The city of Nizams, Hyderabad, Biryani and drop-dead gorgeous architecture. I have been here before and have been around sight-seeing, so this visit was pretty much confined to relaxing, exploring the vast grounds of Taj Falaknuma and hogging along the way.
My first stop was fresh coconut water which is my go-to summer drink and over here it was all for 10 bucks.
PARADISE FOOD COURT, Paradise Circle, Secunderabad
Next, was the obvious Touristy thing to do. Go to Paradise Biryani and hog on some mean meaty preparations. I have heard about a lot of negative reviews about Paradise biryani, Hyderabad over social media. And how it is not one of the nicer biryani places around but we gave it a go anyway and it wasn’t half bad. We tried the one at the Paradise circle. We started with Kalmi kebab – well marinated and very juicy and tender drumsticks done to perfection.
The mutton biryani was not so bad. With a slight rose water aroma, the rice was a little overdone and I have definitely had better seasoned and spiced biryani. However, I essentially liked the subtle rose water and saffron flavors. The meat was juicy and nicely done.
We also tried Murgh Mussallam and tandoori roti. The roti was quite huge and soft. The curry was spectacular – topped with a boiled egg, and lamb keema laced gravy with juicy and succulent chicken pieces.
If you do give Paradise a try, do go for their kebabs – pretty well done.
Find them here.
AKBAR FAST FOOD, Charminar
We landed up at this place for dinner. With the view of Charminar – the streets came alive. It is the start of the month of Ramzaan and there were Haleem stalls and glitters everywhere. We spotted some succulent kebabs hanging out and so headed upstairs to gorge on some. The place is a typical Old world eatery – don’t expect any frills or fancies, don’t even expect a lot of cleanliness – a basic benched place and a fixed menu. The Chicken 65 was bite-sized and deep fried nicely. The tandoori chicken was lined with spices with a crispy crust and grilled. The meat could definitely have been more tender and with a little more marination.
They are known for their Chicken 65. Give it a try for its long-standing view of the Charminar and the chicken 65. And they usually run out of stuff by 9 PM, so hit them during the evening.
Find them here.
PISTA HOUSE, Charminar
Pista House is a bakery cum sweet shop cum restaurant that again stands near Charminar. Zomato had featured them on their “Haleem” Collection so I wandered on to get a taste of the well talked about Haleem in Hyderabad. But sadly they were starting quite late at night. They house all sorts of puffs and patties and pizzas and sweetmeats. I picked up a Chicken65 roll from them. The roll was grilled and then cut to pieces – the sauce that the used was more like a pain but the chicken 65 was pretty decent.
Find them here.
BAWARCHI, Nallakunta
Picked some Haleem on the way from this place. They had both chicken and mutton Haleem. Meat cooked to a smooth consistency with lentils and rice topped with brown onions and lemon juice. Mostly Haleem is done with mutton but this place had it with chicken too, cooked with pure ghee. Haleem makes for a complete meal.
Find them here.
Vadas
And for the finale, the best thing I had on the streets of Charminar was dal vada for 5 bucks apiece. Just next to Pista House, there was a kiosk by the name of Dosa House. They were preparing piping hot mirchee and dal vadas. Being a sucker for coconutty and South Indian flavours. This vada was so moist on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Stay tuned for the lavish breakfast at Taj Falaknuma 😀
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