Tease your tastebuds with Hyderabadi food

The fish-n-chips lover in himtakes a backseat at the very thought (and sight and aroma!) of localgastronomical delights that are ‘to burp for’. Forinstance, no gelato or ice cream teppanyaki can bring a smile on aHyderabadi’s face quite like a scoop of Famous Ice Cream’s handmadesitaphal flavor priced at ` 6 (?!) can. “Politicians like AsaduddinOwaisi, commissioner AK Khan, politicians and almost all the Tollywood stars gettheir drivers to pick up ice cream from here. Over the years, only the chairsand tables have changed, not the quality of the ice cream,” says IjazAhmed of Famous Ice Cream that is nestled in MozamjahiMarket.The local Chinese grub too is an integral part of thecity foodscape! And no, we’re not talking about the Chinese fare tossed upat fine-dining restaurants. Of course we have travelled far enough in ourculinary journeys to know that the Chinese we get here is not authentic. Inspite of that knowledge, we love to tuck into a piping hot plate of mixed veg‘needles’, chicken ‘sheshwan’ and not to forget, theobnoxiously red chicken 65 served hot at the numerous ‘ChaineseNeedles’ bandis. The Chinese bandi near Ohri’s Banjara, Raj Chinesebandi in Picket, Chopsticks eatery in Srinagar Colony or the MLA quarters bandi- everyone’s loyal to their fave bandi and eating with good old steelforks feels more ‘Chinese’ than using chopsticks at a fine-diningChinese eatery. Any day!The spicy, flavourful and sinful biryani is anotherfood fetish Hyderabadis simply can’t get over. Perhaps this is the onlycity where biryani joints make the most prominent landmarks - proof of ourobsession with this Nawabi dish. Yes, over the years, our palates have matured.we’ve learnt that there are more subtle flavors to relish, more cuisinesto discover and most foods to try out. But at the end of the day, even the mostfrequent globe-trotter in Hyderabad will crave for a plate of piping hot biryaniwhen he thinks of comfort food. Strangely, as we’ve masteredthe art of demolishing a biryani anytime of any day, week or month, we’vealso picked up some quirks to go along with it. washing down a double masala dumbiryani with a bottle of chilled Thumbs Up for instance, is one such tradition.Rounding off the meal with a chilled bowl of sugar-shock inducing qubani kameetha with vanilla ice cream is another ritual ofsorts.Talking of biryani, it must be added that it’s taste alonethat reigns supreme. Hyderabadis are born gourmands, but when hunger comescalling, the hygiene, cost, ambience or even extra ghee-laden calories aredismissed with a wave of a hand, even as they ask for an extra helping of theirextra spicy favorites with sliced onions and lime! Needless to say, apart fromthe posher biryani joints like Paradise, Hyderabad House, Jewel of Nizam etc.,we like our biryanis just as much from the smaller eateries like Cafe Bahar,Dine Hill etc. Uniformed chauffeurs queue up at these eateries for takeaways.Anotherintegral element of Hyderabad cuisine that attracts everyone fromFilmnagar’s T-Town stars to the city’s younger business czars isroadside chaat. With people from all walks of life religiously thronging placeslike Gokul, Maharaja, Friends’ Corner or Balaji, it’s no surprisethey’ve transformed into drive-in eateries that boast of a fleet ofwaiters who run to take your order the minute you pull into their parking lots.So overwhelming is the rush that car-owners end up waiting endlessly to findsome space just to squeeze their car in. Maharaja chaat, at any given point in time has customers rolling in, in their swanky Audis and beamers while Balaji Grand Bazaar’s aloo toast makes even the most hardcore chaat-loving Delhite switch loyalties forever.So popular are theseroadside bandis, that some of them have become famous landmarks of the areas. Beit Govind’s dosa bandi near Charminar where your dosa is topped with agenerous dollop of Amul butter or Chachaji dabeli near Dimmy Paan Palace inSindhi Colony, which runs out of dabeli within four hours every evening, thetiny Mumbai kulfi stall near Pizza Hut on Banjara Hills Rd. No. 12 which boastsof over 20 varieties of kulfis or the creamy, rich chai sold at the tea stallopposite the XLNC store near Banjara Hills Police Station that runs out of chaiwithin an hour every evening, almost every locality boasts of its famedbandi(s)! Paani puri, mirchi bhajjis, punugulus, idlis, dosas, shawarmas, momos, jalebis, chai-Osmania biscuits etc... Our bandis whip up almost everything. And they run on the mantra - cheap and best. What more can a Hyderabadi ask for! The satisfaction of gorging on local city grubis a joy like none other... and it is such soul (and stomach) fillinggastronomic experiences, that keeps us Hyderabadis going back formore.Burping off on that note...!Spice too figures high on a Hyderabadi’s tastebuds, soit is not surprising that every other dish on the menu comes with a spicequotient, in spite of which the waiter follows every order with the question -“medium spicy or extra spicy?”. Be it grandmom’s home-madedon’t-be-fooled-by-its-sombre-looks karam podi or Punjagutta’s famedRayalseema restaurant Kritunga’s naatu kodi pulusu, no one can wolf downthese fiery delicacies a la Hyderabadis. Rayalaseema Ruchulu,Abhiruchi, Sri Kanya Spicy Food Centre, Southern Spice... the list is endlessand it’s advisable to keep the fire engines (read acidity relief, sugar,yoghurt or pudina pills) on standby! The very few, almost endangered species ofHyderabadis who can’t handle the spice, are almost outcast by theirchilly-happy peers.