Restaurant Review: Via Milano

Place: Via Milano
Location: Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Lunch 

Food: 9/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Buffet for 1: Rs. 578/- (Rs. 299 via Snapdeal)

Verdict: 7.5/10

For a detailed review, please visit sasikanth.me :)

Restaurant Review: Ruci and Idoni

Place: Ruci and Idoni
Location: Above Godrej Nature Basket, Road No. 10, Banjara Hills
Cuisine: European
Meal: Dinner (with couple of friends)

Food: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 3: Rs 1795/-

Verdict: 8/10

For a detailed review, please visit sasikanth.me :)

Restaurant Review: 100 Degrees

Place: 100 Degrees
Location: Necklace Road, Ranigunj, Secunderabad
Cuisine: Continental
Meal: Dinner (with a friend)

Food: 8.5/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 843/-

Verdict: 8/10

For a detailed review, please visit sasikanth.me :)

Restaurant Review: Viva Italia

Place: Viva Italia
Location: Ground floor, White House, Next to Lifestyle Building, Begumpet
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Dinner (with couple of friends)

Food: 9.5/10
Service: 9.5/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 628/-

Verdict: 9.5/10

For a detailed review, please visit sasikanth.me :)

Restaurant Review: Sizzling Joe

Place: Sizzling Joe 

Location: Food Court, GVK One, Banjara Hills
Cuisine: Continental
Meal: Dinner

Food: 3/10

Service: 4/10
Ambiance: NA
Meal for 1: Rs. 200/-

Verdict: 3/10


For a detailed review, please visit sasikanth.me :)

Restaurant Review: Via Milano

Place: Via Milano
Location: Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Lunch (with a friend)

Food: 9/10
Service: 8.5/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 1555/-

Verdict: 9/10

For a detailed review, please visit sasikanth.me :)

Restaurant Review: Viva Italia

Place: Viva Italia
Location: Ground floor, White House, Next to Lifestyle Building, Begumpet
Cuisine: Italian
Meal: Dinner

Food: 9.5/10
Service: 9.5/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 210/- (Pizza and Pasta)
Meal for 1: Rs. 140 (Pizza and Toast)

Verdict: 9.5/10

For a detailed review, please visit sasikanth.me :)

Restaurant Review: Arena - Taj Deccan

Place: Arena

Location: Taj Deccan, Rd. No. 1, Banjara Hills
Cuisine: Multi-cuisine
Meal: Dinner (with amma)

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 6/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Meal for 2: Rs. 1240/-

Verdict: 7.5/10

For a detailed review, please visit sasikanth.me :)

Restaurant Review: 100 Degrees

Place: 100 Degrees
Location: Necklace Road, Ranigunj, Secunderabad
Cuisine: Continental Meal: Dinner (with mom and dad)

Food: 9/10
Service: 8.5/10
Ambiance: 9/10
Meal for 3: Rs. 1006/-

Verdict: 9/10

For a detailed review, please visit sasikanth.me :)

Restaurant Review: News Cafe

Place: News Cafe

Location: Inorbit Mall, Hitech City

Cuisine: International

Meal: Dinner

Was supposed to hit a pub on Saturday night. This time around, I even had company to go with. But as unfortunate as I am, headed off to News Cafe for a meal. Ive heard some good stuff about this place so was very eager to try it out. Also, having starved the whole day, was very very hungry.

At 9 PM on a Saturday night, the place looked quite empty. Only the tables on the balcony facing Secret lake were occupied. There were four of us, and we found a table to the far end of the balcony, under the air-condition compressors. Beautiful view of the lake made us accept this table, but we began to regret sitting here after a while. There were loads of mosquitoes, and there was nothing the guy could do to help it.

Anyways, unable to bear our hunger, me and my friend ordered a pasta each while the other two planned to skip a meal. My friend ordered Penne in Alfredo sauce, while I went for Spaghetti in Walnut cream sauce (Spaghetti on consecutive days). We also asked for Apple flavored Hookah (not for me).

The Hookah was served first. I took a taste of it for the first time. Strangely, I couldn't feel a thing, it was as if I was breather air. But the second time, it made my throat go dry. I wonder what pleasure people get from it. I personally didn't like it one bit!

My friend's pasta was served first, and it looked alright. But it apparently dint taste that good. I took a taste, and thought it was very very bland. Mine was served a while later, and was much much better than his meal. It wasnt as great as the one I had the previous night at Little Italy (Review), but no qualms. It was creamy alright, and there were a couple of crunchy walnuts here and there. The garlic bread served along was good, so ordered more of them. Since I was really hungry, I actually dint care much for the taste.

We sat here for about two hours, but the place got duller and duller. There seemed to be absolutely no life at the place. All four of us were starring at each others faces for most of the while. The prices of the food and liquor were exorbitant, and the food dint taste amazing either. The quantity of food served was also quite less. Added to this, the server was quite rude. He wanted us to move to a table for 3 in between, as we were having only food and hookah (he actually said that!!). On the whole, I was very very disappointed. I was hoping for a better end to a long day, and it was absolutely thwarted!!

Food: 7.5/10

Ambiance: 6/10 (Thanks to the beautiful view of the lake)

Service: 5/10

Meal for 2: Rs. 1850/- (Including the Hookah and a pack of cigarettes)

Dumbo's Review: 6/10

Restaurant Review: Little Italy

Place: Little Italy

Location: Rd. No. 92, Jubilee Hills, Rd. adj. to Volkswagen showroom

Cuisine: Italian

Meal: Dinner

On a Friday night, I badly wanted to go to a pub. But lack of company got me sitting at home as usual. Determined not to stay at home again, decided to go out and eat some good food. So here I was at Little Italy, my favorite Italian restaurant in town. Not wanting to leave amma alone at home, I treated her to loyalty (I am such a doting son :D ).

Since it was a Friday night, I thought the place would be packed, so decided to reserve a table by calling an hour ahead. But surprisingly it was quite on this night. Located on top of a hill at Jubilee Hills, this place has an awesome view of the city, and has great ambiance. But the tables are placed quite close to each other which makes it look a little congested. They have cozy tables for couples outside on the balcony, which provides a better view of the city. The dim lights set you in the right mood to enjoy a sumptuous yummy meal. A great place to visit with family as well as with your better half.

I should have clicked more pictures

I was not really hungry after munching something at home late evening, so decided to go light on the meal. We ordered Crostini Alla Ragusana for starters (Sliced farmer’s bread, grilled and topped with artichokes, olives, capers, Italian mayonnaise, pesto and fresh chopped tomatoes). I am actually not so fond of Bruschetta, but wanting to taste something different made decide on this one. Also, the sound of Italian mayonnaise was tempting enough.

And I was very happy with my order. Ten pieces of bread were quite yummy. The tomatoes were fresh and juicy, and the artichokes very tender. The mayonnaise was a little too sweet, but had good flavor.

For the main course, I ordered a Lasange alla Gypsy for amma (Layers of home-made pasta, béchamel sauce, tomato sauce, mozzarella, pecorino cheese, mushrooms and aubergine, baked in oven), and a Pasta Gambaza for myself (White creamy sauce, mushrooms, asparagus and Italian herbs).

The lasagna looked very good, but tasted alright. It had a strong after taste, probably because of the pecorino cheese. The mushrooms were strong and had good flavor to them. It wasn't the best lasagna Ive had here, but amma seemed to love it.

I choose spaghetti for my pasta. It turned out to be delicious. Very very creamy, as I asked him to make, it was cheesy as well. The spaghetti was tender and perfect. I had little trouble forking it but made my way through the entire bowl in about ten minutes. Amma had a taste, and thought it was a little too bland. I asked for some oregano, which disappointingly was very very dry. The mushrooms here weren't as strong as in the lasagna. Overall, Bliss!!

The service was very friendly. It took a while for the food to be served, but we weren't in a hurry, so it didn't matter. Great food and good ambiance makes this place a must visit. The prices are on the high end though. Their large vegetarian menu is something you don't find at any other Italian eatery in town. They also serve a good range of mocktails and Wine. I dint know that these guys had branches in Mumbai, Pune, etc. till recent, with the same menu served everywhere. So, if you loking for a lavish Italian meal, head on to Little Italy.

Food: 9/10

Ambiance: 9/10

Service: 9/10

Meal for 2: Rs. 1200/-

Dumbo's Rating: 8.5/10

Amma's Rating: 8/10

PS: The price played a big factor for the final rating.

Restaurant Review: Olives and Cheese

Place: Olives and Cheese

Location: Trimulgherry, a little further from RTA Office, Secunderabad

Cuisine: Italian

Meal: Dinner

Olives and Cheese is a new Italian restaurant in town. The place is small but yet bright. They serve a wide range of Soups, Antipasti, Breads, Pizzas, Pastas, Sandwiches and Salads, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. They have a small desert menu.

I read about this place on Burrp, listed as a cheap fare Italian restaurant, famous for its Pizzas. So here I was. Drove exactly 11 kilometer to taste their pizza. The place was not so full at 9 PM, so I seated myself in a corner. There was no music playing, probably because of the cricket match on TV. I ordered a Szechwan Mushroom Delight pizza. I dint want Capsicum on my pizza, so I asked them to replace it with Olives. Being named Olives and Cheese, they were out of olives. So I asked him to replace it with Baby corn. Unfortunately, they were out of Babycorn too. So finally settled in for Jalapenos. Unable to withstand the temptation, I also ordered a Fettuccine in Alfredo Sauce pasta.

I was hoping for the pizza to come out first, but it was the pasta. It was really cheesy and creamy, just the way I like it. They added Mushrooms, Zucchini and Onions to it. The portion was sumptuous. I was almost full, and was wondering why I ordered a pizza. Pretty good start I should say.

It took a while for the pizza to arrive. This gave me time to make space in my tummy. I asked for a thin crust, but they actually brought a regular crust, which was not so thick after all. It dint matter much cos the crust was really good. The cheese dint seem to be mozzarella, and therefore was breaking way in chunks. But still it was a decent pizza. It wasnt huge, about 8" in size. I liked the pasta better.

Overall, a pretty decent experience. Its no where close to Little Italy, Banjara Hills (one of my favorite restaurants in Hyderabad). But for its prices, its worth it. They started turning off the lights and closing down the place while I was in there, at 10:30 PM, which was a turn-off. Anyways, I would definitely go back to this place, even if its a long ride. I would also recommend it to you guys.

Food: 8.5/10

Ambiance: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Meal for 1: Rs. 238/-

Dumbo's Verdict: 8/10

PS: Its ironical that this place opened just after I left to the US. Back then, I always used to hang out a lot on this road, and there was no good place except for Vacs and McD. Now I see that there are quite a few restaurants here.