On a Wednesday afternoon, we made our way to Anna Native, a 70-seater restaurant, started by Mohd Abdul Kareem and Sateesh Polkam, which was buzzing with a crowd. Just a couple of weeks old, the place makes a memorable first impression with its teal-blue theme and luxurious décor. As we got seated at our table, the restaurant’s executive chef Mohd Ismail greeted us and talked about the bestsellers of the place. We soon discover that from staple Andhra dishes to authentic Chettinad curries and traditional Kerala delicacies, they’ve managed to bring an impressive range of South Indian food to the menu.
Sago stopover
To begin, we ordered the Kodi Bonda Soup. This chicken-based broth, originating from Andhra Pradesh was light and came with a serving of bite-sized chicken bondas. We then moved to the Sabudana Vada with Roasted Tomato Chutney. The deep-fried sago vadas were crunchy and the tomato chutney that was roasted was spicy and paired well with the vadas.
Next up, we picked the Golichina Kodi Wings with Curry Leaf Chutney. The chicken wings, a Telangana speciality also were crispy and were well-seasoned with spices and were finished with a spicy podi. Served with an aromatic and lemony dip prepared with curry leaves, the wings here are a must-try. We also tasted the Pachi Mirchi Fish Tikka, Charcoal Roast Chilli, that was served in fish-shaped cutlery. The fish tikka was made with a spicy green chilli paste and had strong roasted flavours. The river sole fillet pieces were tender and came garnished with roasted green chillies. We highly recommend you try this if you prefer spicy food.
Bowled over by biryani
We started our main course with the Mutton Pepper Fry that was served with appam. The chunks of mutton were juicy, loaded with green chillies, and had strong peppery notes. The combination was irresistible and we finished the whole plate in a jiffy.
We also tried their Gutti Vankaya Kura with Ghee Rice and Andhra Chepala Pulusu with Ghee and Onion Rice. Both the dishes are classics from Andhra Pradesh but did not meet our expectations, as they didn’t have the robust flavours or spices that Andhra food boasts of.
Our last pick was the Anna Native Potlam Biryani. The concept of potlam biryani or biryani wrapped in a roll of egg omelettes intrigued us. The biryani was made with chicken, mutton, and prawns, then neatly wrapped into an omelette. This one had to be our favourite from the tasting as the rice was just the right level of spicy and the combination of three varieties of meat hit the spot.
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Kiss from a mango
Dessert ended on a sweet note with Anna Native Mango Delight. A three-layered dessert (mango jelly, milk bread, and rabri and malai-based cake), presented in thick and sweet rabri was decadent, to say the least. We for sure know that we are going back to Anna Native just to get another bite of this mango heaven.
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Rs 1,000 for two. At Sainikpuri.
— bsuchitra@newindianexpress.com