eaten with their Dum ka murgh curry. A live music performance (table and violin) was a refreshing change from the same old “restaurant music”. 

7 Biryanis

Like the name suggests, they have 7 biryanis on their menu! Raju gaari kodi pulav has been had else where – so we didn’t try that (2 varities of the same – mutton and chicken). Dum Biryani has become boring, so didn’t try J. Rajamundry Ajantha Biryani was simply superb in taste! It comes with two leg pieces and a spicy curry on top of the pulav rice. When I am going back to this place, this will be the first dish I will order J. We had the kheema biryani too – no complaints! They also serve nice starters – we had Bangla Kodi – chicken wrapped in a Alu slice and deep fried J - this is a must try in their chain of restaurants. They do have curries too – but when you go to a place named 7 biryanis, why should you bother with eating curries? ;)

Fusion9 (Eat9)

Snacks time! So I had this craving for Tiramisu, and knew this place would have it. What we didn’t expect was that the other snacks will be quite good too! We tried the Chicken Quiche (heard of Quiche innumerable times on MasterChef Australia) for the first time, and liked it very much. There was this pastry called the – Chocolate Log! It looked like an actual log :D, and tasted very very good! If you go here, this is a must have. Then we had a garden sandwich which was also good. And ofcourse, Tiramisu J. In summary, nice place to go. 

Ulavacharu

Ah – a fully grilled korameenu J - where else can you get this but Ulavacharu! There are a lot of dishes that are quite good here – if you like spicy Andhra food, then this is one of the best places to go to! One of their specialities is the Bamboo Chicken – mouth wateringly tasty. We were a big group, so had 4 different types of Biryanis (Best being Avakaya Biryani non-veg), 4 different types of curries – all of them were quite good. The only grouse was that “Pachimirchi Biryani” was not spicy J. This place can be frequented often. 

Jubilee Ridge

Full name is Blue Ridge - Best Western. They have a standard buffet, which is quite good – but what stands out is their Nellore Chepala Pulusu. One of the best we have eaten in the city – I went back twice to this place only to taste this item. What are you waiting for?

AB's - Absolute Barbeques

Similar on the lines of Barbeque Nation. But these guys have a live counter that serves noodles with a variety of meat – Emu, Quail, Duck, Shark etc. I tried the Shark and didn’t like it much. The Duck and the Quail were good, but since this is served by mixing a variety of spices, sometimes it is difficult to get the taste of their meat. Their normal menu is quite good though – but like I said, it’s like Barbeque Nation – so it will suffice if you read about Barbeque Nation J. 

Ohri's Golf Course - Boulder Hills

It was by chance that we visited this place. Since we were a large group, we ended up ordering a lot of stuff – including a burger! They had a picture of the Chicken burger in their menu card – it looked so yummm that we ordered it. Unfortunately, the burger that came to us didn’t look anywhere close to that picture. The taste was good but…. L. We had other items like the Chicken drumsticks, Apollo fish, Biryanis – which were all good too. The best part about this place is the place itself! Since it is located on a golf course, the ambiance is quite serene and enjoyable. Coupled with good food, this is one of the best examples of fine dining. 

Cinnamon Fusion

I always wonder why this place is never full – given the nice quality of food they serve. Perhaps the costing? Or perhaps the choice of cuisine?

Cinnamon Fusion has a limited buffet option and an ala carte menu, that does not include many options of typical Hyderabadi food. Their grilled fish items in the main course are very nice. We’ve also had pizzas, salads as part of their buffet and liked them too. It’s been a while but their chicken starters were also quite good… though I vaguely recall their mutton was not quite nice the day we went. Overall, a nice place for fine dining, and fine food too J. 

Update: Unfortunately, the place is now closed! 

The Trident

Best Buffet after Westin (in the star hotels category)! Trident has a wide variety of choice – ranging from middle eastern to Thailand! Very few places serve the Thai Red Curry – on one of the days we went, they had Thai Fish Red Curry J. Most days, they also serve dosas – so an egg dosa with chettinad mutton will simply make you forget all problems of the world J. Since this is 5 star, the cost is on the very high side, but it’s worth to go once in a while – just to try out various cuisines. 

Minerva Grand

This is the Kothaguda restaurant we are talking about (There is Minerva Coffee shop, and there is Minerva Grand). The buffet has the usual options which taste good. For dinner, you have to order from the menu – the chicken spring rolls stood out J. The fish was also good – and we ordered the usual noodles, fried rice and biryani – no complaints. 

13 Dhaba

A perfect example for the adage – “small is good” J. 13 Dhaba serves parathas – along with a couple of curries. They are served in the true Punjabi style – with loads of butter J. The taste of the parathas are simply superb. But make sure you go early there – because otherwise it is very difficult to find a place to sit and eat there J. But you must go there. 

Karachi Bakery

One of the best things that Karachi Bakery did was to expand across the city – because of this, we found it easier to get exposed to their awesome variety! Their cakes ofcourse are top-notch. They have fruit custard, English truffle, fruit truffle etc that are quite tasty too. We once tasted their cup-cakes and found them good too. Some of their pastries might not be palatable to a few – like the ones with chocolate overdose, but that is just a matter of opinion J. I haven’t tasted their samosas, burgers yet – sometime soon J. 

Westin - Prego

After hearing a lot about this Italian restaurant in Westin, I finally got a chance to visit this a few weeks back J. They have the typical Italian menu or pizzas and pastas. In addition, they also have the grilled chicken/fish items. 

The Pizza with the thin crust was very tasty. The grilled chicken for the main course was also quite tasty – perhaps because of the oil and sauces used. And the bread they serve when we settle down at the table was also very nice J. Since it is Westin, the prices are quite high – but worth going there for a nice Italian lunch. 

180 degree

This bakery is located on the Jubilee Hills main road. Small but elegant place – we have had Peri Peri Chicken, their refreshing sodas, pastries, and puffs. All of them tasted very good. But the best part I liked about this bakery is their Multi-grain bread – just the best ever in the city! 

Hazel Nut

Only went once to this place – just to try out their Ice Cream sizzler. But somehow the burnt smell of the brownie was a put off – so much that we couldn’t enjoy their normal ice cream too. Just a matter of opinion J. Would prefer Nuts overload from creamstone :)

Coastal Spices

True to its name, the place serves nice spicy food J - We had appam with a few chicken and mutton curries (gongura mutton was quite good). I thought the costs were a little over-priced but maybe that’s because of the location too (Banjara Hills, Road#1). No complaints about the quality of the food though.  

Nalaas Aapakadai

The name is a big toungue twister J - food is not that difficult to order though! For starters we had a full pompfret fish – I forgot the name of the flavours used though. It was good. For main course, we just had chicken chettinad, which was nice and spicy! And ofcourse we had aappam. These folks have a buffet option too – perhaps will try that the next time we go there. 

CIBO House

Looks like this has been recently opened. Was tempted by their poster, and took along two colleagues! They have a European buffet – lasagna, sphagetti, risotto etc are on the buffet J. Starters are served onto the table, and were simply delicious. Both the veg and non-veg starters were extremely good – the fish, chicken, prawns, mushrooms, cheese bites – just couldn’t have enough of them J. The main course was also good – if you like European food, then this place serves a delectable variety of the same. Plus it is moderately priced too. 

Hello Curry

This is ranked as one of the most successful start-up companies. The idea is simple – if Pizzas can be delivered, why not biryanis J. Off late, they have also come up with food joints – where you can sit and eat. Not just that, you have an option to “weigh and pay”. 

They place a few biryanis before the counter – you can pick the quantity you want, and pay according to the weight. Alternatively, they have a limited menu from which you can either order a combo or just the item.

We had the avakaya biryani, chettinad chicken, and butter chicken along with paratha and pulav rice. No complaints J - all items were tasty. Only grouse is that when we went, there were very few pieces left in the Biryani that we can pick up at the counter. Otherwise, no complaints! 

Punjabi Affair

Located on the busy Madhapur Road, this place serves good Punjabi food. Ofcourse, the parathas! They are quite big in size, and are more than filling. We had both the Alu and Gobi Parathas. Also tried the Fried rice along with Butter chicken - a variety combination but was quite tasty.

They also this nice dish called Patiala Chicken. Basically chicken wrapped in an egg omlette! Quite tasty, and I have ordered it quite a few times.

Little Italy

One of the very few veg only places I have been to J. They have a buffet – ofcourse the menu is Italian. It’s been a while, but I remember liking the food here. We had a mushroom based starter which was quite good. The pizza crusts were good, as were the risotos. I am not a big fan of pasta, so haven’t bothered eating much of it J. The deserts were also quite good. Since it is veg only, haven’t been there ever since!

Via Milano

Another Italian/European food joint. I tried a large piece of Salmon here for the first time – it’s quite difficult to eat that dish, because of some weird taste of the Salmon! The accompaniments and the sauce was good. I tried a portion of the Basa Fish too – that dish was quite tasty. And ofcourse, some pizza and bread J. Overall, it was a good experience, but cost is a little on the higher side.

TGIF

Thank God it’s Friday :D. I saw Avocado on Tuna chips, and I got tempted. Despite not liking Tuna, ordered this dish for Avocado J. Since they didn’t have Tuna on that day, they served it with Salmon. This is a very filling starter! Grilled Salmon in the main course was also good. However, the chicken quantity in the pepper chicken dish was very little. Also, we had a cheesy starter (I forgot the name)-  tortilla flour deep fried with cheese and onions – I like some Cheese items very much  and this just got added to the list. 

Just Bake

Went to this place a couple of times because it is right opposite to home. This one time the pastry was very fresh and it tasted good. But didn’t have the same freshness when we went a couple of more times. Had their puff and buns too – they were ok. 

Shamshabad Airport

If you are wondering, who cares about the food at airport, then stop wondering :D. Coming to the point, the Idly factory has a idly platter – three different types of idly. You must eat this item after you finish checkin ! Even the sambar and chutney accompaniments are very good. The first time we ate this, we even ordered a second plate J.

Next, the alu paratha is also quite good (I forgot the name of the food joint) – it’s right after you enter the airport after finishin checkin.

The Mysore Masala Dosa in the food court near to the parking area is also quite tasty – if you go there, I’d recommend that you try that item for sure J. 

Secunderabad Railway Station

Pesarttu Upma. Just have Pesarattu Upma here. It is very good J.

 I am also a fan of Idlis served by the Indian Railways. The food court also serves nice fried rice+Chinese items like Chicken 65 etc. One can pack them for the journey and enjoy. But Pesarattu Upma must be had there :). 

Weekend at Kuchipudi

This is tucked away somewhere inside, near the Rayadurgam Police Station. Add to that, this is in an apartment complex. Add to that, no one to tell you correctly where to go and sit. 

BUT the food will make you forget all this! They have a buffet that is served at the table. Bangla Kodi (chicken wrapped in an Alu slice, deep fried with flavours) is a very good dish. The menu is similar to what we have in Absolute Telugu Buffet, 7 Biryanis etc – looks like all of them are operated by the same guy. If you are the first group to go, then get ready for a long haul – service is a bit slow here.