hello hyderabad: chutneys.

Generally during the week I carry lunch with me from home, but every now and then I'll have to pick up something between the schools and our office. It's usually more of a quick snack - some biscuits or a chicken puff and a Thums Up - but this week I treated myself to a nice South Indian lunch at Chutneys.

Chutneys boasts a vast menu and offers everything from Indian to Chinese, but in my experience they are best known for their South Indian food, particularly their dosas and idlis and different chutneys.

[my assortment of chutneys. the ginger - far right - was my favourite]

I decided to stick with the basics and ordered a butter masala dosa. While I was waiting for it to arrive, I received my various chutney offerings. I was able to easily identify the peanut, coconut, and ginger ones, but the the others remained mysterious and enticing.

When my dosa arrived, I couldn't believe my eyes. I could quite literally feel my mouth watering at the sight of it, with the butter melting away on the top of the fresh dosa. I quickly dug in, suddenly famished.

[i dare you to find a more glorious-looking lunch]

To put it simply, my meal was delicious. The dosa was the perfect level of crispy, the chutneys were all fantastic, and the masala was tasty with just the slightest hint of spice. My favourite chutneys were the peanut and ginger, and I couldn't get enough of them.

Another thing I liked was that the masala was well spread out inside the dosa. Oftentimes at dhabas, they use a scooper to add the masala, so it ends up being a round blob right in the center of the dosa. At Chutneys, it was clear that they were more intentional about having an equal amount of masala throughout the entire dosa, which made a huge impression on me. I know it might sound nit-picky, but these are the small details that separate the good from the best.

[tearing it to shreds]

a few things to know:

• I ate at the Banjara Hills location [just next to Nagarjuna Circle], but they also have locations in Jubilee Hills and Himayat Nagar and inside the Inorbit Mall in Hitec City
• You'll be tempted by the other offerings on the menu, as I was by the chole bhatura, but if it's your first visit, stick with the traditional South Indian fare

I've had a pretty good food week, and as I head into my final two weeks in Hyderabad, I would love some more suggestions!

xx

hello hyderabad: paradise biryani.

Since I was in Hitech City to see The Imitation Game, I decided to make the most of it and treat myself to dinner at Paradise Food Court.

As soon as I announced that I would be coming to Hyderabad for work, nearly everyone I know who has ever been here chimed in to tell me that I had to eat at Paradise. Famous for their mutton biryani, Paradise has become the go-to in the city for the dish. I have a great affinity for biryani, so I obviously knew I would need to get there at some point.

There's not a Paradise location near my office or where I'm staying, so it took me some time to finally be in close proximity to one, and I am so glad I finally made it.

[just look at that yummy goodness on my plate]

The Paradise location in Hitech City has three different options based on what you want: the ground floor is solely a take-away counter; the first floor is a pretty nice air-conditioned restaurant [a must during summer, which has already begun here]; and the second floor is a terrace-level air-conditioned restaurant. I ate at the restaurant on the first floor, and my only guess for the difference between the two restaurants would be price and potential views, although the curtains were all drawn when I was there.

Considering it was 9.30pm on a Saturday night, the restaurant was busy but not crowded, and I settled into a nice corner table. My waiter was very friendly and courteous, probably owing to the fact that they don't often get women in there dining on their own.

[my full spread. it was more than my stomach could handle]

All the offerings on the menu sounded delicious, and I would have loved some kebabs as a starter, but I hate wasting food and so had to pass. All I ordered was mutton biryani, and I'm so glad I listened to my instincts, as the portion was huge!

The biryani itself was delicious, and the masala was mouth-watering, but my favourite part was the mutton: the meat was so tender that it practically fell apart as soon as I touched it. The only other time that happens is when I eat Sheilamma's biryani, so that's how you know it's good.

[my very sweet waiter saw me taking photos of my dinner and offered to take one of me as well. i figured it would make my mother happy and my father and brother jealous, so i said yes]

I stuffed myself as full as I could, but I admit I had to leave a little bit of the rice at the end, because I was bursting at my seams. My dinner was delicious, and I think I amused my waiter with how much I enjoyed the food.

I can be ornery and sometimes skip the places that everyone goes to, but in the case of Paradise everyone goes there because the food is excellent and so is the service. If you find yourself in Hyderabad - or in a city where they've opened an outlet, such as Bangalore - take yourself there at once. You won't be sorry.

Here's to some biryani-filled dreams for the next few nights.
xx

in photos: january 2015.

January was a crazy month. I started a new job. I went from Bombay to Bangalore and finally to Hyderabad. I rang in the year at Janata, caught up with a lot of fun friends and babies, and have been enjoying exploring a new city. And here you have what the month has looked like as seen through the lens of my camera[phone]. [apologies for repeats which have appeared in previous posts]

Bombay:

[ringing in 2015 with steph and co at janata]

[artsy decor at my farewell bombay dinner]

[love my bombay kiddos so much]

Bangalore:

[chamarajpet: my first home in bangalore nearly 10 years ago and still one of my sanctuaries in the city]

[kicking off our tinfinity celebrations at guzzlers]

[the next generation of the devaraj family. so many girls!]

[so many fresh vegetables for only $2! just another reason why i love india]

[pongal lunch]

[peanut is such a cheeseball]

[hoirong show at counterculture. love seeing kamal on stage again]

Hyderabad:

[adorable indian schoolchildren]

[afternoon snacks when i'm working at home: sev, cashew biscuits, and an orange]

[having a celebration in your home? just shut down the street. no big deal]

[my favourite room in the salar jung museum, the manuscript room] 

[driving past the charminar] 

[strolling around the chowmahalla palace]

[love seeing the kids' cycles all lined up at the schools] 

[students' tiffin boxes get delivered from home throughout the morning and placed outside their classrooms]

One month down, only eleven more to go!
xx

hello hyderabad: salar jung museum.

When I was casting around for things to do during my first full weekend in Hyderabad, one of my uncles suggested checking out the Salar Jung Museum. Touted as housing the world's largest personal collection belonging to one man, the Museum is located in the old part of the city, close to the Charminar and the Chowmahal Palace.

[the exterior of the museum. my panoramic skills are still in need of some improvement]

[the view as soon as you enter the museum]

When Salar Jung III, one of the last Nizams of Hyderabad, passed away with no direct heirs, his collection was donated and turned into a museum so that anyone interested could look through his collections and marvel at the sheer number of items he and his ancestors had accumulated.

[antique fire engine as you are walking up to the entrance] 

[statue of salar jung iii in a little garden outside the museum] 

I visited on Sunday morning and spent about 2.5 hours wandering the halls. I had to keep reminding myself that everything I was seeing belonged to one man. There was so much stuff that it seemed almost impossible, but there is enough documentation to assure even the strongest of doubters that it is legit.

[creepiest seven dwarves i've ever seen]

[pretty awesome train set. i know a certain little nugget in baton rouge who would be all over this]

[beautiful grand piano]

[this guy made me laugh. and kind of reminded me of a russian czar. anyone else?]

[a lighthouse clock. i want one]

[wooden toys made in india] 

[the main display in the 'flora and fauna' room]

[loved this rug]

Since there is so much stuff, the collection is broken down into rooms centered on common themes, including Ivory; Jade; Manuscripts; Armor; Kashmir; Textiles; Miniature Paintings; Flora and Fauna; Rugs; etc. There are about 33 rooms in all, not including the 5 rooms in the Western Block and the 4 rooms in the Eastern Block. My favourite in the Western Block was the Clock Room, which I just thought was really cool. In the Eastern Block it was probably the Porcelain Room -- it's always so humbling to see works like that which have survived for over 400 years.

[because of course the french room has clouds and angels painted on the ceiling] 

[i don't normally take photos like this, but i couldn't get enough of the floor in the clock room]

[anyone up for a tea party?] 

[my favourite wall hanging in the chinese room]

Of the main exhibition, my favourite room was hands-down the Manuscript Room, which is really shocking to no one at all. There are all these ridiculously old books with Urdu sprawled all over them, and I literally just stared at them trying to figure out what tales they must include. In all reality it is probably not all that exciting, but in my mind it is thrilling. [ed note: when I posted a picture on Instagram and Twitter about how fascinated I was by the books, the Museum's Twitter account responded and invited me to make an appointment and spend some time in their Manuscripts Department. umm, yes please]

[i love old books] 

[especially when they are written in foreign scripts]

[so many books, so little time]

Second to that were the Kashmiri, Ivory, and Textile Rooms. There was a table and four chairs made completely of ivory which were amazing. They used to belong to Tipu Sultan, so of course that made me like them just a little bit more.

[some of my favourites from the textile room] 

[the workmanship on these ivory chairs was remarkable]

[pretty sure i need one of these for my house]

Probably the biggest attraction of the Museum, and the thing I read the most about prior to my visit, is the Musical Clock. At the beginning of every hour, a little figurine comes out and hits a mini gong to represent which hour it is. People start clamoring for seats with 20 minutes to go, and by the time it rolls around, there are people crammed into every possible corner in order to witness it. I was lucky enough to see it at noon, so the gong sounded 12 times, which was pretty cool. I caught it again at 1 o'clock, which to be honest was a little anticlimactic, since it only sounded out once. It was kind of funny, though, because you could tell people were waiting to hear more and were confused as to whether or not that was all. But yes, it was all very cool.

[the musical clock]

[the crowd waits patiently for 12 o'clock]

The second-most popular attraction is the "Veiled Rebecca", a marble statue that attracts a lot of attention. It was certainly exquisite, but for me the manuscripts and textiles and wall hangings hold more intrigue. I would have liked a little more back-story for the statue; perhaps then it would have held more significance for me. But there is no doubting it is a remarkable work of art.

[the veiled rebecca]

Overall I really enjoyed visiting the Museum. It provided a little glimpse into the history of the city - of which there is a lot - and it was really interesting to see how much stuff the Salar Jung Nizams had collected from around the world during their reigns. And for only Rs 10 [the Indian entrance fee; it's Rs 150 for non-Indians] + the Rs 50 camera fee [the first time I've ever paid a camera fee for an attraction in India, if that tells you anything], it was definitely worth the visit.

[boris and i think you should check out the salar jung museum]

And you better believe I'll let you know if I make it back to that Manuscripts Department.
xx