Hyderabad Best Wine n Dine.........

billyshake · Jul 9th, 2008, 13:27

Enjoyed a really nice cheese ravioli last night at Little Italy -- the Film Nagar area. Order with all the fixings (olives, onions, etc.) Highly recommend it. And not too bad on the wallet but I'm not yet familiar with what things cost in Hyd; one Royal Challenge and the ravioli was 480.

Took my three staff to eat at a place in the City Center Mall the other day... don't remember what the name was but we ate in a replica of a train car. BNJ? or something like that. It was all right but definitely not worth the price tag. Four people, main course and desert, 2550. That's the last time I let my staff pick the restaurant!

What's the tipping rule here? I've been giving around ten percent in regular places, and fifteen or twenty in fancy joints.

capt_mahajan · Jul 9th, 2008, 13:31

Quote:

one Royal Challenge and the ravioli was 480.

Not too bad, even if the Royal Challenge was a small one, and the ravioli large.

jyotirmoy · Jul 9th, 2008, 13:37

Why so many people leave bigger tips in fancy upmarket restaurants and a smaller tip at smaller places? I do it the other way round.

capt_mahajan · Jul 9th, 2008, 13:39

At fancy places I work on 10 percent and give more if I am happy with the service, less if I am not.

Smaller, cheaper, places, I tend to tip more (percentage wise) too.

billyshake · Jul 9th, 2008, 13:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by capt_mahajan

At fancy places I work on 10 percent and give more if I am happy with the service, less if I am not.

Smaller, cheaper, places, I tend to tip more (percentage wise) too.

you know what, i really don't know why i would be giving more at the larger places. but at the much smaller joints, one is usually being served by the owner or family and i guess i've always tipped owners less.

either way, you're right. i have to reconsider my tipping practices.

Gametotravel · Jul 9th, 2008, 17:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by capt_mahajan

Not too bad, even if the Royal Challenge was a small one, and the ravioli large.

Royal Challenge could be a Beer too!

capt_mahajan · Jul 9th, 2008, 17:13

Yes it could

Never occured to me; not a beer drinker.

Gametotravel · Jul 9th, 2008, 17:21

Otherwise who will finish with one drink of whiskey? Anyways Captain the civilian drink prices must be difficult to come to terms with for someone coming from the Services?

capt_mahajan · Jul 9th, 2008, 19:05

Umm, not from the services. Sailor.

The prices arent bad there either. Usually its free.

Vamsee · Jul 18th, 2008, 19:57

Pardon Me,

For Iam going to be highly opinionated.

Nanking, ah a childhood favorite.No offense but Nanking is total trash now. Service and Food have become very poor. I recently tried Nanking after a gap of 4 years,was terrible. The noodles, the starters and main dishes felt like they were from a bandi.I have nothing against bandis,but i dont want to be served bandi food at Nanking.

Blue Fox is always a fantastic bet, too bad that they screw up sometimes these days.I always play tribute to the restaurant that invented Apollo Fish

.It's still not passe, it is just that some of you have moved on.It is always full.Their butter chicken is the blue print that is followed at most of the multi-cuisine restaurants in Hyderabad.

Little Italy, outrageous prices for Vegetarian Food! Just too bad that it hooks people like an expensive cocaine habit does.Incredibly loud these days. Food is very good.

Koyla/Kubera is a restaurant that you folks can try. It has great kebabs. Very juicy, tender and moist. Say what you want but premium kabab is premium and street kabab is street , both of them are different dining experiences that come in different contexts, yet equally satisfying. There was a time when I felt Koyla made the best kebabs in hyderabad.I still still think their kebabs are better than the ones served at speciality restaurants such as Kabura,Sahib Sindh Sultan, Punjabi By Nature, Tadka

The Kebabs at Shikaar/Tex are also awesome.Just felt in your mouth.

My Best All Round,Value for Money and Taste Champ - Yatri Nivas/Amogh Group of Hotels, Except for the biriyanis, they can do no wrong.

Good Chinese Options

Yatri Nivas
Haiking
Blue Diamond
Mainland China
Aromas of China

The restaurant 'Celebrations' is also very good for multi-cuisine fare.

Anupama is a good budget non veg hotel.( Dont miss the Anupama Special Chicken Curry)

When it comes to chat.For me, Keshav Reddy Chat is the Best, Especially their Kachori Ragada and Pav Bhaji.
Their Cutlet Ragada is terrible.

If you have the patience, go to this chat centre that is located in the lane opposite the mahankali police station.Their samosas,kachoris and limited chat offering.

My 2 Cents about the Jubilee Hills Checkpost Chat, ....Fraud!...hehe..this might invite a lynching.It is just your normal average chat. It is way way way....way^infinity over-rated.

Irani Chai place is decent, too bad that their biriyanis are very average.

Best Continental Food in Hyderabad - Indijoe, Cheaper than Fusion 9, Tastes better than Fusion 9.

For some reason, my fellow hyderabadis including my brother think that Fusion 9 is God's gift to them.It truly is such a shame that Fusion 9 gets this title..It really doesnt compare to even your average joe american italian chain restaurant such as Olive Garden in terms of Quality of ingredients or flavor.It doesnt even make the best continental food in the city (Indijoe!)

Very very average food,yet i dont mind going there once in a while,with indifference to the F9 cuisine and the love for it,i enjoy going to Fusion 9 for the rest of the dining experience.

Your average snooty high society hyderabadi might vouch for Fusion 9, but know that it aint that great.

~V

Bigzero · Jul 18th, 2008, 20:08

Good first post, Vamsee, and welcome to IM! Another foodie!

I must agree with you that Indijoe is overall better than Fusion 9 in terms of the quality of the food and the price we are paying.

But I didnt like the lunch buffet at Indijoe (been there recently for lunch ) . To start with there were long queues to pick up the food, and the spread wasnt too exciting either. The earlier trips were during the evenings and a la carte fair was great.

Nanking.. its a shame, yes.

Where is Haiking by the way? never been there.

Aromas of China - is that the one in Ohri's Banjara? if yes I must say that they have gone down a bit over the last year or so. I had terrific experiences during my earlier visits, and somehow felt that of late they have become a little underwhelming. Maybe I caught the cook on a bad day.

Hyderabadi · Jul 18th, 2008, 20:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigzero

Where is Haiking by the way? never been there.

What?!

Hai King:
http://local.google.co.in/?hl=en&q=h...9810169 69704

I lived opposite the place for a few years.

And great post Vamsee!

Khak · Jul 18th, 2008, 21:45

Vamsee
welcome to IM.thoroughly enjoyed reading your post.........please keep posting regularly on IM

Ignite · Jul 18th, 2008, 23:47

Hi Vamsee, welcome to IM and please do keep posting, its always nice to see another foodie on the forums.

Don't know much about the other restaurants, but i've been to Irani Chai in Jubilee Hills against my will (by a friend who owns 50% of the restaurant) and was quite surprised that i ended up liking it. Haven't tried their biryani, but their kabobs were pretty decent, and they had some pretty good haleem as well(only on weekends).

capt_mahajan · Jul 19th, 2008, 00:49

Vamsee, good post, though I disagree with a bit... but my excuse is that there is no accounting for tastes

Agree with others, indijoe is better than fusion9. And evening fare and experience is superior (and so is the cost!), except I wish they didn't have television.

Jul 18th, 2008, 20:08	#116
Bigzero back to my old ways Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,444	Good first post, Vamsee, and welcome to IM! Another foodie! I must agree with you that Indijoe is overall better than Fusion 9 in terms of the quality of the food and the price we are paying. But I didnt like the lunch buffet at Indijoe (been there recently for lunch ) . To start with there were long queues to pick up the food, and the spread wasnt too exciting either. The earlier trips were during the evenings and a la carte fair was great. Nanking.. its a shame, yes. Where is Haiking by the way? never been there. Aromas of China - is that the one in Ohri's Banjara? if yes I must say that they have gone down a bit over the last year or so. I had terrific experiences during my earlier visits, and somehow felt that of late they have become a little underwhelming. Maybe I caught the cook on a bad day. __________________ miles to go.... Bigzero's Photo Gallery

Jul 18th, 2008, 21:45	#118
Khak Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: kolkata/hyderabad/atlanta Posts: 402	Vamsee welcome to IM.thoroughly enjoyed reading your post.........please keep posting regularly on IM __________________ ~Khak~ Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover

Jul 18th, 2008, 23:47	#119
Ignite Maha Guru Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: The City of Angels Posts: 506	Hi Vamsee, welcome to IM and please do keep posting, its always nice to see another foodie on the forums. Don't know much about the other restaurants, but i've been to Irani Chai in Jubilee Hills against my will (by a friend who owns 50% of the restaurant) and was quite surprised that i ended up liking it. Haven't tried their biryani, but their kabobs were pretty decent, and they had some pretty good haleem as well(only on weekends). __________________ You can either be a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

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Jul 9th, 2008, 13:27	#106
billyshake Professional Idiot Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Hyderabad, India Posts: 391	Enjoyed a really nice cheese ravioli last night at Little Italy -- the Film Nagar area. Order with all the fixings (olives, onions, etc.) Highly recommend it. And not too bad on the wallet but I'm not yet familiar with what things cost in Hyd; one Royal Challenge and the ravioli was 480. Took my three staff to eat at a place in the City Center Mall the other day... don't remember what the name was but we ate in a replica of a train car. BNJ? or something like that. It was all right but definitely not worth the price tag. Four people, main course and desert, 2550. That's the last time I let my staff pick the restaurant! What's the tipping rule here? I've been giving around ten percent in regular places, and fifteen or twenty in fancy joints.

Jul 9th, 2008, 13:37	#108
jyotirmoy Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 4,386	Why so many people leave bigger tips in fancy upmarket restaurants and a smaller tip at smaller places? I do it the other way round.

Jul 9th, 2008, 13:39	#109
capt_mahajan (in charge of navel affairs) Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 9,751	At fancy places I work on 10 percent and give more if I am happy with the service, less if I am not. Smaller, cheaper, places, I tend to tip more (percentage wise) too.

Jul 9th, 2008, 17:13	#112
capt_mahajan (in charge of navel affairs) Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 9,751	Yes it could Never occured to me; not a beer drinker.

Jul 9th, 2008, 17:21	#113
Gametotravel Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 447	Otherwise who will finish with one drink of whiskey? Anyways Captain the civilian drink prices must be difficult to come to terms with for someone coming from the Services?

Jul 9th, 2008, 19:05	#114
capt_mahajan (in charge of navel affairs) Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 9,751	Umm, not from the services. Sailor. The prices arent bad there either. Usually its free.

Jul 18th, 2008, 19:57	#115
Vamsee Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India Posts: 1	Pardon Me, For Iam going to be highly opinionated. Nanking, ah a childhood favorite.No offense but Nanking is total trash now. Service and Food have become very poor. I recently tried Nanking after a gap of 4 years,was terrible. The noodles, the starters and main dishes felt like they were from a bandi.I have nothing against bandis,but i dont want to be served bandi food at Nanking. Blue Fox is always a fantastic bet, too bad that they screw up sometimes these days.I always play tribute to the restaurant that invented Apollo Fish .It's still not passe, it is just that some of you have moved on.It is always full.Their butter chicken is the blue print that is followed at most of the multi-cuisine restaurants in Hyderabad. Little Italy, outrageous prices for Vegetarian Food! Just too bad that it hooks people like an expensive cocaine habit does.Incredibly loud these days. Food is very good. Koyla/Kubera is a restaurant that you folks can try. It has great kebabs. Very juicy, tender and moist. Say what you want but premium kabab is premium and street kabab is street , both of them are different dining experiences that come in different contexts, yet equally satisfying. There was a time when I felt Koyla made the best kebabs in hyderabad.I still still think their kebabs are better than the ones served at speciality restaurants such as Kabura,Sahib Sindh Sultan, Punjabi By Nature, Tadka The Kebabs at Shikaar/Tex are also awesome.Just felt in your mouth. My Best All Round,Value for Money and Taste Champ - Yatri Nivas/Amogh Group of Hotels, Except for the biriyanis, they can do no wrong. Good Chinese Options Yatri Nivas Haiking Blue Diamond Mainland China Aromas of China The restaurant 'Celebrations' is also very good for multi-cuisine fare. Anupama is a good budget non veg hotel.( Dont miss the Anupama Special Chicken Curry) When it comes to chat.For me, Keshav Reddy Chat is the Best, Especially their Kachori Ragada and Pav Bhaji. Their Cutlet Ragada is terrible. If you have the patience, go to this chat centre that is located in the lane opposite the mahankali police station.Their samosas,kachoris and limited chat offering. My 2 Cents about the Jubilee Hills Checkpost Chat, ....Fraud!...hehe..this might invite a lynching.It is just your normal average chat. It is way way way....way^infinity over-rated. Irani Chai place is decent, too bad that their biriyanis are very average. Best Continental Food in Hyderabad - Indijoe, Cheaper than Fusion 9, Tastes better than Fusion 9. For some reason, my fellow hyderabadis including my brother think that Fusion 9 is God's gift to them.It truly is such a shame that Fusion 9 gets this title..It really doesnt compare to even your average joe american italian chain restaurant such as Olive Garden in terms of Quality of ingredients or flavor.It doesnt even make the best continental food in the city (Indijoe!) Very very average food,yet i dont mind going there once in a while,with indifference to the F9 cuisine and the love for it,i enjoy going to Fusion 9 for the rest of the dining experience. Your average snooty high society hyderabadi might vouch for Fusion 9, but know that it aint that great. ~V

Jul 19th, 2008, 00:49	#120
capt_mahajan (in charge of navel affairs) Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 9,751	Vamsee, good post, though I disagree with a bit... but my excuse is that there is no accounting for tastes Agree with others, indijoe is better than fusion9. And evening fare and experience is superior (and so is the cost!), except I wish they didn't have television.

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