It was with some trepidation that I accepted this invite to try out the Andhra food being showcased at Hotel Aloft, OMR. As we know, Guntur chillies aren't for the faint hearted and even though I'm accustomed to spicy food and love it even, I wondered whether it would appeal to my taste buds. I am a newbie when it comes to Andhra food. However, I do love my podis and spices no doubt.
I did some reading up on their food. As with most cuisines of the world, the climate and the soil composition ultimately decides what crops grow and thereby the food that is mostly eaten there so Andhra food is varied. There's the Telengana region whose dry climate is more suitable to millets. Andhra proper having no shortage of water allows rice cultivation while Ragi is popular in the Rayalaseema regions where rainfall is again not dependable. Source
Regarding Spice heat levels
Although Andhra food is well-known for its high heat levels, both the Chef and the curator of the menu assured us that the intensity has been toned down to manageable levels. In fact, Mr. Rao the curator said it is a bit of a myth that Andhra food is searingly hot but there are indeed dishes and ingredients that can knock you out. After trying the food, I felt the heat levels were perfect.
Location
Located right at the Shollinganallur junction just behind the bus stop, the location alone makes this place a convenient choice for the business traveler. The hotel isn't a tall one rather has a larger footprint and only 3 stories tall. They have plenty of rooms (129 if I'm not mistaken) and a billiard table in the waiting lounge which I tried out alone. :D Should say the bar, wxyz which is situated right near the lounge looks like a good place to relax after office hours. I like the lighting of the place.
Food
Podi's and pickles stole the show!
The crisp menu set forth at Aloft Hotel put my fears about skyrocketing spice levels to rest. The second I tasted the rustic, authentic podis (powders) and pickles being served up, I felt this was no ordinary selection of items. The spices and pickles had an unmistakable authenticity to it, one which you will feel only when you try them yourself. And the mystery behind these creations was soon revealed to be Mrs Sugunavathi Rao who hails from a family who has been supplying most of the 5 star and top hotels in the city with their Andhra powders n pickles! Ah, no wonder! Aloft hotel has roped this experienced husband-wife team in to craft the menu that is being showcased at this buffet priced at around Rs 1170 including taxes.
We had a table to ourselves and Mr. Karthikeyan, Food & Beverage manager and Executive Chef Ashok kumar had joined us too along with fellow blogger Sara and the adorable Mrs. Sugunavathi. Her husband who runs the business joined us later.
Mrs. Sugunavathy, who created the menu explaining Andhra
cuisine to fellow blogger, Sara Koshy a well-known home baker herself!
Soup
We started off with a light crab soup which was thin yet flavourful because of that tantalizing spice ratio which we got a lot of even in the other dishes. Left out the crab pieces since they had the shell and I didn't want to look like a savage crunching into them.
Crab soup - Light and spicy
Starters
Among the starters we were presented, I loved the Kodi Vepudu which was just scrumptious! Kodi is "bird" in Telugu so this was Chicken fry. This was a slightly dry dish where the magic of Andhra chillies and spices were easily tasted and the "home cooked" effect really shone through. Very yummy dish.
Kodi Vepudu - Spicy Chicken fry - Not so spicy, tasty yes!
Non Andhra options - Fried squid
The Royyala Vepudu (prawn fry) was again very slighly gravyish and probably the spiciest dish in the menu. Had a good kick of heat which is welcome for a change and after all, This. Is. Andhra food!!
Starters - Vegetarian options
Unbelievably fresh Vada - chutney with bengal gram.
Lovely Fried balls filled with Oats!
Main Course
Lifting the lids of the dishes kept on the burners one-by-one, the first dish I loaded up on was the Tottakura Mamsam (Mamsam = meat/mutton). It just looked well-cooked with plenty of pieces with the bone-in. I was right, paired with cheese loaded naans, these were amazing! And the Thotakura leaves (a kind of spinach if Im not mistaken) means that the curry goes surprising well with rice and is a meal in itself. The naans would also go well with the Pepper chicken curry or the Kodi Pulusu (Chicken curry) which was lovely too. Nothing was overly spicy.
Chicken curries
Vegetarian main course options
There are plenty of homely vegetarian poriyals (vegetables sauteed/fried) like the Dondakaya, Beerakaya and Potlakaya Kura (Kura is curry in Telugu). Although I didn't have space in my tummy to taste them, I am sure they would just as good as the non vegetarian options. The Drumstick curry looked lovely so I tried it even though I was bent on the non veg dishes. It was tangy and lightly spiced.
Pesarattu!
The Pesarattu which I was having for the first time was crunchier than a plain dosa probably due to the presence of moong dal. One look at it and we knew it was a well-made one. It is recommended to be eaten with one of the numerous podi's or chutneys but you might very well polish a few off with the chicken/mutton curries!
Podi's and Pickles
A lot of emphasis has been given to the powders, pickles and pachadis in this menu. This isn't surprising because podis and pickles run in the blood of a true Andhraite.
Can wholeheartedly say that every podi I tasted beat expectations in terms of freshness of the grind and the spice ratio! Vegetarians are spoilt for taste here! The maker of these powders mentioned that zero preservatives have been added and so they don't taste the same after a few days of storage.
Especially loved the Gongura chutney and the Nalla Kara podi (Nalla Kara in Telugu means Black Chilli powder not "Very hot powder!") which had a delicious tinge of dried coconut powder in it. As I learnt then, these powders can be added to plain hot rice with some ghee or Gingelly oil poured on it, pakka Andhra style!
Non Andhra options in the buffet menu
Exec. Chef Ashokkumar told us that 30 percent of the dishes presented were for those who may want something other than Andhra cuisine. A thoughtful move because sometimes you just want some comfort food and not all guests may want a full course Andhra meal. So there were Chinese dishes and even Lasagna for those cheese lovers!
Desserts
Just stuck to the traditional items for this course as I was approaching breaking point by now. The kheer/payasam was decent but there were interesting dishes from the hinterland here too.
The Pootarekulu (a form of paper sweet) was quite a sight with it's opaque layers of rice batter, sugar and of course ghee. It didn't yield cleanly to my bite but imagine my surprise when the layers melted magically into the mouth! A must try item on the dessert menu.
A mention to the super crunchy, yummy groundnut chikki which also made a brief appearance before disappearing mouthwards.
Other desserts
There were interesting non-traditional options like the Cherry Clafoutis, Orange Mousse and the fruit custard tart whose presentation reminded me of a clam! I was so filled up with the lovely main course and traditional desserts that there was no way I could try these options.
Do hurry if you're wanting to check out this amazing spread since the festival is on only till the 19th! However, they are likely to extend the date depending on demand. Do call them up at 90947 83123 to enquire before visiting.
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