I’ll firstly admit that I am writing this with a bit of umbrage, because I am sure that at least some of the people reading will be able to empathise with me as fellow Hyderabadis. Last month, when Condé Nast Traveller released its list of top 50 restaurants in India, my eyes had rapidly scanned the listicle to see which restaurant (not even plural) from Hyderabad made it to the list. However, even thinking that was a bit much, as not a single one made it to the list again.
I was disappointed but not surprised at all. After all, Hyderabad, unlike other metro cities, is still a bit raw in terms of what it has to offer in new experiences.
I’ll also admit that we’re not very experimental (that is slowly changing now, thankfully), but the change is now visible in terms of new places (like Banh Mi Babe) and younger chefs doing different things. Experiential home dining, something that has existed in other cities like Delhi and Mumbai, is also finally here.
That apart, we also don’t have great PR or marketing of the foods as well which is why it easily falls off the radar. The city has never been on the radar of national food critics except when it comes to Biryani and maybe a few other things.
If you look at the list of restaurants that made it to Condé Nast Traveller’s (CNT) top 50 names, many are places serving cuisines from across the world. Some are absolutely unique and are doing wonderful things, which perhaps is also something we Hyderabadis should think of.
In fact, most of the fancy or high-end restaurants opening up in Hyderabad these days are pretty much stuck on the same blueprint—big space, inauthentic menus (like selling Indo-Chinese instead of true Asian). As far as bars are concerned, I think the city definitely also has a lot of catching up to do. States like Goa, and cities like Mumbai and Delhi are certainly much ahead.
Someone close to me who’s not from Hyderabad once remarked out of frustration that the city is “backward” when it comes to food. The remark was about not finding authentic sushi or anything else from around the world if there was a craving for it.
It had made me think (while there was a fair point about it) about what makes a city great when it comes to food. Do we really need to have authentic Vietnamese or Japanese food in a city to be great? Do we also treat other cities the same way? For example, I’ve been to Vietnam and should we expect the best African or Indian dish to call cities there great?
While I think having different cuisines from around the world certainly adds to a city’s aura or reputation as a melting pot (which I definitely think Hyderabad needs to grow into), it is not necessarily the biggest factor. People forget that one of the most important things about food is comfort, to make us forget about everything when we eat, and Hyderabad is full of comfort food that can put us in a food coma.
Also read: What the world can learn from India’s food plate
What the city needs
Food is where our strength lies, and there is a very important factor here, which is inconsistency. Traditional places serving local food have been around for a long time, but anyone can vouch that most of the places often slowly decay because of complacency. And I can say this out of experience and some gumption: Hyderabad is far beyond many places when it comes to local food.
So what is it that we lack? There is also another thing, which I keep telling people: That Hyderabad is a city where our people are obsessed with eating the same food at home and outside. Be it Biryani or Telugu food, everyone will never hesitate to eat a banging Andhra Thali or mutton curry or even Pappu (dal) at the biggest or smallest restaurant, even if they’ve had the same thing a day earlier at home.
It means that maybe it will take us time to come up with something like a Bomras in Goa or a Kopitam Lah in Bengaluru (which are on the list), but other cities will never be able to do Hyderabadi Biryani and Telugu food the way we do. So, we have to elevate what we offer, and maybe come up with something new.
All we have to do is market it, and maybe elevate the experience; that’s it. We have the money, we have the real estate, and hopefully someone with talent will figure this out soon.
Yunus Lasania is a Hyderabad-based journalist whose work primarily focuses on politics, history and culture. He tweets @YunusLasania. Views are personal.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)