2020 may be called the year of food delivery. Due to the pandemic, and restaurants being closed as well as the reluctance of the consumers to visit them even after they have reopened has led to a boom in takeaway and home-delivered food in every Indian city. The home chefs and food entrepreneurs have risen to the challenge by bringing in many differentiators to stand out in this business. Here is a look at some of the promising cloud kitchens as well as food served from home chefs in our city, Hyderabad. I had earlier talked about some options (READ: Home delivered Food Rules the Roost in Hyderabad) and here are some fresh new ideas to order your food from.
Dakhni Dastarkhan: (Hyderabadi) Call 9989600054
When the Hyderabadi dishes come from a very well-known Hyderabadi family, your expectation is naturally very high. And the food from Home Chef Aqsa, from Dakhni Dastarkhan does complete justice to it.
The Zaffrani Gosht Biryani is served with some exceptional salan with boiled eggs in it. The biryani itself tastes very different from the run-of-the-mill variety we get usually. The Shikampur has the mandatory belly fill of a nice mint-based preparation. The flavours of Dum ka Murgh and Talawa Gosht strike the right note. After all, though these are common dishes, the recipes are heirloom. This place is right on top of my list for future orders of Hyderabadi food.
The Pork Affair: (Pork meat delicacies) Call 8106451341
Hyderabad does not have too many places serving good pork dishes, but there is definitely one home chef I can recommend in this segment. I had tasted the Pork Biryani from them a few months ago and loved the same. This time, after rave reviews from my trusted friend I went for some more dishes from there.
Pork Curry with Paratha, Boneless Pork Fry, and Pork Pulav were the three dishes I feasted on. I commend them first on the quality of pork they procure because in Hyderabad it isn't easy to get good stuff. All three dishes are just very good, especially the pulav with the fat melting into the rice. The curry was cooked with a lot of expertise and with no additional oil.
Definitely worth it for the pork lovers in the city.
Rassasie: (Continental) Telephone 9154422459
This is a new setup in Jubilee Hills, which has a refreshingly different menu, stressing on continental food. Their Grilled chicken is a feast to the eye. While I personally loved the Tandoori Grilled Chicken (with abundant veggies like baby potatoes, broccoli, corn cobs, and so on), you also have other choices like barbecue or oregano.
Another highlight is Lamb Stew sent with garlic bread (one toasted more than the other). With abundant veggies and meat, the broth is really a melting pot of flavours.
This is a project of a home chef who had always been passionate about cooking and has taken her first baby steps into the F&B business.
Stories In A Box: (Indian Regional) Telephone 7995004999
A Cloud kitchen with a difference with a very innovative menu, mostly comfort food from home kitchens, and some interesting preparations.
Take for example Mutton Soup Annam, flavourful rice cooked in mutton stock with shredded mutton in it. The whole bowl gets over in a jiffy. The Rasam Annam, with a zing of pepper in it, is also for the soul. Carrot & Beans Poriyal Rice can be enjoyed with some tossed Alu Fry.
I am not a big fan of curd rice, but still, the Iyengar Curd Rice impressed. Chicken Fry was spicy and delicious.
They have a great Tiffin Box concept, where you can pick a total of 4 dishes, 1 from each set. And the tiffin box is priced very aggressively at 219.
Shahi Maksoos: (Hyderabadi) Telephone 9908695320
Shahi Makhsoos, the home kitchen of Asma Farooqui, has an economical Hyderabadi food platter which is good enough for two persons. To start with the Chicken 65 is prepared the traditional way and is definitely on par with the best in the city. The Dum ka Murgh is another gem with the big Roomali Rotis delivered alongside. And then, there is the Hyderabadi Biryani with a thick and tasty Mirchi ka Salan.
Oriental Tales: (Pan-Asian) Telephone 7702989898
A new Cloud Kitchen promoted by the Rayalaseema Ruchulu group has some very interesting combos that can be delivered to your home. The Fried Rice and Chilli Chicken reminded me of the Kolkata joints that I used to frequent during my childhood, while the noodles paired well with Fish in Hot Garlic Sauce.
They also have sumptuous family packs that can be ordered for large families. And of course, a whole range of starters including Hyderabad ka apna Chicken Drumsticks and Pepper Chicken... The promoters being experienced and acclaimed in the F&B business, you are assured of quality and safety procedures.
RR Chinese Corner (Indo Chinese) Telephone 9885264232
This place suggested to me by Chef Pradeep Khosla during our Instagram Live session is a small economical place for Indo-Chinese. The owner cum chef Shankar Pande has more than a decade of experience as a Chef in Taj Krishna, Westin, and Hyatt Gachibowli.
RR Chinese Corner (named after the initials of his son) has a short menu catering to the busy Banjara Hills customers, but the chef is willing to do additional dishes (out of menu) at prior notice. Thus after a discussion with him, my choice was Golden Fried Prawns (a favourite from Golden Dragon), Chicken with broccoli, bell pepper, bok choy and other veggies, as well as Chicken Dimsums (with a special scallion pepper dip apart from a fiery one). The Kolkata style Chilli Chicken was requisitioned with Burnt Garlic Fried Rice. I had high expectations and the food did exceed the same.