Review: Restaurant and bar Talasa in HITEC City offers the best of global cuisine and Greek-inspired decor

With murals depicting the streets of Crete and blue and white-themed interiors, Talasa, the new eatery and bar in town, promises to transport you to Greece. The roof is decorated with bright-coloured flowers with tiny lamps hanging down. As you enter the 90-seater outlet, you first spot a huge wall dedicated to the islands of Greece — perfect spot for your Instagram pictures. The rest of the restaurant has murals of blue windows painted across it with one corner featuring vintage telephones and sculptures, adding to the theme. “It was during my visit to Greece that I was completely taken in by the beauty. The plan to open a restaurant in Hyderabad was on cards, so I thought what better inspiration for the interiors than the beautiful country,” says owner Srikanth Sonar, as he ushers us in. 

Located in HITEC City, the week-old restaurant boasts a bar and two sections — air conditioned and outdoor. We pick the air-conditioned space and settle down in one of the cushioned sofas. We’re delighted to see a glass of Mango Margarita make its way to the table. Made with the King of Fruits, this drink is a chilled blend of fresh fruit purée topped with mango chunks — a perfect respite from the heat.

You can also opt for Mango Mojito that comes with a hint of lime juice, giving it a tangy twist.

Apart from regular drinks and cocktails, the menu offers global cuisine covering Mediterranean, American, Thai, Greek and Arabian cuisines, among others. “We’ve also added a few options from the Indian cuisine, especially regional dishes, to satisfy the localites,” he adds. 

Meanwhile, our appetisers start arriving. We begin with Chips and Salsa — “all made in-house,” Srikanth clarifies, before we start trying them. The crispy chips are served with salsa dip made of mangoes, which is an instant hit — as there is nothing like ‘too much mango’!

The Jalapeno Poppers, which comes next, is like any other regular cheese balls. Pick this one if you’re looking for something comforting and familiar. Non-vegetarians can opt for Creamy Cheese Chicken (tender-cooked creamy chicken served in puff tarts) or Wasabi Chicken (delicious bites of chicken cooked in wasabi mixture and served with mint chutney). 

From the main course, we settle with Indian cuisine — Pulao. A perfect example of local comfort food, the piping hot pulao is cooked with vegetables and goes best with the spicy and tad too oily chicken curry. If you’re in the mood to experiment, we suggest you try Enchilada (corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili pepper sauce) or Gyro (Greek dish made from meat). That apart, Talasa also has a special ‘On the grills’ section serving vegetarian, seafood and meat steaks, along with lunch combos.

We end our meal with a rather unique dessert, Coffee Panacotta. Although the panacotta could’ve been creamier with a more enhanced coffee flavour, we enjoyed trying something new to finish our meal off. 

Price for two: Rs.1,000.
Pics: Sathya Keerthi.