Hyderabad's all-new Palle Vindu offers traditional Andhra and Telangana dishes in novel ways    

When we entered Palle Vindu on a Saturday afternoon, we were transported to the villages of Andhra and Telangana. And, that is exactly what the founders of the restaurant, Raavi Radha Krishna and Moosapet Gayatri intended. From the cutlery used to the muggu (rangoli) painted walls, everything here will remind you of the quaint countryside of the state.

Bone of contention

While we enjoyed classic Telugu cinema music from the ’70s and ’80s like Gundamma Katha and Missamma, our food arrived. We started our meal with the Mutton Bone Chaaru, a soup made with mutton bones. We loved its peppery notes and the addition of brown onions added crunch. We then moved to the starters section and sampled the Tapala Chekkalu, Madras Pakodi, and Bangaru Royyala Vepudu. The vegetarian starters were delicious and went well with the tangy dip served. The prawns starter was crispy, on the outside, and subtly flavoured. This was definitely a hit.

For the main course, we picked the Panchakattu Kodi Pulao, The succulent pieces of chicken cooked with the freshly ground spices offered a burst of flavours. Initially, we were skeptical about this dish, but one bite of the pulao and we could not help but, go for second serving — and this time with the raita and salan. It only got better.

Thali tales

We were informed that their thalis are a hit and we couldn’t resist trying out the Vindu Bhojanam — Mamsa Haram. This non-vegetarian thali offers a huge spread of about 22 options. The non-vegetarian curries like chapala pulusu, gongura prawns, mutton curry, guddu iguru, and chicken fry were made with aromatic spices and were flavourful to the hilt. But, our absolute favourite was the dosakaya pachadi — a cucumber-based chutney. The chutney paired well with steamed rice, without being overwhelmingly spicy. We washed the food down with the refreshing Nimmakaya Majjiga (buttermilk).

After this glorious meal, it was time for desserts. We opted for the Paala Talikalu, Pappu Neyyi, Neyyi Posina Poornam, and Phalamrutham. While we really enjoyed the first two classic Andhra sweets, it was the Phalamrutham that stole the show. A sponge cake and cookie-based dessert, it was topped with custard and various kinds of fruits and dry fruits. We highly recommend you try this one.

Rs. 800 for two. At Gachibowli.

— bsuchitra@newindianexpress.com