Ever since my workplace shifted to the Gachibowli area in Hyderbad, I had been looking out for a decent place to eat without burning a hole in my pocket close to office. Well that's not one but three conditions! Then one fine day, Deli9 opened its bistro, a hop skip and a jump away!
The ambiance of the bistro is quite appealing to one's eyes. An outside sitting area, which isn't exactly a fresco but gives out the feel of sitting under a shade with a small tree standing by. A set of colorful, strikingly huge lamps hanging in front of you the moment you enter, a very impressive looking bakery counter nearby, crockery neatly lined up on shelved next to the kitchen window. The seating is quite optimized to make the whole area look spacious and still give the diners a lot of sitting area. Every table is equipped with a plug point for charging that phone of yours, or that odd laptop used by an executive over a working lunch. How convenient!
If the description of ambiance makes you think that its a hip place, hip it is. But you would surprised as I was when I compared the pricing to the quantity served. Its like this - if you are hungry and if you order a mains, chances are that you will have a full stomach in about Rs 300 or so. Add either a mocktail or a dessert/icecream and it hovers about Rs 400 or so(for a very rough idea). the portions being served are quite generous for most of the dishes. Its the same for the mocktails and coolers as well. Huge tall glasses that not only quench your desire for a soft drink but fill your tummy to almost half as well(for the average eater). My personal favorite is their Belgian creamy cooler with a great chocolaty flavor.
A few pictures to you take you through the whole setup before I go on with the food section.
The menu is quite extensive and covers a good number of options for the diner who loves to experiment or try a new dish every time. For a not so adventurous diner, the menu features some very common dishes as well. To satisfy the taste buds of a pizza lover, they have these foot long pizzas. The first one to reach our table was the special BBQ pizza which had only bbq, onions, bell peppers as its topping. As simple as that! The aromatic flavor of bbq chicken combined with the thin crust really tasted good. But there is a catch which I have realized over a couple of times I have had this pizza - you to consume it while its still hot/warm. When cold, it doesn't really live up to the combination of taste as the bbq chicken with the cheese and the nicely baked crust would do.
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| The Deli 9 Special BBQ Chicken Pizza |
We tried a few starters, both veg and non-veg. They have an MFC - Malabar fried chicken, which has strong flavors signalling its region of origin. The chicken, with a flour coating laden with herbs and spices typical to Malabar cuisine, has been deep fried. My only 'bone' of contention- the chicken cubes had bones in them! I would have definitely liked a boneless version of this as a finger-food(or rather toothpick food!)
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| MFC - Malabar Fried Chiken |
The pepper laden fish was something which I relished eating. The spicy tangy taste with a hint of sweetness occasionally mingling in and the crunchy veggies definitely complemented the fish. Portion size is quite generous as well.
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| Pepper laden fish |
The fiery crispy prawns were outright fiery indeed when the first serving arrived on our table. So when a second serving reached us with the heat reduced to quite some extent, I felt that they were just about average. they really didn't strike a chord with me on taste factor.
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| Fiery Crispy Prawns |
A few pictures shown below indicate some of the veg starters on the menu. I would urge you to try them for yourselves, rather than me describing (or more like - trying to describe) their taste. But I must admit to the fact that the vegetarian starters were equally good like the non-veg ones!
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| Firangi Samosa |
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| Outrageous Nachos |
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| Silly Cheese Potato Skin |
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| Orange Frioska |
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| Chicken Lahori Seekh Kebab |
This chicken 65 bao is one thing that makes me ask for it again and again. Soft steamed bun filled with chicken 65 is fusion! I have had this once at the Bistro and I have had it as a take away one fine evening. I had to drive for about a couple of hours before I reached home and put the bao into the microwave to re-heat it. Believe me when I say the bao was tender even after a cycle of hot-cold-hot! I would definitely recommend you to try this once.
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| Chicken 65 Bao |
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| Lahmakun Turkish Pizza |
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| Keema Pao |
The oh so juicy burgers! I had a tex-mex lamb burger one day and I was full! The burgers are of decent size and the patty is definitely tender and juicy. A really good burger and the price is definitely less if you would compare this to burgers from other established authentic burger joints(I am excluding the fast food chains like K and M selling burgers from my list).
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| Khow Suey |
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| Paneer Soole Kebab |
The cajuned marinated chicken breasts were the star of the show and they have been consistently like that during the many visits I have had. Truly tender and moist inside, with a fabulous cajun sauce to go with it, they are my delight when I have have then on a sizzler pan. I have also passed on a feedback to make a little more saucy while on the sizzler pan so that it doesn't become too dry owing to the heat from the pan. But yes, A big thumbs up from me for this!
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| Cajun Marinated Chicken |
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| Pan Fried Fish Steak Sizzler |
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| Fish n Chips |
The chocolate log is a very very very sinful combination of chocolate(regular and dark) and brownie in molten chocolate. the moment you cut a slice, the slushy brownie gushes out. An overdose of chocolaty sweetness if you can stand it!
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| from left to right clockwise: chocolate log, blue berry cheese cake, a torte la orange(egg-less), red velvet roulade(egg-less) |
If you are in Gachibowli area or around Financial District and you are looking for a hip dining place that wouldn't burn a hole in your pocket - this is for you!
If you want to hang out with coolers, mock-tails, tea /coffee and beat the heat along with your friends and colleagues, and occasionally would like to munch on desserts and bakery items - this is the place for you!
Food - 4/5
Service - 3/5
Ambiance - 3.5/5
Money matters - 4/5
Hit or Miss? Definitely a hit when it comes to comparing how much you spent and how much you got back in return! Must visit!
~By Invitation~
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