Go all out or go home seems to be the credo with which Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre worked on, while coming up with the all-new, bright all-day diner called Food Exchange. The Square, as it was known until September 2018, underwent a 360-degree revamp to resurface as an outlet marked by an even more elaborate buffet, live counters and the best of Pan Asian and western cuisine and opened this January.
What’s new?
The hotel underwent a refurbishment to sport a new wall décor and carpets in the rooms and as part of the exercise, the décor at the all-day diner too is new. Food Exchange, much like the Stock Exchange, is buzzing with activity, redolent with aromas and replete with the sizzling sounds of cooking. The walls now sport sketches of food in modern art and the blue seating adds a pleasant touch to the muted décor. The artisanal breads now have a whole counter to themselves to showcase their variety and so do the microgreens (placed in bottles on little wooden structures). The vibe says: food is the purest form of love.Says Manish Dayya, General Manager, Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre and Hyderabad International Convention Centre, “Food Exchange is a modern interpretation of food markets found across the globe and is reminiscent of places where local people in-the-know go to dine.” Adds Gaurav Malhotra, Executive Chef, “Food Exchange is now the hub for conversation, specialisation, innovation and celebration of cuisines. We will also feature artisanal desserts, familiar comfort food and other treats, all curated for the modern diner’s palate.” The menu has over 100 dishes on weekdays and goes up to 150 on weekends and Sunday brunch. Incidentally, Friday nights are dedicated to Hyderabadi and local food while Saturday is the barbeque night.
The experience
While it is impossible to taste every delicacy on the menu (they also have a la carte), we did get to savour the must-eats recommended by the chef. First was Guntur Chicken Pizza, simply Guntur fried chicken on pizza. The Guntur-style super hot chicken nuggets were placed over melted Mozarella and had a curry leaf tempering. It was super spicy on top, but the soft cheesy dough made up for the spice. “Our do-it-yourself salad counters with herbs, organic veggies and microgreens coriander, basil (supplied by a local startup) and other specialities made of red and black quinoa and a range of millets are also popular with our global guests,” he adds. Another must-have The chocopresso, a homemade, hot dark concoction with 75 percent cocoa and given in shots (in a la carte), is going to give every choco lover a high. It took the hotel about 100 days to relaunch and the idea was to make the experience ‘fresh as first’, says GM Manish. So what you have are smaller portions so that there are more refills and fresher food. The restaurant says it is also taking special pride in sourcing local fresh produce and some from its own hydroponics garden.