The Indian Art Cafe is my ‘eating out’ regret – regret that I passed it a million times and scoffed at it, much like a book that we go past ever so often in a library and avoid picking it up for no specific reason only to regret later what treasure we have been missing.
I was at the Indian art cafe in Inorbit mall, Hyderabad for a quick lunch and boy was I charmed. First impressions are of a tastefully done up space that is not overly cluttered with South Indian trimmings and trinkets, the bistro uses all the space it has beautifully – tastefully done and taking full advantage of the views. Overlooking the Durgam Cheruvu lake, the bistro is located in the quieter recess of the mall ensuring a relatively non intrusive and private space.
As most south Indian restaurants go the menu is fairly compact and yet does not disappoint. The simple menu makes up for the range of items on offer – a tempting and unexpected selection with variations ranging from the classic idly and dosas to Dravidian baked risottos and Swiss appams. A further glimpse of the menu can be caught here.
On my visit here I ordered a little cautiously and with the intention to compare. For starters I ordered the Mirapakaya Ulli Garelu (Onion and Chili fritters) and for main course it was the sponge dosa and the ‘Spinach and Young Potato Dosa’.
As the food was brought in, one thing was clear the Bistro was making a conscious attempt to steer clear from everything overtly south Indian – no traditional copper/bronze cutlery here. The presentation was extremely refreshing and while the food screamed south Indian the presentation hinted fine dining. The presentation immediately reminded me of the ‘Twist of Taste’ series that airs on Fox History and traveler and the one particular episode where chef Vineet Bhatia cooked up some uttapam lasagna (You can see the episodes of this series here).
So the Indian Art cafe knows presentation and aesthetic, but that’s not all – the Kitchen can cook some amazing food too :).
The Mirapakaya Ulli Garelu were stellar, the batter was roughly ground with a liberal doze of spice and chilli and was cooked to perfection, this was served with the three classic chutneys of spicy ginger, garlic and coconut. One bite and I was smitten :).
The sponge dosa for lack of any other appropriate description was ‘mind blasting’ to say the least. This kick ass dosa is light, fluffy and so delicately flavoured that I could have happily returned for dinner and had the same dish all over again. (I took this to compare it with the famed Chutney’s Steam dosa, and boy oh boy is the sponge dosa a force to reckon 🙂 )
The ‘Spinach and Young Potato Dosa’ was presented in bite size pieces . This dosa too had a flavour so close to home made dosa that I had to return for more.
The only disappointment was the Sambar – insipid, watery and lacking vegetables, this accompaniment definitely lacked the punch and vibrancy that the dish could otherwise bring. It reminded me of my childhood days spend eating the food served in the Army mess, where on certain days South Indian was on the menu and the cooks would bring in their interpretation of Sambar 😀 .. watery, flavourless salty and sour fluid.
My experience here was surreal, it was beautiful to see all the south Indian ‘tiffins’ served with focus on presentation, ambiance and flavour. I cannot wait for my next visit here where I would love to try the risottos and fondue fusion items.
South Indian cuisine is beautiful and delicious and it is about time it gets to be seen as fine dining material, and Indian Art Café seems to be heading in the right direction.
I would highly recommend this restaurant for its definite strength’s – amazingly delicious south Indian fare, contemporary ambiance, waiters with fine dining training, fusion food and refreshing presentation.
Overall rating: 4 stars
Food: 3 1/2 stars
Service: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Prices: Reasonably priced (The one starter and two main dishes cost me 300 rupees)
Noise rating: For a bistro set in a mall, Indian Art Cafe is surprisingly quite, no problems holding a conversation here.
A slide show of some of the items we tried and the bistro itself can be seen here.
http://youtu.be/3e3v30zrEg8
(Check back again for a follow-up update)