This restaurant in Hyderabad is a star of Twin City

Of all the recent attempts to revive the grand old style, the most exquisite restaurant, Nidhivan is now enjoying a new life. There is more than enough space for two full-size artificial trees, or, if you prefer, sculptures of the divine and rows of tiered chandeliers that hang like upside-down wedding cakes.

Up at the level of the Private Dining Room, there is a section where you can watch the action on the royal tandoor. Chandra Sekhar Chaganti’s first and most formative restaurant was all in for contributing to a healthy society. Other restaurants have customers but Nidhivan has fans and knows it. Almost everything about this new place caters to the memories of the original, fancying its pride to an amazing degree. Nidhivan is almost a museum in itself. We were never quite as amazed by the food as it seemed we were supposed to be. In a corner of our table where the Chocolate Blossom mocktail rested, was precisely beside the menu that does not go so far as to point out all the showstoppers namely Batti Murg, Lamb Chops, Cheese Roll, Makhan Dahi Ki Shole and Tawa Tiger Sea Prawn.

We had not realised that the Cheese Roll was a cult starter but we knew that we would be relishing the sweet chilli chutney we dipped the savoury into. As we stood with the cult, the Batti Murg ideally melted in our mouths as a dish that was so filling and likeable — we made a meal of it and walked away more content than a 12-course tasting anywhere else. The risk in churning out old and healthy recipes that do not necessarily align with the Hyderabadi platter but retain their ingenuity, exists because kitchens get bored. But that is not happening at Nidhivan. As the name suggests, it embodies mystery, and stands as a bearer of treasures and gold. The cooks seem to have dialled right in on the quality that makes the dishes everyone’s favourite in the first place.

`1,500. At Kukatpally.

chokita@new indianexpress.com @PaulChokita