The Aamlicious Food Festival at Khandani Rajdhani

Guest Post by: Quddus

Quddus, a passionate foodie, is a software engineer by profession. Whenever he is not at work or is spending time with his family, food and travel are things that occupy his mind. A connoisseur of Hyderabadi cuisine, he loves his Nasi Goreng as well. He believes there is always a place for desserts and loves flavours that are not run of the mill.

In Hyderabad as well as quite a few other cities, the name Khandani Rajdhani is synonymous with thalis served with a lot of conviction. Ever since their first outlet in the Ameerpet Big Bazaar building, they have come up with various ways to keep customers interested in the City of Nizams. The food is not heavy on the tummy yet it is quite filling.

After their move to Banjara Hills, during summer of last year, they conducted the Aamlicious Food Festival for the first time. As part of the festival, they include a number of dishes in their regular thali which has mango flavors. This year, this festival is on a bigger canvas offering many more mango-based dishes with more variety. Kairi Chilli Samosa, Kairi Potli Kachori, Aam Bhare Papad Roll, Kairi Dal Dhokli, Aamras Puri, Aa ki Kaunji with Khoba Roti, Kairi Samosa ki Subzi, Raw Mango Dal Pachadi & Mango Jalebi  are among their special offerings this year.

Kairi Samosa Ki Subzi

Kairi Chilli Samosa is a small sized samosa with raw mango flavors infused into the stuffing, they have it as an appetizer as well as in the form of gravy in Kairi Samosa ki Subzi. Both were pretty nice.

Kairi Potli Ki Kachori

Kairi Potli Kachori was a different take on kachori, wherein they shaped the kachori in the form of a ‘potli’ (crudely packet in English) & had the stuffing which had aloo & matar infused with raw mango flavor.

Khoba Roti

Aam Bhare Papad Roll was crisp fried papad coating a paneer based stuffing, was good when hot. Khoba Roti is the thick wheat flour roti made in most Marwari households, which was decent in combination with Aam ki Launji.

Mango Based Beverages

Raw Mango Dal Pachadi was a South Indian style dish from the offering & combined flavors of jaggery & raw mango in a liquid pachadi, was fine.

Mango Jalebi

I could not guess the outer layer of Mango Jalebi, but inside it had a satiating mango, I first got a sour one but the second piece more than compensated for that.

The Curries

They also have Mango Lassi, Kairi Aam Panna & Amarakhand as part of the Aamlicious Festival, but these items need to be ordered separately.

Aamras with Poori

The Aamras served this year was very good. Loved the flavor & on checking with the pan-India marketing head of the chain, came to know that they source Alphonso from a single dealer & hence they are able to maintain the consistency.

My best picks from the festival this year were Kairi Potli Kachori, Kairi Chilli Samosa & Kairi Samosa ki Subzi. Other items were not bad but these were the best of the lot.

Thali is priced at Rs.430 for weekday dinners & weekend meals & at Rs.380 for weekday lunches. On Tuesdays, they serve the thali forRs.250 but aamras is limited on that day. The festival is on till 30th of May.

Location:
Khaandani Rajdhani
Banjara Hills Branch:
Level 1 Uptown Banjara,
Road No 2 Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
Telephone: 64593998

Kukatpally Branch:
Level 3, Forum Sujana Mall
Kukatpally, Hyderabad
Telephone: 30534131-32

Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant.

Jodha Maharaj, the curator of the festival

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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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A Traveler’s Food Diary - Street Food from Vietnam

Guest Post by : Ashis Nayak

Ashis Nayak, a much travelled food enthusiast from Hyderabad, has a penchant for exploring new cuisines. Back from his recent visit to Vietnam, Ashis provides an insight about the Vietnamese cuisine.

Vietnamese cuisine is known all over the world for its use of extremely fresh ingredients and all flavors packed in a single bowl. I had the first person insight into the Vietnamese culture and cuisine while backpacking through the streets of Vietnam specially Hanoi, the street food capital of Vietnam.

Street Food Corners in Hanoi

The country of Vietnam is divided into three regions, the north, central and south and the cuisine differs accordingly. The ingredients too differ, but if you are a traveler, then there is nothing like a walk through the streets of Hanoi to get an overall exposure. A day in the cultural capital of Hanoi is a day in any other city until the sun sets. Then the food extravaganza is visible to one and all. The locals are crazy about their beer and their coffee.

Bia Hoi stall

Bia hơi, can easily be termed the national drink if it wasn’t for the coffee-mad country. Freshly brewed daily, this draught beer can be found in every street corner with locals guzzling them down as they go about their day. Having a shelf life of only a day with absolutely no addition of preservatives, it is light and an extremely refreshing lager. It might actually take the tag for the cheapest beer in the world with each glass only amounting to about Rs. 10 in Indian Currency.

Bia Hoi

Competing with the beer as the most popular drink is the coffee which can be found on every nook and corner. Now comes the question as to what is special about that. Being the second largest producer, the Vietnamese folk don’t just stop with plucking the coffee right off the beans. The go a step ahead and then you get Weasel, Civet Cat, Squirrel etc coffee which is basically fed to those particular animals and what comes out is much more strong and potent.

Pho

Fish Pho

But the best thing about Vietnamese Cuisine is the Phở. The dish is mostly loved by all Vietnamese and they have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is extremely light, fresh and is basically a rice noodle soup with a bit tangy broth.

Pho Ga or Chicken Pho

There is the fish sauce, shrimp paste, banana flowers and fresh herbs to accompany it. Phở can be of different types depending on the meat used. So there is the PhởGa (Chicken), PhởBo (Beef) and PhởCa (Fish).

Nem Cuon or spring rolls

More Spring Rolls

Another of Vietnam’s great food discovery to the world has to be the Spring Rolls (Nem Cuốn). Mashed and diced with any variant of veg of non-veg fillings, it is deep fried in Rice Paper. It is easy, fast and superbly tasty.

Sticky Rice with Fish Sauce and Fried Chicken

Like most Asian countries, Vietnam’s staple diet includes rice and they mainly lean towards sticky rice.
Hanoi is also the food capital of the country and when the sun sets, everyone crouches where they are to sample many local street foods and enjoy a glass of Bia Hoi. There is hardly very few restaurants and the street is where all the food is. Crouched in small stools or on the road, you can keep jumping from eatery to eatery to have all you can eat buffet at extremely cheap prices. And to top it all off, a karaoke machine will pass you by with some singing on the mike.

Bun Bo Nambo

Other famous Vietnamese Dishes include the Bánhxèo, a sizzling pancake stuffed crepe and the Bánhmì, a baguette stuffed with fresh ingredients more like a Vietnamese sub. Bun Bo Nambo is almost Pho without the gravy so that not allowing the food to not go soggy. Dessert category is one place where they’re lacking coz most of them are drinks.

Vietnamese Coffee

For a coffee nation, their desserts are also going to be coffee based. The most famous one in the streets of Hanoi is the Cà Phê Trung.  This is a Vietnamese Egg Coffee with creamy egg foam perched on top of dense Vietnamese Coffee. Chè is a lovely dessert with beans, water chestnuts and other fruit jellies in coconut milk and ice. So in the scorching heat of Vietnam, it is definitely a must try dessert after any meal.

Ca Fe Trung or Egg Coffee

Vietnam isn’t the place you’d expect restaurants until you reach the capital city of Saigon, but the rest is mostly street food and anywhere you walk, be ready to have an experience like no other. Fish sauce is the main ingredient in all the dishes, so if you are not deterred by it, you will surely have some of the most amazing food experiences to remember.

Che, a dessert with beans and chestnut

Pics Courtesy:  Neidhi Kumar

Also see :  A Traveler's Food Diary
                 Srinagar, Kashmir
                 Agonda Beach,  Goa

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Street Food at Kukatpally, Hyderabad

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.

KPHB or Kukatpally Housing Board Colony, a suburb, is one of the fast growing locations in Hyderabad and has the highest number of apartments in Asia. The place is generally inhabited by the population from Seemandhra region and you will find various types of food, some of which are generally unavailable in other parts of Telangana and Hyderabad. Though KPHB has several food outlets starting from bandis to 3 star and 4 star restaurants, the people here have a lot of interest in the street food. This has resulted in mushrooming of many street bandis and introduction of several new items for the street food lovers of this area. Here is a glimpse of some of the few notable food joints which attracts huge followers throughout the week. Whenever you are passing by these places, stop and just enjoy the real taste of street food.

The Chicken BBQ at Shekar's

1) Shekar’s BBQ

After the closure of Mama Chicken at Madhapur, my quest for the BBQ chicken led me to a place called “Shekar’s BBQ". Located near JNTU RyuthuBazar, this kiosk has so many varieties including chicken legs, wings, tadka, chest, boneless seekh. They serve these with the mint chutney, which is extremely tasty. Since the area is inhabited by a lot of youth and bachelors, this place is doing brisk business. The spice levels in the food items are moderate and can be customized as per the customer’s requirements. One of their operators told me that they also supply on order, and they do provide live counters for bigger parties. I find that the mobile BBQ concept is becoming very popular in this area and has huge business potential for the near future.

Location: Near Visakhapatnam Cooperative Bank, Road Number 2, KPHB Phase I, KPHB Colony, Kukatpally.

The Chicken served with onions and mint chutney

2) Sri Balaji Roti Shop

Sri Balaji Roti Shop is one of the oldest roti selling places around the KPHB area, and they are located near Ramya ground. They specialize in rotis, especially plain roti, phulka, jonna roti (jawar) but their signature dish is the famous Gunta Ponganalu. They operate in the evenings from 4 to 10pm. The kiosk is owned by two ladies, they started with only rotis and then  moved on to make Gunta Ponganalu.

Gunta Ponganalu

Gunta Ponganalu being prepared

They make it on a semi-circular mould which is filled with the batter and then cooked evenly. The ponganalu are served along with onion chutney and groundnut chutney. The spice level is very high, so a normal person should always have a water bottle with them! The place provides only a couple of chairs to sit and many make themselves comfortable by having a seat on the ground itself.

Location: Sri Balaji Roti Shop, beside Ramya ground, KPHB Phase 3, Kukatpally. Telephone: 8801856346, 9393310539

3) Annapurna Muntha Masala

Muntha Masala a.k.a. spicy puffed rice snack is a concept which is popular in Seemandhra. Earlier, they used to sell them in palm leaves along with a stiff spoon made from the leaf itself. The snack became popular in KPHB in early 2000s and was available only in limited varieties. Soon, people found it suitable as a snack to go along with drinks too which made the whole concept a big hit and presently there are almost 100 such kiosks in and around KPHB, slowly spreading to other regions of Greater Hyderabad. One of the oldest muntha masala centres is the Annapurna Muntha Masala. He has a special menu which is not available at other kiosks in KPHB.

Muntha Masala

My favorite at Annapurna is the tomato masala, brinjal,egg and mirchi bajji. Made with a variety of puffed rice mixed with proportionate amounts of salt, chili powder, roasted peanuts, coriander, garam masala, lemon and some special masalas it is extremely delicious. They also prepare the wet version of the masala by mixing it with wet chana dal. They make frequent changes and continue to bring in a lot of new varieties in their menu.

Location: Annapurna Muntha Masala, Opposite lane to Olive Mithai, KPHB Phase3, Kukatpally. Hyderabad, Telangana-72. Phone: 9985552601, 9666250375.

4) Chicken Pakoda Galli

The population of KPHB has a lot of non-vegetarians whohave migrated from different parts of Andhra. They prefer the special Andhra snack - Chicken Pakoda, which is different from the regular chicken pakodas at other locations. Made with dough which is very crispy outside, the meat inside is soft and juicy at the same time. The chicken pakoda bandis are present on the E-Seva road, which is beside the Cinepolis Complex. You can see several of them serving chicken pakoda, chicken legs, chicken wings and some other boneless stuff. They operate in the evening time, mostly around 5 to 10 PM.

Location: E-Seva Road, Lane beside Cinepolis Complex. KPHB Phase 3,  Kukatpally, Hyderabad-72.

5) Uggani and Karam Dosa

Uggani Bajji

Uggani bajji (BorugulaUpma) is a snack or a breakfast which is widely available on the borders of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. They are made by tossing the puffed rice in a pan with curry leaves, onion, tomato, green chili, chili powder, coriander leaves,mustard, oil and some haldi. Fried gram dal powder (called Putnalu Podi) is served alongside with bajji.

Ragi Sangati

The bajji is super spicy maintaining a balance of gun powder and uggani. This snack is available for the breakfast at a tiffin centre which is adjacent to the Ramya ground, in which they do serve the regular tiffins along with Ragi Sankati, along with chicken curry and brain curry.

Karam Dosa

Another of their special items is the Rayalaseema Spl Karam Dosa. It is made the same way as the regular plain dosa, along with the karam which is made from the raw chili powder from Guntur. It is then mixed with onion paste making the dosa super spicy. They operate in the morning time from 7 to 11 am.

Location: Lane beside Ramya grounds, KPHB phase 3, Kukatpally, Hyd, Telangana-72.

Also see: Street Food Around Charminar
                Street Food of Hyderabad Part 1 and Part 2

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Delhi High

Guest Post by : Nikhil Chawla

Punjabi by birth and nature, Nikhil is the founder of one of the biggest facebook blogs in Delhi NCR, Hmm. He has been a foodie since birth as food was a big part of his family's get-together. Though he has been both a non-vegetarian for some part of his life and vegetarian for the other, he believes that the former one explores fewer things in their eating habits because it's a mindset of not eating vegetarian food outside your home. By day, Nikhil is into corporate leasing with MNC and food blogging is what helps him keep sane.

The drinking culture in Delhi NCR is a bit biased towards the Gurgaon side with major breweries and pubs opening there to cater to the youth. With the recent boom in the number of companies in Gurgaon, there has been a huge migration of working class people which has caused for the major restaurants and food chains to shift towards the Haryana side of the NCR region. There are many liquor shops in Gurgaon which serves varied priced alcohol from Rs. 35/- a pint to a Rs. 4 lac a bottle. All these air-conditioned shops have a drinking place, some of which have a nicely done décor.

Toofani at Dhaba by Claridges

Gurgaon also has micro-breweries like Bangalore which is a small beer plant. It is used for making fresh beer without adding of any form of preservatives. They have different types of beer ranging from lager, wheat, heavy and stout. Vapour and Manhattan on Golf-Course Road are some of my favourite breweries. Vapour specializes in making cocktails from beer, the most famous one being the Boiler which has wheat beer with a shot of Jack Daniels. There is a fierce competition between the breweries and they host band events, have special nights and try to extend their Happy Hour timings to attract as many customers as possible. This has caused for the pricing to remain affordable in most of the places.

The concept of Bawa Peg at Soda Bottle Opener Wala, DLF CyberCity

In Delhi, the scene is a bit different with there being an age limit of 25 (though most of the people rarely follow it). The places serving alcohol including five star hotels have high pricing strategies which make it not very youngster-friendly. The major concern for these top places is that people don’t pass out or vomit and thus ensure that the security and decorum of the place is maintained by straining the prices. The places promoting tourism get some discount on the taxes as well.

Soi 7  -  The newest microbrewery which has opened in DLF CyberCity

Noida lacks any proper pub culture with there being no breweries. Most of the alcohol is served in fine dine restaurants and there are not many pubs worth mentioning either. So effectively, those in the mood for partying have to come all the way to Delhi / Gurgaon to have some fun.

As some restaurants have signature dishes, I have made a list of drinks which would be their signature cocktails. They are a must try  -

Watermelon Mojito @ Fork You – They have an amazing taste of a watermelon mixed with all the right ingredients packed with a large dose of vodka .

Watermelon Mojito

Long Island Iced Tea @ Route 04 – A cocktail made of  vodka, gin, tequila, rum, and triple sec, this remains the most popular drink among the youngsters. Though it seems a very simple mix, the combination of the correct quantities of the 5 white spirits drink is extremely hard to make. Chi Kitchen and Bar also makes a strong LIIT in its 'Ultimate' version.

Tharras @ Dhaba by Claridges – Designed in desi alcohol quarters, the Dhaba staff has launched this brand new range, where flavours such as Kaala Khatta are mixed with alcohol to give a fascinating new taste. Another cocktail worth trying here is the Paan Mojito.

Gulaabo –The desi version of LIIT with a strong flavor of kaala khatta

Classic Mojito @ United Coffee House – Though named as a Coffee House, UCH is a fine dining restaurant like the ones in Khan Market, South Delhi. Though they are primarily known for their continental dishes, I found that they make the best Mojito in the town.

This Shit is Bananas @ Thirty Nine, Hauz Khas – This drink blew my mind the last time I went to this place. It tastes like sweet protein shake mixed with alcohol.

Addresses : 

Fork You
30, 1st Floor
Hauz Khas Village
New Delhi

Route 04
4, Khan Market
New Delhi

Dhaba By Claridges
1st Floor, Cyber Hub,
DLF Cyber City,
Gurgaon

United Coffee House
E15, Connaught Place,
New Delhi

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Maama Chicken – Mobile barbecue carts in Hyderabad

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 idea of a barbecue station is to cook meat relatively quickly using the direct heat imparted by a charcoal based fire. Like any other city, Hyderabad too has many restaurants which offer live grills on the table but the high demand for barbecued dishes has made these items very expensive and not affordable for daily dining.

The Grill

Putting an end to the expensive and lavish concept of barbecue is Midland Bakers which has started an initiative to satisfy the aam aadmi barbecue lovers of Hyderabad and to serve the food at a very nominal cost. They have brought in the concept of barbecued chicken as a street food – with mobile barbecue carts stationed at different locations in the Madhapur area.

Maama Chicken Cart

Marinated Chicken Tikkas
Photo Courtesy : Sankalp

On a fine evening, I was on a street food spree in the Ayappa Society lane (one of the busiest streets of Madhapur), trying out whatever came to my attention when I happened to pass by a small joint named Maama Chicken operating from a 3 wheeled cart.

BBQ Chicken Wings

I met the staff and inquired about the concept behind it and soon I ordered spicy barbecue wings and some seekh kebab to satisfy my hunger. The concept envisioned was to serve chicken barbecue as street cart food to the common folk.

Chicken Tikka
Photo Courtesy: Sankalp

Their operations start from Midland bakers at around 4:30 in the evening when the carts load their coal and the marinated chicken. The coal which they carry in the cart for cooking will not cross ½ a kg for each day and the chicken will be around 3-4 kgs. They soon descend in the crowded areas of the city, trying to catch the attention of the public. Once the customers start approaching and placing the orders, they prepare the food in a flash. Depending on the size of coal and the meat, the cooking time varies. The initial startup takes up to 10-15 minutes and then there is a continuous uninterrupted service thereon. 

Chicken Seekh kabab
Photo Courtesy: Sankalp

Their menu has with bone and boneless items. The meat is prepared to an optimum tenderness and then marinated in a BBQ sauce along with some other ingredients which is not revealed for secrecy. The barbecue is done in front of the customers and the items are delivered on a paper plate with a touch of mayo and some barbeque sauce. The barbeque sauce is very sweet and spicy to make the chicken taste even better.

Chicken Vaadas
Photo Courtesy: Sankalp

When it comes to food and its preparation, they offer only chicken for the customers as other meat preparation is often time consuming especially when cooked on coal in an open air environment. They serve many varieties of Chicken based offerings such as BBQ sticks, BBQ wings, Chicken Chili Wings, Chicken Seekh and Chicken Tikka, spicy leg pieces and nuggets. They are the busiest during the winters and shut shop by 7:30 or 8 in the evening.

Chicken Chili Wings

They also serve for the huge gatherings and parties on order. The total per head cost may go up to Rs.300 for a no nonsense all you can eat buffet. This pricing is extremely economical and the dishes are as tasty as any other high end barbecue restaurants. They have also received the best street food on cart from Andhra Pradesh Tourism for 2013. 

Marinated Chicken legs
Photo Courtesy: Sankalp

Usual locations for Maama Chicken carts:

Ayappa Society Lane, Madhapur (Near HDFC Bank ATM)
100 feet Road, Madhapur (Near Utsav Restaurant)
100 feet Main Road (near Cricket Academy)
KPHB 6th Phase Main Road
Gokul Flats Circle (near Corporation Bank), between Malaysian Township and KPHB 6th Phase

Generally the carts stand close to the mentioned locations. They can be identified by their unique cart type and color.

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