beverages – Rajeshwari Sahay

In the City of Nizams

Indian Food, Indian Tea, Indian Travel, restaurants

When someone mentions Hyderabad what is the first thing that comes to mind? Biryani, of course! But for young millennials Hyderabad brings to mind the India offices of tech giants like Google and Facebook. Unlike it’s close cousin Bengaluru, Hyderabad is an uncluttered new territory for the technology industry to explore. The new city, also called Cyberabad is slowly growing into a mini Indian Silicon Valley with young professionals, upbeat restaurants, spacious nightclubs and a cosmopolitan vibe.

Recently, over a weekend I visited Hyderabad for the first time. The airport is located outside the city, similar to Bangalore, thus making arrival a hassle-free experience unlike in Mumbai, where the waiting time for an Uber sometimes exceeds the flight time. The Outer Ring Road which connects the city to the airport is a stellar drive, considerably reducing the time taken to cover the long distance. Three of my close friends work at Google and live in the relatively newer neighborhood of Gacchibowli. Their apartments are plush palaces, a stark contrast to my matchbox sized one BHK in the heart of Mumbai, where I pay more rent than all three of them combined. I was surprised by the level of acceptance the neighborhood extended towards outsiders, especially north Indians. It is a common bias we carry with ourselves, whenever we travel down South, but with the advent of a professional culture and the IT boom, the outlook has become remarkably inclusive! In comparison, a metropolis like Mumbai is still quite resistant to well educated young working professionals and their lifestyle.

On Saturday afternoon, I insisted on some sightseeing. My friends protested that Charminar and the Old City was too crowded, so we decided to visit the Taj Falaknuma Palace. Located atop a hill, the erstwhile palace of the Nizam of Hyderabad now converted into a luxurious property, offers a scenic view of the city. We drove to the palace from the gates in a golf-cart. The palace gardens are beautifully landscaped with marble installations. If you’re looking for a lavish yet memorable experience in Hyderabad, Taj Falaknuma would not disappoint you. Make sure to book yourself a table at their restaurant before you visit though!

I was quite eager to explore what a Saturday night in Hyderabad is like. We went to the Zero Forty brewery in Jubilee Hills. It was a vibrant three-storey space, bustling with millennials, home-brewed beer and good music. Unfortunately that weekend the cops in Hyderabad decided to clamp down upon all nightclubs and shut every possible place by midnight. We headed back to the apartment and ordered in.

On Sunday morning I was ready for my quintessential taste of Hyderabad – the Biryani! I had been told multiple times that Paradise was quite overrated as is the case with most chains that over brand themselves. So we went to a lesser known gem called Shah Ghouse- a basic dining hall, serving delicious biryani, at super pocket friendly rates. INR 180/- was all it took to satiate two rather large appetites. For dessert, we chose an odd-sounding joint called Pappa Roti, which turned out to be quite delightful! (Don’t judge the place by the font used for it’s branding.) They serve an unusual Malayasian bun with a variety of toppings to choose from. We ordered for the Lotus Biscuit topped bun, it was delicious! The buns are soft and crunchy with dollops of butter filling. The topping was not very sweet and just the perfect complement to our bun.

Following our sumptuous lunch, we picked out a place called Autumn Leaf Café in Jubilee Hills for tea. It was barely 2 kms away, so we decided to walk through the posh neighborhood instead of booking an Uber. The hilly terrain in Hyderabad adds quite a lovely touch to the landscape of the city. We walked through palatial bungalows, rumoured to house many famous filmstars including Prabhas from the Bahubali franchise. The weather in Hyderabad was extremely pleasant making the walk quite enjoyable.

My last stop in Hyderabad before I flew back to Mumbai was the Autumn Leaf Café – a beautiful, quaint place in a residential area. A spacious bungalow has been converted into a vibrant outdoor café and shop for indie textiles and curios. The place was buzzing with an eclectic mix of people. The tea we ordered was served in a rustic steel kettle, adding to the charm of the place. A great way to spend a Sunday evening, before the Monday blues kick in!

Hyderabad is a beautiful city, with good food and good fun! It is still not as mainstream as Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru and that is probably what makes it an easy breezy alternative to these hectic paced cities. It is becoming increasingly cosmopolitan, embracing people from various parts of the country and offering to young professionals a lifestyle they can love – swanky and affordable!

Chai at Chhota

Indian Food, Indian Tea, Indian Travel, Uncategorized

My incurable penchant for a well made cup of chai takes me to various places around the country – restaurants, cafes, tapris, theatres and even the famous late night cycle-wallas in Mumbai. But a cup of tea that can never be forgotten is the Chai at Chhota.

MICA Mudra Insitute of Communications is an eclectic space on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, buzzing with creative ideas, frisbee games, avant-garde graffiti and the latest Ed Sheeran music. It is of course a B-school, where I happened to pursue an MBA. But it’s so much more!

It is a place where you learn, that profits don’t drive businesses, but ideas and innovations do. It is a place where you understand that your team matters more than your targets. It is also a place that makes sure that for every 4 AM assignment submission, you have a cup of Double Chai by your side at all times.

Everyone who has studied at MICA, has loved it or hated it, has had an indispensable relationship with Chhota (191). Some of our everlasting friendships were forged at Chhota, on the charpais under the lanterns over Double chai or Cold coffee. Breakfast was undoubtedly the best meal at MICA, consumed by the least number of people.

For the majority that arose after 9:30 AM, Chhota was the first word we uttered every morning. A meal never eaten at leisure, chai had instant accompaniments like samosas, poha, cheese vada-pav ready for everyone who chose to utilise the first five minutes of the morning lecture at Chhota.

No one really woke up to the world, before a cup of chai at Chhota.

There was also a large population of Cold coffee loyalists, but chai always emerged as a clear winner – on sunny mornings, rainy evenings and cold, winter nights which were quite unnatural to Ahmedabad. I wouldn’t say that the chai at Chhota was anything remarkable in terms of taste. But then, a cup of tea is never really defined by it’s ingredients.

It is always about the vibe and the story around it – some of them expressed, some of them felt and some of them just fondly remembered, standing with a cup of imported tea , in the pantry of an air conditioned glass building, at the helm of a densely crowded metropolis, looking backwards on an open space with wooden stools, painted tyre swings, a couple of hungry cats and the smell of independence.

Postcard from Persia

Indian Food, Indian Tea, Indian Travel, restaurants

Last week I found myself wandering in the stifling middle lane of Khan Market at 5 PM, waiting for a friend who had promised to be on time. I am reluctant to sound like a middle-aged hag, but that is the time of the day when I just need my cup of tea. Having overdone green tea at Cafe Turtle on many previous occasions, I suddenly spotted the cute Parsi topi signboard of Sodabottleopenerwala.

Images of humid Bombay evenings spent enjoying Irani Chai at Fort drifted into my mind, as I mounted the stairs of this quaint. one-of-it’s kind restaurant in Delhi. I settled into a red checker cloth covered table, feeling excited as I ordered a cup of Irani Chai and a plate of Bun Maska, even before they could get me the menu.

The restaurant was quite empty at that time of the day, probably because Delhi still hasn’t discovered this delightful evening snack served here. The waiter was amused at the sight of a 22-year-old solo customer, trying to click photos of her Chai from various angles, shifting from one chair to another on the table which could seat four.

After I finally got the shot I wanted, I broke off a slice of the Bun Maska and dipped it into my tea-cup. Not many people would understand this, but a sip of tea is never an isolated action. It brings with itself a deluge of old memories, of people and places, sometimes long forgotten. My perfectly made Irani Chai, strong and flavoured with mawa, alongwith the eccentric decor of the restaurant – old, brass telephone sets, dark polished chairs, photographs of vintage cars and newspaper clippings from a time when Mumbai was Bombay – brought back memories of my time in the city of dreams. The charming bylanes of Fort and Kala Ghoda which have many an Iranian delight tucked away, seemed to beckon me from a distance, as I sat with my cup of tea that evening.

This acute romanticising of the most ordinary Indian beverage would seem rather comical to most and it is meant to. But, for those of us who like an adventure with our daily cup of tea, it is a commonly experienced emotion. The next time you find yourself near a Sodabottleopenerwala outlet in Delhi at the time of the day, when you need your cup of tea, you know what to order! (INR 150/-, inclusive of taxes)

As a parting note, here is a link to an article I found recently about a hidden gem in Hyderabad serving Irani Chai. Happy reading 🙂

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/cutting-chai-hotel-rumaan-tolichowki-hyderabad/article18099483.ece