My tryst with another of Hyderabad's restaurant was complete. This time it was SIAA at Jubilee Hills. Having heard about the unique architecture of the place, delectable cuisine and a wonderful view of the city - we headed to this restaurant to get a first hand review of the place and to be honest we were not disappointed. In short, this place is different - When we arrived on the floor I was expecting the usual and what followed was anything but that -to begin with the monster door - it just looks like a wall and till the manager steps up and says "khul ja sim-sim" you would presume it to be the wall ....and what follows is a treasure trove of innovative ideas be it the quirky seating arrangement on exagerrated steps, to the Indo-persian arched roofs, to the view of the city from the huge wall-to-wall windows to the sumptuously off beat Indian food.
Menu :
The limited menu at Siaa includes dishes from all parts of India with a different twist. While the main courses are simple variations on well known dishes, its the starters were quite unique and please take your time to read the description of each dish and you will be amazed at what innovative thinking can come up with. The main course were ofcourse the staple selection of rice and biryani and an assortment of breads.
Some of the items which caught my attention were
Bruschettas with garlic chutney
Cheese marinated chicken
Caramelized pineapple
Prawns on thepla
Kairi bhindi (lady fingers with a sort of pickled mango),
Phool gucchi and dhingri biryani (a blend of lotus seeds, morels and mushrooms in basmati)
Dum nalli ghost
Kadi maas ( this was interesting - and I thought there were no variations to Kadi Pakodas)
Patrani red snapper (mint lime and coriander marinated red snapper) steamed in banana leaf,
Malvani crab curry (big shell crabs simmered in coconut and tamarind)
Though not too fond of desserts, for people interested in it there are the usual assortment of classical Indian desserts and in case you prefer the western vairety you can try the house favorites toasted hazelnut with espresso cream and creme fraiche & date cigar or the chilli chocolate & cointreau tart.
Review :
Unlike me, the host was not very keen on trying out different vairieties and we stuck to the less adventerous and the food was very good. Experimenting with food is never easy and having seen my egg recipes explode and bread doughs turning into stones I can assure that its not easy to alter the established cusinie and get away with accolades - well thats exactly what Siaa chefs have managed - kudos to them. The food was very authentic at the same time very tasty. The after course service was different too, whilst I was expecting saunf to complete my meal - I was greated with home made chocolates and that was the perfect ending to a happy meal.
Ambiance & Service :
Like I mentioned the ambiance was different and as we happen to just stare into the yonder of hyderabad from the huge windows mesmerised with the tasty platter, you cant help being on the high literally. The service was quite slow and had to help ourselves out of the chairs to seek attention of the servers - may be we were too early for all the servers to be present.We missed having been to the place after dusk - where the real charm of the place will come to
fore. Anyways, I am sure will make it up some time later.
Recommendations :
You can visit the place for the ambiance and the food - both are exceptional, and make it a point to visit it after sunset. In case you plan to have a romantic dinner, kindly reserve the center table on the 4th level, just for that extra magic ;)
Pricing :
Pricing is on the higher side. A decent 3 course meal for 2 will be in the range of Rs 750-1000.
Location :
Plot No 70,
4th Floor,
Road No 1, Jubilee Hills,
Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Phone
Ideas for thought :
1. It would a good idea to reserve the seat especially for the magnificiant view of the city.
2. Have a little patience, the service is likely to take time.
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