Ananda: Andhra thalis in a traditional ambience

Guest Post by : Vishnu Kompella

Vishnu is well known in the local foodie circles in Hyderabad as a person who has vast knowledge of street food in Hyderabad. He is one of the top reviewers of Zomato for Hyderabad, and a regular participant in the various food meets organized by the foodie clubs here.

The word Ananda describes moments of bliss and happiness in life. A perfect feast with delicious food is also bliss. Ananda is the name of a newly opened south Indian restaurant in Film Nagar. It’s all about the experience and joy of feasting and relishing the flavors of Andhra.

The restaurant is tucked inside a lane beside Sony showroom near MLA colony, Jubilee hills. The first impression it gives you is that of a home of wealthy rural gentry. The stunning traditional ambience of the house is perfect for a restaurant and provides a unique backdrop for an Andhra meal.

The interiors are done with teak wood, paintings, carvings and handmade stuff and the art work on the furniture is simply brilliant.  There are separate dining areas according to the preference and a special place on the first floor for group dining. Comfortable seating arrangements along with a soothing background score make the dining experience a memorable one.

The Vegetarian Thali

The food emphasizes more on Andhra cuisine, but North Indian cuisine is also available. They have already become well known for their regular thali. Both the veg and non veg thalis are on offer here. The non veg thali has options of two non veg dishes (limited portions) which vary from day to day. This is in addition to all the items served as part of veg thali.

Though the local preference in Hyderabad is for very spicy food, the spice level of the items of this thali have been quite low, providing people from other parts of the country a comfortable way  to taste local cuisine. However, many ardent Andhra food lovers may argue that what is Andhra food without the spices, and they should ask for enhanced spice levels while ordering.

The Non-Veg Items

The items served in the thali were sumptuous. It had the following items—Vankaya (brinjal) Koora, Tomato Rasam, Bendakaya (ladies finger) Pachdi, Dosakaya Pappu,  Aloo Fry, Kothimeera (coriander) Rice, Sambar, Papadam and Curd. And along with these the non-vegetarian dishes were Kodi Iguru, Pudina Chicken and Andhra chicken curry as the sides. My Bengali friend opted for Chapala Pulusu.

Among the vegetarian items the green Kothimeera Rice was flavorful and it’s tadka was perfect, which was made with ghee and lot of spices in it. Dosakaya pappu (dal) was good and it made a good combo with ghee and the fried papadam. The Vankaya Koora was a bit sweet as the spice level of green chili was moderate and the gravy was made even sweeter with fried onions. I didn’t find it to my liking.

The Tomato Rasam served as the soup to us and it was perfect and the taste was more traditional. The tempered lentils were also very good. The Chana masala was just ok, but it was not appealing with the rotis. The rotis were dry and were not soft at all.

Pudina Chicken

My favorite of the non-veg items was the Pudina (mint) Chicken which I ordered for the main course. It was very well prepared with enough moisture. The chicken was soft and the aroma and taste of the dish was exceptional. Combining the dish with rice or roti was equally satisfying. I recommend to try this  dish.

Kodi Iguru was more of North Indian curry. Though I liked it because of the flavor, it was definitely not Andhra. The chicken is not as tender as in Pudina Chicken. The spice levels are moderate and it can just be called as the normal chicken gravy.

Andhra Chicken

The Andhra chicken curry was a bit spicy and the gravy was made with a hint of green chili and dry chili powder. The chicken was good and tender and the thickness of gravy was near about perfect.
The dessert served was Semiya Payasam. The sweet levels are prominent and the sabudana was pleasing.

The vegetarian thali is Rs 165 and the non vegetarian version is Rs 240 (inclusive of taxes).
The service was also very prompt and the attention to detail was perfect.

For a long lasting memorable personal dining experience with family and friends with a very nice ambience and good food – do visit Ananda.

Address: 251 A, MLA Colony, (
Lane behind Omega Hospital)
Road Number 86, Banjara Hills,
Hyderabad

Telephone 040 40023789

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The Launch of Soda Bottle Opener Wala, Khan Market

With the success of Soda Bottle Opener Wala in DLF Cyber Hub, Gurgaon, the Parsi cafe style restaurant under Mr. A.D. Singh's banner has opened yet another outlet in Khan Market much to the delight of the South Delhi residents. Invited for the launch party, the experience was simply phenomenal as we got to taste some authentic Parsi dishes while enjoying The Last Parsi - A Stand Up Special by Danesh Irani.

The Nankhatai Jars, characteristic of Soda Bottle Opener Wala

Like its Cyber Hub outlet, the detailing in the décor of the restaurant is awe-inspiring. Sprawling over two floors, SBOW Khan Market has a colorful ambience but retains all flavour of an Irani Cafe with old fashioned typewriters, telephones, a barber shop chair and other accessories. On one of the corners, they have traced the birth of Rustom SodaBottleOpenerWala while some other corners list the specials of the day and the rules which are to be followed inside the restaurant. There is even a miniature toy train which chugs eternally overhead similar to the one at their CyberHub outlet.

Soda Bottle Opener Wala - Terms and Conditions

We started with Mumbai’s street food delights – Chicken Baida Roti and Vada Pav. One of the humblest of the dishes, the vada pav is a sandwich of a batata vada inside bun, served with green chillies. The vada had a nice flavor of mustard seeds which made it extremely delicious. The Chicken Baida Roti is the Parsi version of the Mughlai Parantha, with a rich and spicy chicken stuffing inside.

Vada Pav

With every dish, SBOW serves its unique green leeli chutney, which is a Parsi specialty, made of coriander, mint, ginger and green chillies. The SBOW leeli chutney lacks the coconut element but goes with almost any kebab, bringing in a more minty rather than a hot and sour taste.

Tareli Machhi

The Tareli Machhi and Marghi Na Farcha make up the fried appetisers in the Parsi cuisine. While Machhi is a clear indication that the dish is based on fish, Marghi is the Parsi term for chicken. The meat is fried in red spicy coating and then served with leeli chutney and onions. The taste is so good that it would even put KFC to shame !!

Marghi Na Farcha

Although initially, SBOW didn't serve the Mutton Dhansak which is one of the main Parsi dishes, the new menu saw it feature into one of the restaurant's specialities. The Mutton Dhansak is made by cooking goat meat along with a mix of four different variety of lentils (Arhar, Bengal Gram and Masoor being the usual choices) and vegetables. Usually eaten with rice, the grainy feel of the dal in mutton makes it similar to the feeling when eating Dal Gosht.

Mutton Roast Masala

For desserts, we were served the Toblerone Mousse and 5-Star Brownie. While these are not authentic Parsi desserts like the Lagan nu Custard, the rich taste of chocolate gives an odd sense of satisfaction after a heavy meal. The Toblerone Mousse was definitely a hit as people all around were helping themselves to a second serving but the star for me was the brownie, which though sweet had a bitter cocoa taste.

Toblerone Mousse and 5-Star Brownie

 The Soda Bottle Opener Wala at Khan Market, though smaller than the Cyber City outlet remains extremely warm with the staff trying their best to make you feel at home.

Address: 73, Khan Market,
New Delhi – 110003

Telephone:  011-43504778

Also See : Soda Bottle Opener Wala, Cyber Hub

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Shanghai Chef 2, Gachibowli: New additions to the menu

Shanghai Chef 2 has introduced a range of new items to their menu. These have been included after studying in detail the feedback of current frequenters as well as looking at delicacies from Thai, Malay and other South East Asian food items which will enrich their current offerings. The new items include starters as well as main course. I had the opportunity of attending a tasting session for these new items on the menu.

Seafood Roll

A unique dish being introduced is the Seafood Roll – delicious prawns rolled inside a basa fillet and fried. The spicy insides contrast with the fresh fish giving it a unique taste.

Pepper Salt Prawns

Pepper Salt Prawns served on a bed of salads is flavorful with the prawns being fresh and soft. The pepper flavor was a bit mild for a person like me, however many do like it that way.

Paneer Skewers

A good number of additions have been made on the vegetarian side, which is normally ignored in a lot in Oriental restaurants. Paneer on Skewers is bound to find favour with the local vegetarian food lovers.

Stir Fried Vegetables

Veg Pan Fried Dumplings

The cravings for vegetarian dumplings have been answered by Veg Pan Fried Dumplings – served with a special dip.

Khao Phad Kraphao

In the main courses, Khao Phad Kraphao,  a basil flavoured rice served with vegetarian or non-vegetarian gravy on top.  It is a combo dish complete in itself. Great for a single person grabbing a quick lunch.

Phad Thai Phak

And finally there is Phad Thai Phak, the spicy Thai Fried Rice which can be combined with any of the side dishes. Thai Roasted Chicken in coconut gravy is a perfect foil for it. However I loved the fried rice as it is without any sides too.

Thai Roasted Chicken 

The old favorites of mine such as Drunken Prawn Soup, Crab Soup, Volcano Chicken and Nasi Goreng Nenas remain in the menu.

The new additions offer fresh choices to the fans of Chinese food in Gachibowli. It is one of the few places serving Chinese food who has kept the vegetarians in mind while enhancing the menu.

Address: Shanghai Chef 2
Above HDFC Bank, Vinayak Nagar, Gachibowli

Telephone: (040) 33165203

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShanghaiChef2

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The New Tulsi Tea and Ginger Lemon Tea from Paper Boat Drinks

A big box from Paper Boat Drinks was delivered to our doorsteps a few days back. On opening the package we discovered a reusable jute bag. Inside there were pouches of two new drinks from Hector Beverages – both based on tea.

The Two New Flavours

Few months back, we had reviewed Paperboat's range of fruit juices , a fine addition to the Indian beverage market. Since then, their products have been appreciated a lot and they are available all over India, in marts, in malls and even in flights .

The new drinks being introduced are based on Darjeeling Black Tea, which is known all over the world for its delightful flavor. There are two variants - Ginger Lemon Tea and Tulsi tea. These have not been introduced in the market yet, and the package was sent to me for a preview. A small note alongside had a request for a genuine feedback on the drinks.

The packaging of the products remains very similar to the earlier ones – in terms of size, shape and the proprietary multi-layered pack designed to sustain intense heat and pressure.

There were two samples each of both the variants – nicely arranged inside a brown bag. The fine print on the sachets mentions that no preservatives or added colors are present in the drinks. We have been drinking Darjeeling Tea at our home since childhood,  and I was extremely curious to try out these new offerings from Paper Boat.

Tulsi Tea

Tulsi Tea: Tulsi or basil leaves have lot of therapeutic value. Due to this reason it is taken in various forms in Indian households, with tea being the usually preferred option. The Tulsi tea from Paper Boat was indeed an refreshing drink with strong taste of tulsi blending very well with the flavor of fine Darjeeling tea.  My entire family liked this particular variant, though one of them commented that it would be a good idea to try out the tulsi flavor with green tea instead.

Ginger Lemon Tea

Ginger Lemon Tea:  This flavor is already very popular, prepared at home as well as available as tea bags. The Paper Boat package says it contains long black tea, ginger, lemon juice concentrate and lemon grass. On tasting, I found that the offering from Paper Boats had a very subtle taste mainly of lemon tea. The ginger flavor was a bit underdone in my opinion. The drink is extremely smooth and leaves a nice aftertaste in your mouth. I would like it to be a bit more gingery though.

The drinks have no artificial colour, flavor or preservatives. Hector Beverages plan to launch the drinks shortly.Each pouch containing 250 ml is priced at Rs 30.

Website : http://www.paperboatdrinks.com/

Manufacturer : Hector Beverages, Gurgaon

Also see: Paper Boat Fruit Based Drinks: Our earlier product review

The Package as it arrived 

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Caffe Tonino - A Twist to the Tuscan Style

After completing a successful 10 years in M.G. Road, Tonino owners Parmeet Singh and Simran Sawhney unveiled a new Italian cafe themed extension in Connaught Place, Caffe Tonino, which will be more of an economical hangout spot rather than a fine-dine one. With renowned executive chef Suman Sharma overlooking both the restaurants, the cafe will serve quintessentially Italian cuisine with a twist of continental flavours to suit the palate of the young Delhi crowd.

The place is exquisitely designed with long winding staircases, voids and arches to create a romantic but a chirpy Tuscan ambience. Though it retains the no-nonsense setting of the fine-dine restaurant, the cafe has giant glass windows overlooking the road, where one can sit and leisurely sip a cup of coffee, describing its cafe concept. The white brick walls, which sharply contrast the wooden polished furniture, are adorned with quotations from movies as well as picture frames showcasing the remarkable Italian architecture.

Caffe Tonino

Invited for a blogger's table a few days before the launch, Executive Chef Suman Sharma's special tasting menu consisted of a mix of Italian delights as well juicy American burgers and delicious desserts. We started off with the drinks first; though the cafe hasn't got its bar license yet, they serve some delightfully refreshing mocktails and aromatic cups of coffee. The Beet's Beauty was my personal favourite; not only is it healthy but also tastes better than most of the other healthy products.

Entrée

For most Indians, Italian cuisine directly translates to pizzas. Caffe Tonino, like its parent restaurant serves some mean wood fired pizzas. The cafe uses a white wood-fired oven, in which the pizza remains clean from ash, while retaining the smoky flavour which is loved by all. Laden with cheese and meat, the thin crust is stable representing a proportionate ratio between the base and the toppings. Their pizza sandwiches too are great and come with a good filling in between which counters the dryness of the crust.

Woodfired Pizza

Though the Tenderloin Burger served was a bit smaller than what I expected, it was pretty filling and juicy, with the meat patty inside retaining the flavour and taste of the sauce, the mark of a good burger. There is also a similar burger in the chicken and vegetarian variety and although I didn't try it, the dish was quite well received.

Tiramisu

The meal concluded with desserts, the Arabian Honey Cake and the Tiramisu. Rich with a honey caramel and almond topping, the Arabian Honey Cake is a middle eastern pastry and was made to perfection while the Tiramisu was thick, creamy and had a sublime coffee essence.

Meal for two persons – Rs 1500/-

Address : PVR Plaza Building,
1st Floor, H Block ,
Opposite The Raymond Shop
Connaught Place, Delhi

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