Foodaholix

A Long Weekend at Abad Brookside Wayanad

The Jadavpur University Alumni Association Hyderabad is a vibrant group of past students from the university who currently reside in the city. Though JU is not my alma mater, I have been very closely associated with this group for a long time as my wife is an alumnus. Among the activities of the group are frequent outings to destinations in India and abroad almost on a semi-annual basis. For the long weekend in mid-August 2024, the plan was to visit Wayanad National Park in Kerala.

On 30th July 2024 Wayanad faced a slew of landslides killing a few hundred people. The group was naturally concerned that this tour may have to be shelved, but our resort Abad Brookside assured us that that the landslide had occurred far away, and life in the area we were travelling to was not disturbed. Yet, we had a lot of dropouts but around 37 people finally boarded the Kachiguda-Mysuru express on 14th August evening. From Mysuru, couple of buses took us to Lakkidi, the 150 km distance was covered in around six hours with frequent stops. The journey covered the scenic Bandipur and part of Wayanad forests, where one could see many wild animals like elephants, deers and wild boars on the side of the highway. The road was very smooth till Lakkidi, but from there the journey up to the hotel that is located at an altitude proved quite scary, as the road was narrow and rocky and dusk was setting in rapidly.

We reached around 7 pm. The resort is massive, with cottages spread across the campus. The reception and dining area was close to the main gate. We were offered a welcome drink, a hot concoction of herbal tea, black pepper and honey that soothes your throat. Our cottages were a bit of a walk, but the rooms were clean, spacious with all amenities. Apart from the usual stuff, we noticed packets of salt and were curious what they were for. There are three types of cottages here – brook facing, garden facing and villas.

Dinner at the restaurant was very good. They make quite a few Kerala style dishes that were of interest to me. Also they use the local fish that are absolutely fresh. Apart from fish and prawn, beef and chicken are also available, the beef curry that I ordered the next day was pure comfort food, and went famously with rice.

Next morning, we went around the campus. Abad Brookside Resort is named so as there is a small rivulet passing through the campus. Many cottages are lined up next to the brook, and ours was one of them. The campus was absolutely clean. There were ducks floating around, as well as hordes of monkeys ready to pounce on any food that they can locate. On the third day, a few of them had a field time pouncing on our chakna and drinking some of our vodka.

We went for a walk uphill outside the gate of the resort. It was green all over, and we found that the resort was located just next to a tea garden. We climbed up about half a kilometer and then realized why they gave salt packets in our rooms. Many of us were stung by leeches that were patrolling the roads, and we had to scurry back to the resort. Salt application gives some relief if you are attacked by a leech.

After a sumptuous breakfast of soft idlis, vadas and sausages we took off to the areas nearby. Abad Resorts is located at Lakkidi, a place known as the Cherrapunji of Kerala. The notable hamlets around are Vythiri, Kalpetta and Sultan Bathery. The greenery in the entire belt catches your attention. There is a lake named Pookote nearby and Banasura dam that we visited. On the way back we visited a shop for local saree and had a sumptuous lunch of Mutton Biryani and Fish Al Fahm at an Arab-inspired Keralite restaurant. One has to go gaga over the quality of fish we got throughout the trip, but the Al-Fahm definitely took the cake.

It was drizzling intermittently during the two days we stayed there, but we were not overly worried. The resort itself was so scenic that one could spend the entire time there. In fact, the next day most of us did not venture out at all. Some relaxed at the swimming pool, some played a game of cards and some sang on the karaoke that we brought along with us.

The highlights of the food on the second day was Meen Polichatthu, where fish in spices is wrapped inside a banana leaf and steamed. The other was Unniyappam, a dessert of coconut and rava balls served with honey. That said even the Kerala style Fish Fry was scrumptious.

The two days passed like a breeze. As we were boarding our buses to Bangalore on the wee hours of Sunday, we could not but feel a bit sad that perhaps we should have planned for a couple of days more here.

The Abad property was an extremely scenic place, with good support and service from a set of smiling staff. They have resorts all over Kerala, including Kumarakom, Munnar and Kochi.

Location:

Abad Brookside, Lakkidi

Lakkidi, Vythiri, Kunnathidavaka,

Wayanad, Kerala 673576

Phone 99465 82222

Web: https://www.abadhotels.com/brookside-lakkidi-resort-wayanad/

Feasting on Street Food at Sindhi Colony Secunderabad

The area around Prenderghast Road in Secunderabad is better known as Sindhi Colony. Every evening, you can find a motley crowd gathering around various food carts and small shops at different corners of the road, and gorging on some delicious street food. The dishes available in these places are mostly vegetarian and range from Gujarati to South Indian, international to local. Food walks are often planned by groups to sample the diverse street food available here.

The best place to start your food journey here is at Pizza Den, located near Sunshine Hospital at the far end of the street. You may have to wait a while for getting your favourite pizza here. The vegetarian place serves some great tomato and cheese Pizza, another one with jalapeno and olives is called Vegetable Exotica. The ice creams here are pretty good too, especially the Mishti Mango. Proceed next to the Shivaling Chaat Bhandar, a street cart little ahead on the same side of the road for some bhelpuri and papri chaat. Even the pani puri here is to die for.

The next stop should be Chachaji, the perennially crowded place for Vada Pav and Gujarati Dabeli. It is run by a Gujarati family by regular customers. The main attractions here are the special spicy chutneys used in their dishes, which are prepared at home and brought to this shop.

Cross the road from here, and you have reached Dimmy’s Pan Palace, that does not just serve paan, but the entire range of street food at Dimmy’s Food Court. Stop for a tea here. The dosas made on a counter live on the road are pretty good. The fusion paans are superb too, especially the Chocolate Paan and Kulfi Paan can impress anyone.

Another place for good vada pav and dabeli is Bombay Chat House located slightly ahead. These snacks are made right in front of you and sell for as little as Rs 40. Next to this kiosk, Prachi’s Kulfi Celebrations serve some of the best kulfis in the city. Apart from seasonal fruit-based kulfis, the Gulkand and Thandai kulfis are worth a try here.

After a lot of street delicacies from Western and Northern India, you may be yearning for some South Indian food. I will advise you to take a walk further down the road to Sai Ram Tiffin Centre almost near the junction of PG Road and Minister Road. Do not miss their Tawa Idli and Paneer Butter Dosa.

No food walk at Sindhi Colony can be complete without having the famous Tawa Sandwich at Mayur Pan House. The cheese and capsicum stuffed sandwich fried in butter is an old time favourite of mine. You can also go for their popular Aloo Toast instead before calling it a day. These prominent and popular street food places in this area are just the tip of an iceberg. If you probe a bit more, discovering quite a few more of new hidden gems is not ruled out.

Ramakrishna Mission Keesaragutta: A Spiritual Retreat close to Hyderabad

In Hyderabad, Ramakrishna Math at Domalguda is visited by devotees from all over the city. Apart from the aesthetic temple where one can pray and meditate to The Lord, the Vivekananda Institute of Languages, the Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence attract a large number of students from the city, many from the underprivileged visit the Health Centre for treatment at a concessional rate, and the vast library is also very popular. But very few Hyderabadis know about the Ramakrishna Mission campus at Keesaragutta, a temple among the nature barely 35 kms from the city.

This was our second visit to the location. Almost a year ago, we had gone there during a weekend and had a really peaceful time in the serene silence of the temple, interactive sessions with Swami Jnadanandaji (who was earlier the Adhyaksh of the Hyderabad math) in a premises, with greenery all around and roaming around - enjoying the blissful nature all around us. From Begumpet, we went through the city via Sainikpuri, AS Rao Nagar to ECIL. After ECIL as we proceeded on the road to Yadadri, the journey became interesting with greenery on both side of the road. We crossed the Outer Ring Road and soon reached the Keesara town. The math premises are on the right about seven kms past Keesaragutta.

As you enter the ashram you can’t but admire the serene surroundings. It is green all over and a lake that provides water to the ashram adds to the beauty. The ashram has about 50 rooms for the devotees of which around 15 are air-conditioned. It is better to pre-book before arrival, but you can also do spot booking. Any devotee is welcome to stay in the ashram, but you need to understand it is not a fun and frolic place. Tranquility and peace needs to be maintained at all times.

We checked into our no-frills but clean room, and soon set foot towards the campus. The serene lake has seating next to it, where we sat for a long while. Small groups of monkeys play around, but they do not disturb you. A long pathway among the trees enable you to explore the idyllic surroundings.

The temple is central to the campus. Large images of Sri Sri Ramakrishna, Ma Sarada and Swami Vivekananda are central to the temple, which also has images of the main disciples of Sri Sri Ramakrishna. The temple is open from 5 am to 8:30 pm, and unlike many Ramakrishna Math centres do not close in the afternoon. You can sit there and quietly meditate through the day if you want. There is Mangal Arati at 5:30 am in the morning, puja at 7:30 am and in the evening there are prayers from 6:30 pm.

The ashram canteen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is local vegetarian food but is extremely tasty. The upma in the morning was very good, and so were the sambar, dal, chutney and vegetable curry. The cost of food is included in the room charges. Please understand however, that it is not a lavish spread, and you are supposed to wash your own utensils after eating.

One of the highlights of our trip was the satsang with resident Maharaj Swami Jnadanandaji. The satsang is held every morning at 9:30 am and additionally during weekends at 5:30 pm. You can ask the Maharaj any questions or doubts on your spiritual journey that you wish to clarify. The limited number of people in the group also facilitates a frank and stimulating discussion.

As we bade farewell to the ashram after a two-day stay, we had made up our mind to come back for a longer stint next time.

Location:

Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Keesaragutta

Ramalingampally, Telangana 508126

Yadadri Bhubanagiri District

Telangana

Telephone: 79016 96801

Directions:

From ORR take Exit 8. The location is 7 km away.

From Secunderabad travel via Sainikpuri- AS Rao Nagar – ECIL – Nagaram.

Our Tour of Rajasthan

Karan Arora

Here is my review of Thrillophilia's wonderful Rajasthan tour experience:

Recently, I went on my first trip to Rajasthan, and it turned out to be the best trip I have ever had. All thanks to Thrillophilia! From the very beginning, the team at Thrillophilia were helpful and they made the whole process easy and enjoyable. Our advisor, Akshay Sharma was kind enough to explain everything about the trip inclusions, exclusions, and other essential details.

After a few discussions, we finalized the “Best of Rajasthan” package, which also included a free camping experience in Jaisalmer. Our itinerary covered Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Mount Abu. Thrillophilia even addressed our requests and customized our itinerary, which was absolutely great. They made sure everything went smoothly and were always available to help pre, post, and during the trip.

About Our Trip

We landed at the Jaipur International Airport, and our driver Haridas greeted us warmly. He took us to our hotel, where we relaxed for some time before going on our travel journey. We had the first day to explore the city on our own. So, we visited the Albert Hall Museum and Chokhi Dhani. After enjoying the culture of Rajasthan that night, we returned to our hotel.

Our second day was also spent touring Jaipur. We visited Amer Fort, Jaigarh Fort, and Nahargarh Fort. The views from these forts were breathtaking. We also saw the Jal Mahal, Birla Temple, and City Palace. The architecture and history were absolutely fantastic to know.

On the third day, we checked out of our hotel in Jaipur and went to Bikaner. There, we visited the famous Karni Mata Temple, which is also known as the Rat Temple. It was a very spiritual experience. From there, we went to the Camel Breeding Farm, where we saw different breeds of camel and learnt about the important role they play in the local economy and culture. The calm atmosphere of Bikaner was a nice change from the busy streets of Jaipur.

We travelled to the Junagarh Fort in Bikaner on the fourth day. This fort has many beautiful palaces and temples, like Gaj Mandir, Sheesh Mahal, and Anup Mahal. After exploring Junagarh, we moved to Jaisalmer. Known as the Golden City, Jaisalmer welcomed us with its yellow sandstone buildings.

After a delicious Rajasthani breakfast, we visited the Jaisalmer Fort, Gadisar Lake, Patwon Ki Haveli, and Nathmal Ki Haveli. Each site was unique and beautiful in its own way. In the afternoon, we went to the sand dunes for a desert camp experience. We enjoyed a camel ride and cultural performances there. After this magical experience, we stayed overnight in a tent, surrounded by the peaceful desert.

On Day 6, we left the desert camp and travelled to Jodhpur, the Blue City. We checked in to the Heritage Kuchaman Haveli and then went on to explore the city. We visited the Mehrangarh Fort, which offered stunning views of Jodhpur. We also saw the beautiful marble memorial at the Jaswant Thada. At the end of the day we hopped to the local markets and shopped for our families back home.

Day 7 started with a visit to the grand and luxurious Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodhpur. After exploring the palace, we were taken for a comfortable drive to Mount Abu. It is the only hill station in Rajasthan.

The next day, we spent the entire day exploring Mount Abu. We visited the highest peak in the Aravalli Range called the Guru Shikhar. Moving forward, we saw the Dilwara Jain Temples, which are known for their intricate carvings. We even went for a boat ride on Nakki Lake. Some other attractions that we saw at the hill station are Achalgarh Fort, Trevor's Tank, the Adhar Devi Temple, and the Brahma Kumaris Ashram. We returned to our hotel, completely refreshed by the cool mountain air.

The 9th day was the last day of our Rajasthan trip. We checked out from our hotel in Mount Abu and went to the Udaipur airport for our flight home. Although our trip ended, we took home wonderful memories of Rajasthan’s culture, architecture, and hospitality.

Thank You, Thrillophilia!

I am so grateful for the amazing experience we had on our trip to Rajasthan. Every penny we spent was absolutely worth it!

I want to thank Thrillophilia for their excellent services and their team for creating such wonderful packages. We had an outstanding experience with Thrillophilia, and I hope this Thrillophilia review helps others plan their trips efficiently.

New Place in Hyderabad: TGs, the Oriental Grill

Teppanyaki is not a recent phenomenon in Hyderabad. If my memory serves me right the erstwhile Syn at Taj Deccan was the first teppan in Hyderabad, a metal cooking griddle that is used to prepare teppanyaki style food in Japan. Rika at Park Hyatt and Holy Basil at Radisson Blu followed, but we never had an exclusive teppanyaki restaurant in the city. The newly opened TGs the Oriental Grill at Hyatt Hyderabad Gachibowli has filled that void with a 70-seater restaurant with a teppan at every table.

The restaurant located next to the lobby opened to its clients about a month ago. There are about half a dozen teppans where the customers can enjoy live cooking. Food is prepared live on the teppan by the chef who interacts with you on your preferences. The restaurant believes in the philosophy of “Eat what you See”, and most of the dishes are prepared right in front of your eyes, the exceptions of course being the sushi and sashimi that are brought in from the kitchen. Seeing the food prepared in front of you tickles your tastebuds while the little chat with the chef enhances your knowledge about the dish and its ingredients.

Apart from Japanese, the restaurant also serves South East Asian cuisines such as Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian, but the focus is on recipes that are amenable to live cooking. A range of different oriental sauces are used in the dishes. For diners who are not familiar with the cuisines, there are a few set menus to choose from, like an exclusive seafood menu, and Japanese inspired veg and non-veg menus.

We started with the flavourful Miso Soup, with Dashi stock and seaweeds. California Crab Roll – sushi with crab meat avocado and cucumber as well as Hamachi Sashimi made from Tuna that followed were delicious too.

The restaurant also has a list of eight specially curated cocktails. I tried two of them – Mezcal Picante (above) (tequila with basil coriander jalapeno syrup) and Fire Starter (cinnamon infused Jim Beam). Both impressed. Miso Old Fashioned was another one that looked interesting.

The main courses cooked live on the table are the highlights of the restaurant. New Zealand lamb chops, Pork Belly, Jumbo prawns and sea bass are some of the delicacies available that can be cooked in Oriental sauce of your choice. We started with the famed New Zealand Lamb Chops, a signature offering of the restaurant that was prepared in Blackew Pepper Sauce. Pork Belly was done in chili garlic sauce along with onion, garlic and bok choy. Shredded Lamb in spicy ginger sauce is another interesting dish. You can see how the Chef is preparing the dishes and interact with him regarding spice level or any other suggestions that you may have.

The Thai food here is also hot off the wok. A Thai Yellow Curry with Tiger Prawns, spinach and onions that went well with the Garlic and Egg Fried Rice prepared by the chef was bursting with flavours. Banana Leaf Wrapped Sea Bass with oyster sauce margination is another dish not to be missed.

The pick of the desserts was Salted Caramel Japanese Cheese Cake. They also have Bomb Alaska, a chocolate sponge and ice cream based dessert.

Location:

TG’s – the Oriental Grill

Hyatt Hyderabad Gachibowli

Road No. 2, Financial District,

Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Nanakramguda,

Telangana 500019

Call 93556 88898