Basant Lok Market was, till the 90s, one of South Delhi’s most popular places to hang out—and then stand-alone cinemas gave way to multiplexes. Priya Cinema, the main attraction in the market, suddenly found itself (despite a plush new look) … Continue reading
About two decades back, Thai restaurants were all the rage in Delhi. There was (or so it seemed) one in almost every major market, and a chain—Bangkok Degree 1, 2 and 3—had also set up shop. It looked as if Thai food, with its curry-like flavours, its spice and freshness and obvious points of appeal to Indian palates, was here to stay.
Then there was an odd shift. Every other Oriental restaurant (even those which proclaimed themselves as Chinese) began serving Thai curries and rice. That may have been the only Thai dish on their menus, but it was there, often in a not-at-all-authentic form. And the primarily Thai restaurants retreated into the background, either shutting down or just going downhill.
We have always been very fond of Thai food, so this, of course, was a bit of a blow for us. And there was much excitement when we discovered (on a Facebook foodies group) that a Thai restaurant had opened in Greater Kailash’s N Block Market. Someone who’d eaten there had praised the authenticity of the food, so we were especially keen to check it out. Within hours of hearing about Dao, we’d booked a table for Sunday lunch here with my sister and brother-in-law.
At Dao.
My husband and I end up visiting Select CityWalk Mall every other week or so, invariably combining shopping with lunch, followed by coffee and cake, mostly at either The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf or Starbucks. When we saw that … Continue reading
Middle Eastern cuisine is a firm favourite with both my husband and I. We love the flavours, we love the textures and the light, fragrant dishes—all the way from relatively rich rice-and-meat dishes to simple pita-olive oil-za’atar snacks. So, when … Continue reading
Amongst India’s best-known museums, Hyderabad’s Salarjung has the distinction of being possibly the largest collection of art and artefacts built up by a single man: Mir Yousuf Ali Khan (Salarjung III). The Salarjungs were one of Hyderabad’s most important aristocratic … Continue reading
‘Seven Tombs’—the name by which this tomb complex in Hyderabad, one of the city’s major heritage attractions, is known—is very deceptive. Firstly, because while the large tombs, those of various rulers of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, do total up to seven, there are dozens of other tombs, of everybody from dancers to physicians to queens. And more, making this possibly the largest necropolis in the Deccan. Secondly, there aren’t just tombs in this complex; there are also several other types of buildings.
The tomb of Hayat Baksh Begum.
Of the forts of the Deccan, Golconda is one of the most famous—and it’s one of Hyderabad’s major tourist attractions. We’d decided this had to be among the first sights we visited, so after we’d seen the Qutb Shahi Tombs, … Continue reading
Sadly, the only thing I knew about Hyderabad’s Mecca Masjid, before I began researching the city to create our itinerary, was that it was the scene of a brutal terrorist attack in 2007. Someone mentioned to us that, in the … Continue reading
Bang in the heart—literal and spiritual, so to say—of Hyderabad is the ornate four-towered building known as Charminar. We visited it on our second day in Hyderabad, but even on our first day, while sightseeing elsewhere, we were constantly asked: … Continue reading
When my husband and I were setting out to draw up an itinerary for our trip to Hyderabad, most websites we visited raved on and on about the Charminar, the Golconda Fort, the QutbShahi Tombs and the Salarjung Museum (all, … Continue reading
Dustedoff 