The Latest Food Joints in Hyderabad

Though normally preoccupied with books, bookstores and writers I also keep an eye out for other things that I am interested in, such as the restaurant scene in Hyderabad. That is because the scene changes almost every week, with new joints opening with a predictable regularity. Sometime last week I was passing through Begumpet and saw a sign board that announced the imminent opening of a branch of ‘Chutneys.’ They have a couple of branches in the city with the original ‘Chutneys’ on the main road to Jubilee Hills. This was the place where I was treated to a lavish buffet lunch by the producer of a TV comedy that I happened to contribute a few episodes.

Those who’ve been shocked by the news of the closure of ‘Gayatri Bhavan’ at Himayatnagar are in for another shock. ‘Gayatri Bhavan’ for those living in this side of Hyderabad was a sort of landmark. Many a genteel Hyderabadi especially those living in and around Himayatnagar has partook of the stuff that GB dished out. This idli-dosa joint where I too had eaten quite a number of times had shut down sometime last year. For a long time I thought that the place was undergoing a renovation looking at the construction activity going on. A couple of months back I saw a board that ‘McDonalds’ is opening an outlet at the very place where Gayatri Bhavan once stood. A lot of Hyderabadis who’ve eaten at GB and later passed away peacefully must be turning in their graves at this news.

The road that links Paradise Restaurant with Minister’s Road passing through Sindhi Colony has no fewer than a dozen eating joints. Two names catch my eye- ‘Rotti-Shotti’ and ‘The Idli Dosa People’ whenever I pass through that locality. A loved one’s birthday is coming up shortly and I plan to have dinner at ‘Rotti-Shotti’ to check if their ‘khaana-vaana’ is any good.