This restaurant at Sainikpuri serving delicious home-style Telugu food is all heart

Remember how lunch breaks in school were exciting because we got a taste of our friends’ tiffin boxes? The same old dal rice or curry could be made in a completely different way, often leaving us in wonder. Food is often one of the most wholesome ways to get a glimpse into someone’s life. This week, we got to do just that at Inka, a portmanteau of Inti Katha, meaning ‘the story of a home’ in Telugu.

Walking into the restaurant felt like walking into someone’s rustic childhood home, with terracotta pots and wicker baskets for pendant lamps, a wall dedicated to vintage pieces like an old transistor radio among other beautiful knick-knacks.

What held our attention were the real paddy and blades of dried husk that gave an even more authentic look to the restaurant, completely done up in earthy tones. A life size mural of a mother feeding her kids, and a father riding a cycle with his son in tow set the tone for our meal at Inka. “Because no household’s story is complete without amma and nanna,” quips Sai Akarsh Battina, cofounder of Inka just as we were about to begin our meal.

The Vellulli kaaram paneer arrived first, with a robust marinade perfectly complimenting the creamy paneer, neither over powering the other. T he Chicken kaju ghee roast reminded us of home style chicken preparations. We then learnt that the restaurant’s menu consisted mostly of household recipes that Akarsh’s mother painstakingly perfected over decades.

A variety of pulaos awaited us soon after the appetisers. The Inka chicken pulao was tangy, mildly spiced and went well with the Gongura chutney. The Pithapuram mutton pulao (an ode to actor and politician Pavan Kalyan) seemed unassuming and simple at first. One morsel in, and the dish caught us off guard with its layered, creamy flavours that were a blockbuster in their own right.

While we were raving about it, the Gongura mutton pulao arrived. The piping hot slightly sticky rice marinated in rich spices and succulent meat had a creamy and mildly tangy aftertaste. The absolute star of a dish didn’t need any other accompaniment, which we think is the mark of a well-made pulao. The dish also comes in chicken and vegetarian variants, so folks with other dietary preferences don’t miss out.

“We focus on excellent quality home-style food. Our thalis are especially loved too,” says Sai Akarsh. Dessert was a festival favourite, the Bobbatlu with ghee. Without being overly sweet, the dessert much like the rest of the food left our hearts and tummies happy.

Rs 1,200 for two. At Sainikpuri.