Have you had piping hot rumali roti with raw chili powder sprinkled over a layer of mayo on it making a delicious Shawarma? Or a plate of dosa or idli for a mere Rs 10? Well, it’s all happening on the streets of Hyderabad, the undoubted paradise for food lovers, serving everything from aromatic biryani, piping hot Irani chai that go with the heavenly Osmania and Karachi biscuits to Sheer Khurma that melt in your mouth.
However, in addition to the well-known eateries severing those goodies are the early-morning breakfast joints that have people thronging them either just after a vigorous morning walk or just before they merge into the madness of the morning rush. While ‘Ram Ki Bandi’ is a go-to for many to have a bite of lip-smacking dosas, bondas, idlis and kheema roti, we discovered a few more joints that foodies can happily wander into to satiate their desire for a heartening dish.
The idli-dosa capitals
To begin with, we walked around ‘Basti’ in Manikeshwar Nagar, where we came upon Nagraj Soma, a student from the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU). Talking to us about his early-morning breakfast fun with his pals, he says, “Here, bonda, idli and dosa are available piping hot from 3:30 in the morning. This is the go-to for many, including students after late-night studies.”
Raja Chandrahas, however, craves dosas from ‘Ram Ki Bandi’. “The place might be as tiny as a matchbox, but their enormous varieties of dosas make my taste buds dance on the moon as if. And it clearly does the same for many others because the place is almost always packed with people waiting to relish their favourite dosas.
Meat of the matter
When we ask Yashpal Kasotiya, a language interpreter at an MNC, about his choice of joints, he first fondly chuckles at the memory of the shawarma and lemon tea at DLF. “Both the stalls in this office space stand out to me as compared to all the other eatery hubs in the city. These small joints come up with their own ingredients and recipes sometimes, such as raw chili powder sprinkled over a layer of mayo on a rumali roti,” says Yashpal. “Then, there is a small road side shop nearby, which makes unbelievable shawarma rolls loaded with chicken that is almost magical, all of which comes at a princely sum of Rs 100!”
Another MNC employee, Yeshwanth Kumar cannot stop talking about the kheema roti offered across the city. “Hyderabad, with its many delicacies, is a land of deliciously wonderful feasts. I love the kheema roti at many popular places here, including Paradise and Alpha Hotel, but the one I always go back to is at the Old City because of its authentic Hyderabadi taste with the right spices and the perfection in the meat used,” says Yeshwanth.
Now, we can’t wait to try it all.
