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Dear Cafe Coffee Day

I want to start by congratulating you, there is now a CCD outlet in almost every street that ever witnessed a popular local tea stall – and much to my delight this has been accomplished despite the lack of availability of parking space .

This burst of outlets re-affirms my faith that whatever may be the fate of a new Telengana state the people of Andhra Pradesh will always have a CCD next door to help them start conversations.

Despite being a resident of Secunderabad for over a decade I had failed to sample the bread and muffins that the local ‘bakeries’ dish out by the thousands every day, but thanks to your well balanced menu featuring these local products I now can boast of palette knowledge of cheap tasting baked products.

Also, I may never be able to truly understand the supply chain and logistics that go into the procurement of your specialty dishes, but hopefully through this letter I can convey to you the valuable business lessons that I have learned from your brand.  It is a delightful learning in perception indeed when I watch locally procured potato chips (ordered at 10 rupees a kilo) being passed off as French fries. Special kudos to your cunning and intelligence which is not only a learning in profit making but also a valuable insight to the art of modifying perception.

Much appreciation must be given for visits to your outlets has enriched my understanding of flavour profiles and experimentation – the wonderful way in which the blueberry jam is diluted with water to make it into blueberry sauce is not just a lesson in invention but also a first in the entire concept of culinary ‘out of box’ thinking.

Even more endearing is the fact that trips to CCD have come to remind me of childhood escapades – the tastes of 10 rupees a dozen muffins that are ohh so elegantly presented at the various CCD outlets is what the Matercard guys would call ‘priceless’ - I must at this time also deviate and thank my employers who give me the income that I so willingly seem to spend for such simple joys.

Your methods of providing personal attention and detail also shines through as almost each time the tea comes in with a strand of hair and oh! not to forget the friendship ‘band’ that sneakily finds its way into my bill as the pleading staff rattles how he/she needs to meet a sale target – charming and endearing in a clingy sort of way.

The compassion for the promotion of local business via the refreshing concept of buying local and selling global coupled with a whiney staff has truly won my heart. In fact I will go so far as to praise you for giving the term glocalization a whole new meaning.

Cafe Coffee Day, without your foresight and business ethics the coffee scene in Hyderabad would not be the same. Without you, we would have been stuck with the likes of Barista and Gloria Jean’s.

Now, wouldn’t that be a shame.

I was at the Indian art cafe in Inorbit mall, Hyderabad for a quick lunch and boy was I charmed. First impressions are of a tastefully done up space that is not overly cluttered with South Indian trimmings and trinkets, the bistro uses all the space it has beautifully – tastefully done and taking full advantage of the views. Overlooking the Durgam Cheruvu lake, the bistro is located in the quieter recess of the mall ensuring a relatively non intrusive and private space.

As most south Indian restaurants go the menu is fairly compact and yet does not disappoint. The simple menu makes up for the range of items on offer – a tempting and unexpected selection with variations ranging from the classic idly and dosas to Dravidian baked risottos and Swiss appams.  A further glimpse of the menu can be caught here.

On my visit here I ordered a little cautiously and with the intention to compare. For starters I ordered the Mirapakaya Ulli Garelu (Onion and Chili fritters) and for main course it was the sponge dosa and the ‘Spinach and Young Potato Dosa’.

As the food was brought in, one thing was clear the Bistro was making a conscious attempt to steer clear from everything overtly south Indian – no traditional copper/bronze cutlery here.  The presentation was extremely refreshing and while the food screamed south Indian the presentation hinted fine dining. The presentation immediately reminded me of the ‘Twist of Taste’ series that airs on Fox History and traveler and the one particular episode where chef Vineet Bhatia cooked up some uttapam lasagna (You can see the episodes of this series here).

So the Indian Art cafe knows presentation and aesthetic, but that’s not all  - the Kitchen can cook some amazing food too .

The Mirapakaya Ulli Garelu were stellar, the batter was roughly ground with a liberal doze of spice and chilli and was cooked to perfection, this was served with the three classic chutneys of spicy ginger, garlic and coconut. One bite and I was smitten .

The sponge dosa for lack of any other appropriate description was ‘mind blasting’ to say the least. This kick ass dosa is light, fluffy and so delicately flavoured that I could have happily returned for dinner and had the same dish all over again.  (I took this to compare it with the famed Chutney’s Steam dosa, and boy oh boy is the sponge dosa a force to reckon )

The ‘Spinach and Young Potato Dosa’  was presented in  bite size pieces . This dosa too had a flavour so close to home made dosa that I had to return for more.

The only disappointment was the Sambar - insipid, watery and lacking vegetables, this accompaniment definitely lacked the punch and vibrancy that the dish could otherwise bring. It reminded me of my childhood days spend eating the food served in the Army mess, where on certain days South Indian was on the menu and the cooks would bring in their interpretation of Sambar .. watery, flavourless salty and sour fluid.

My experience here was surreal, it was beautiful to see all the south Indian ‘tiffins’ served with focus on presentation, ambiance and flavour. I cannot wait for my next visit here where I would love to try the risottos and fondue fusion items.

South Indian cuisine is beautiful and delicious and it is about time it gets to be seen as fine dining material,  and Indian Art Café seems to be heading in the right direction.

I would highly recommend this restaurant for its definite strength’s – amazingly delicious south Indian fare, contemporary ambiance, waiters with fine dining training, fusion food and refreshing presentation.

Overall rating: 4 stars
Food: 3 1/2 stars
Service: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Prices: Reasonably priced (The one starter and two main dishes cost me 300 rupees)
Noise rating: For a bistro set in a mall, Indian Art Cafe is surprisingly quite, no problems holding a conversation here.

A slide show of some of the items we tried and the bistro itself can be seen here.

(Check back again for a follow-up update)

My romance with Water Front began in 2007 when the restaurant had newly opened.Back then the decor was brilliant with the glass walls offering a great view, as we were served what could only be called phenomenal food. Adding further to the charm of this earthy toned restaurant was a live band (perched on wall) dolling out renditions of popular songs even as a larger than life aquarium formed the perfect backdrop to the bar. There were tastefully done partitions that offered each table a definate privacy.

I still remember how utterly delighted I was to visit this restaurant the first time around – the views, the ambiance, the music and the food screamed spectacular (so much so that the uber slow service was overlooked and forgiven). On my first visit we had tried vegetarian gold coins, a delicious salt and pepper prawn starter, various mock tails, biryani and dessert. In fact the initial impression was so great that despite the slow service and the exorbitant prices, I knew I would come back to this restaurant time and again.

Ever since that first visit in 2007, I have re-visited this restaurant 4 more times – the experience souring with each visit.

My most recent visit (and perhaps the final) visit to Water Front was yesterday – the city was shrouded in fog and it was a particularly beautiful day to be around the Hussain Sagar lake. The lake was filled to capacity and the fog seemed to merge the skies with the water, none of the manmade structures lining the lake were visible and an illusion of an endless horizon was a rare sight indeed.

But the charm of the restaurant was missing; the decor was lackluster with all the beautiful earthy elements taken away and the space reduced to a vast hall with plenty of tables. Usually a crowded restaurant where a reservation is needed to get the good ‘water-front’ seats we walked into an almost empty restaurant. Further, in stark contrast to my previous visits the wait staff was overtly attentive and seemed oblivious to give the few customers any privacy. The decor was uninspiring and the beautiful aquarium taken away and above all the food also failed to be the saving grace.

For drinks we ordered the Shanghai peach cocktail and the ginger and rock coke cocktail. This was followed by a Paneer Soya Chili starter ( our first choice of a broccoli starter was unavailable- but somehow magically broccoli was present in abundance in our main course). For main course we tried Thai flat noodles and a mixed vegetarian and soya side dish (cannot remember the exact names). Not only did these dishes fail to excite, the Thai course disappointed as it lacked the signature mix of clashing textures and flavours that I so love about this cuisine.

But the stellar failure was yet to come in the form of ‘Chocolate Heaven’ – the menu had us believing that this would a indulgence of passion fruit, chocolate and all things exotic but what was brought tasted more like a day old chocolate cake with a very negligible hint of fruit. This hard and stale dessert was neither smooth and silky or wonderfully gooey.

Yesterdays visit (and the ones prior) have been a testimony to the almost constant disappointment that Water Front  now seems to be -truly a shame as I had always considered this restaurant a must visit every so often (despite its flaws).

Although the waterfront still does boast one of the finest views from any of the Hyderabad- Secunderabad restaurants, I will most likely not bother with another visit.

In what was once one of the most romantic and a beautiful restaurant’s the cons far outweigh the pros. Water Front seems to fail in keeping up with its original glory squandering away all the potential and possibility it holds.

This isn’t your regular grocery market with the usual selection of breads and fruits.

A much needed shopping experience (in Hyderabad) with a dash of style is what ‘Ruci and Idoni’ is - complete with a 6 feet wide chandelier close to the entrance.

Starting out at the ground level of this three floor store, is a display of fresh fruits, vegetables, chocolates, drinks, edible oils from around the world and a choice display of fresh baked breads and pastries. Every direction you look, you will see tastefully displayed produce and ornate display boards to label them all.

By now the expectation of the bistro experience is already a notch higher than when I was out giving the keys to the valet.

Another level up and the display of grills and barbeques has me thinking of food so much that the hop skip and jump to the bistro is filled with anticipation.

But does the swankier necessarily translate to better?? That’s the question I set out to answer in my visit’s to the ‘Ruci and Idoni’ cafe.

Starting from their ‘All Day breakfast menu’ to the choice of desserts, the menu is reasonably extensive and I have pretty much ordered at least one item from each menu sub set.

1. The Good:

Food:

I tasted their pasta’s, the eggs they prepared and (pretty much) all the desserts they tempted me with – and mostly liked them all.

Although their bistro has more to offer than just pastries and bread, it was hard to absolutely fall in love with all that I tried.

The apple pie was one of the first things I tasted here and remians one of my favourites from all that I sampled and gorged on here.

While I fawned at their sundaes and stayed back longer to sip on endless cups of tea, the food here is not exactly phenomenal.

Baring some items, almost every other item has a ‘better in town’ version – the pizzas: better in Little Italy, the steak: better in TGIF, the felafel: better in Kibbeh.

Picking an item can be a hit or miss, but while the hits are great- even the misses are not all that bad.

My take on the must try items here are : the apple pie sundae, the brownie sundae, the ‘Irish toffee’ tea (from the Dilmah selection), the R & I Cobb salad and the seasonal fruit juices.

2. The Great:

Ambiance:

The one singular thing that stands out in Ruci and Idoni is the ambiance – the individual elements of the decor and their sum presents a rather pleasing atmosphere .

The leather chairs are perfect for a long lazy conversation and the benches are great for home style dining experience for large groups.

All in all, not quite like a restaurant -it reminds you of a part of home that you always wish you had : right from the cookie jar that would look perfect in your kitchen to the leather chairs that would complete a home library . Ruci and Idoni is most definitely one of the few bistros in Hyderabad with a distinct personality.

3. The Bad:

The Prices

So, the foods good and the ambiance great. The menu calls for pondering and the teas make you want to stay for a little while longer.

But, there is a catch – the price. A couple of sandwiches and drinks could set you back as much as 1500-2000 Rupees.

All said, I would definitely recommend this place for a some serious un-winding.

Below is a slide show of some of the dishes that I tried at Ruci and Idoni:

For first time visitors, here is a preview of what you are in for (including the complete menu).

Do let me know about your expereince’s here. Would love to hear  if there is any dish that you would recommend and what is the one main reason you would revisit .

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Review published as part of the ‘Hunger is attacking‘ series.

Update 03-Sep-2011 : Went here today for a cup of tea and was surprised to see the whole place closed down and replaced by Godrej Natures basket. The guys at ‘Ruci and Idoni’ were not kidding when they had put up signs declaring that they are changing to something new soon . The security guy told me that people are coming in agitating over the money they had put in. Whammy!! :-S

P.S: If anyone is aware of ‘Ruci and Idoni’ shifting elsewhere in Hyderabad do let me know.

Psssst:  Here is a fun thing to do – When at the ’Ex’ Ruci and Idoni and now Godrej Natures Basket, do check with the security when the  R&I folks will return. No matter what they say just act super mad and  throw a tantrum about how much money the Ruci and Idoni guys owe you .

On my visit here the security guards told me that some investors come checking for the refund of investments they had put in :-S .

Just yesterday while placing an order at a fast food restaurant, I requested for a change in the beverage that comes with the meal. This was not just a healthier personal choice but also a great chance for the manager to make a profit, as the swap in drink would cost ME dearer.

I was quite surprised when the manager refused my request in a heartbeat. What is more puzzling however, is that such incidents are not one off cases. Restaurants and fast food chains do not entertain any ‘downsizing’ requests, but ask them to ‘double cheeze’ this or ‘unlimited coke’ that and they seem to oblige.

Sadly most patrons are greedy too, and even the most ambitiously adamant restaurants who started with giving out perfectly sized portions end up succumbing to the ‘unlimited’ demand.  Most restaurants in the city of Hyderabad either have a side of buffet going on, or have ridiculously large portions (which ofcourse cannot be changed.) . In either case, you are either eating insane amounts of food or throwing away insane amounts of food.

With the exception of ‘Juice Booster’ , that comes with a option of ‘Junior’ size drinks and Fusion 9 that has kid portions I am yet to come across food and drink places in Hyderabad that allow for flexibility in portion’s without a grumble.

While the earlier changes were restricted to the look and feel of the store, with the launch of the ”The Lounge’, they have gone all out.Starting from the time you enter to the point you leave, it leaves a  impression of a great place for some good coffee.

The refreshing interiors, better music and a larger variety to choose from are more than just good first impressions.

What we tried so far: Siphon ( strong unadulterated coffee served with dates I felt a craving for tea with cherries when this was brought in : ), Lounge Frappe (a little weak in flavour, but a satisfying tall glass of smooth cold coffee ), and the veggie nuggets with mint chutney.

If you love strong coffee, you will also like the Frenchpress and Pourover.

All in all, much prefer this to the regular CCD, I just hope that in trying to achieve a lot I hope it does not end up with a identity crisis – confused borderline lounge/bistro/coffee shop ??

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Veggie Nuggets – the mint chutney was divine.

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Siphon – As promised a pleasure to the senses.

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Be it  schools, eating out, jewellery, clothing, electronics .. the search for something unique and different almost every time ends with a new place. The fact that the city is lined with extremely predictable “ditto” hoardings does not help the literal going around in circles.

I so wish that there were more places that were silently different than those screaming their similarities.

Finding a getaway from Hyderabad is quite a challenge, specially if have a ceiling on budget and frequency of repeat visits. Coorg if planned right,  fits the bill of a delightful getaway perfectly.  This hill station is not overtly touristy and offers a certain tranquility that will definitely leave you rested .

Stay options come in choices of resorts, hotels and home stays. Choose according to requirement of facilities and budget. We stayed at ‘Depot Estate’ home stay and our choice of stay was a major factor in making the trip to Coorg delightful.

All major tourist pit stops can be covered in two day, a four wheeler is the best transport to get around the area. These can be hired on a full day basis or based on touch points to be covered. As most of the travel involves riving down the meandering roads along coffee and pepper plantations, it is a good idea to skip the A/C option, pull down the windows and let the lightly  scented air in.

When in comes to eating out – Coorg was a disappointment. The two highly recommended restaurants Raj Darshan (opposite Raja’s seat) and Top In Town (On the way to Golden temple monastery) were extremely disappointing neither offered local cuisine, the basic ‘multi-cuisine’ menu, poor ambiance and power cuts during dinner were added put offs. Don’t get fooled by the long wait  to get a table at ‘Top in town’ it certainly isn’t because of the food, I tried the specialty ‘veg meal’ which tasted exactly like  the budget veg meal that I used to eat during collage days at ‘Swati tiffins’ Hyderabad.

Tip: In case you are a non-vegetarian and eat pork, you must ask the cook for their local preparations.

Sightseeing:

We could manage only a day of sightseeing, which included a visit to the Elephant camp. The elephants are lined up for a bath along the banks of Cauvery – extremely relaxing to spend a morning here. Incidentally this is also a place where you can go white water rafting during the months of October -November. ( Tip: If you visit during the summers, there is a section of the river that flows real low so you can walk across to reach the elephant camp – much more fun than the ferry)

Next stop was Nisargadhama park, where you get to feed deer, ride an elephant, climb up bamboo-shrub top huts ** and relax along the river side or take a boat ride. I wasn’t too keen on going here but the river section that is open to visitors was quite something.

We then headed to Tibetan Golden temple.The fact that a   Tibetian monastery exists on the outskirts of Mangalore was in itself a little surprising. Not to mention the feeling of slight disorientation I felt when the temple doorway opened to the magnificent statues and prayer rows – not at all what I expected just off the road from the land of Idli, dosa and akki roti. This is a definite visit. The devotees were mostly dressed in traditional Tibetan attire and the whole vibe to the place was calming. This is also a place where you can do a little shopping (bags, save Tibet T-shirts etc) and maybe try some momo’s.

Our next destination was Abbey Falls for which we retracted back to Madikeri ( on the way we stopped at Triveni sangam – nothing exciting here, except a glimpse of a really large water snake). Abbey Falls was a disappointment simply because of the timing of our visit, it is during monsoons that it can be seen in all its splendour, this time around we saw not much of a fall and no more of river than a soft slow trickle 10 meters below the bridge.

The final stop was the Tala Cauvery – the origin of river Cauvery. As evening sets in the hill that houses tala Cauvery gets engulfed in fog and mist – possibly the only place and time during a summer visit to Madikeri where it would feel like a misty hill station. The view from top is supposed to be quite breathtaking, but since we came in late all we could see was a cloud of white fog/mist all around.The temple and the gates leading highest peak of this hill close at 6, so plan accordingly.

Places that we missed – Iruppu Falls, Nagarahole game sanctuary, Harangi dam, sunset at Rajas seat, Gandhi Mandap, Omkarteshwara Temple, Gaddige.

Shopping:

Once done with sightseeing, it is a must to visit the local wholesale spice market/shops, where you can pick up spices, home made chocolate, coffee etc.

A few suggestions:
1. Plan the months you want to visit – December to March may be good time to visit for relaxation, but white water rafting and sights of falls in all their glory can be experienced only during monsoons.
2. Book tickets in advance: the only way from Banglore to Madikeri is by road, and if not in your own vehicle your best bet is to catch the 7 am or 11 am KSRTC Volvo. Believe me taking any other bus would be a bad choice, so reach Bangalore in time to make it to these Volvo’s. Also a word of caution to the folks traveling from Hyderabad to Bangalore- take the flight, train or APSRTC Volvo’s in that order of preference. No matter what you hear about Sharma, Khurana or any other bus service stick to non-private road transport.
3. Although after my trip a home stay comes highly recommended, do ensure that you are comfortable with the idea, remember it is not a hotel but rather your home away from home. Also check on rules for smoking, drinking etc to make sure that both you and the hosts are comfortable during your stay.

You can check some pictures of the sightseeing below:

If you know any other great places to stay, or sights I may have missed do leave a comment.  happy weekend .

**just like tree-top houses only build on Bamboo shrubs instead

A video of the ‘Depot Estate’ home stay can be found here:

Lunch here was by chance, but boy am I glad we went. This restaurant from the Speciality group, kept scoring with its great food courses and service.

For cocktails, we tried the Hawaiian Iced tea and Sangria both well made, this was followed by the in-house recommendation of paneer rawalpindi starter which was spicy and very well done (although I would have loved if they had a little more salad to cut the spice). For the main course we tried multani paratha and tawa veg ..both phenomenal , the tawa veg used European veggies like cherry tomatoes, radish, zucchini (definitely a gamble that paid off ). For dessert we stuck to safer options of gulab jamun and makkhan icecream - nothing extraordinary, but no complaints either.

Although this time I stuck to trying out the vegetarian offerings, I have all the reason to believe that their non-vegetarian dishes would be good too.

A definite recommendation for Indian food.

Book : Isn’t it obvious by Eliyahu Goldratt

Classic Goldratt, concepts of retail inventory and supply chain based on holding high inventory are challenged in a narration involving a ‘real’ life situation. Although, the logic may not come as an eye opener for people familiar with TOC or even basic operations. The narrative does provide a ease of understanding to new readers of the concepts. A definite suggested read if you like the previous books or are just beginning to understand ‘operations’.

Sales : Samsonite Black label sale, Hyderabad

Some amazing discounts on great pieces. Sales on till 14th Feb 2010.

I live near one such colony, and have to pass it to reach the main road. The only alternative is to choose a longer route, or to sneak out one night and level all the goddamn bumps .

In a city where there is a dire lack of sidewalk’s, the roads are already crowed with pedestrians. Dodging these guys, the kids and then maneuvering the speed breakers is like playing a daily survival game.

What beats me though is that most of these colonies have parks and open yards, so why allow the kids to set up a cricket pitch in the middle of the road?? And if that’s how they choose to play, then shouldn’t the survival game be equally risky for the drivers and the players ??  Heartless yeah, unfair no.

You cannot live in a buzzing city, expect and ALLOW kids to play on the streets and then build stuff to decrease the chances of a kid being hit. These are exactly the kind of people who should never be allowed to stay in places that have roads, that would calm their sense of entitlement over public property.