My TripAdvisor Review No.666: IKEA Restaurant, Hyderabad.

Swedish Food With An Indian Twist.

After a bout of shopping for furniture and furnishings at the IKEA showroom we decided to have dinner at their restaurant. There were quite a few healthy and tasty items on the menu which included vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian, both Indian and Swedish style of food, as well as fusion.

Their signature dishes are the Meatballs in gravy, Veggie balls in Indian masalas, and a Salmon fish fillet combo meal. We also enjoyed their Dal Makhani with rice, Potato Wedges, Boiled Shelled Corn Niblets, Boiled Broccoli, a Salad, Spring Rolls and a Chocolate Cake. There are many other items on the menu including Chicken Tikka masala, Cheesecakes, fruit salads, soups, and hot and cold beverages.

It is a self service restaurant where you take your food in a wheeled trolley and pay as you take it to your table. Prices are on the higher side but the quantity and quality of the food is very good.

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My TripAdvisor Review No.665: IKEA, Hyderabad.

Gigantic Furniture Showroom.

The IKEA furniture showroom in Hyderabad is a huge place where you can see and buy furniture and appliances for your house. We visited the place in early March 2020 and were simply astounded by the variety and range of the furniture modules available.

It is a one of it’s kind place right from the time you enter. The entrance itself is so mind blowing, we thought we were entering an airport. Every room inside is designed in a unique way, with the pieces of furniture in each room complimenting each other in texture and material, so the entire room gives you a feeling as if a master craftsman has planned and fitted the parts like a pretty jigsaw puzzle. There were many different styles of bedrooms, dining rooms, drawing rooms, modular kitchens and bathrooms, and more. We enjoyed walking through each room marvelling at the various layouts and the furniture in them.

In addition you can buy furnishings, utility items and appliances, both small and big, for the house and kitchen.

There is ample parking space in the compound, but it becomes crowded during weekends and holidays. At the end of all the browsing we went to the unique restaurant and had a sumptuous dinner.

Date of experience: March 2020

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My TripAdvisor Review No.451: Alpha Restaurant, Secunderabad.

Located Near Railway Junction.

We decided to have lunch at this restaurant as it was located bang opposite the Secunderabad Junction Railway Station, and we had to catch the afternoon train to Pune.

The air-conditioned family section, named ‘Alps’, is ironically located underground. We had to go down a narrow flight of steps with our luggage. We found a table next to the standing air-conditioner, as the rest of the tables were not getting the cooling effect. The lighting was quite dim, though they do not serve alcohol.

We ordered a Vegetarian Dum Biryani, a Dal Fry, and a Roti. Food was quite tasty and the quantity was good. However the service was a bit slow and the waiter somewhat reluctant to serve us, maybe because we had not ordered the more popular non-vegetarian biryanis.

The prices were very reasonable, considering the sizeable portions served. We had our fill, satisfied with the food, but not with the ambiance and the service.

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Date of visit: March 2019

• • Value
  • Service
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My TripAdvisor Review No.450: Botanical Gardens, Hyderabad.

Open Space For Recreation.

The Botanical Gardens of Hyderabad, officially known as Sri Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy Botanical Gardens, is located on the Miyapur-Gachibowli Highway in the Kondapur area. There is a huge free parking lot for cars and two-wheelers.

Upon entering you have to buy a ticket for ₹25 per person, and there is a stiff fee for photography and videography. It seems that these fees are meant for commercial shootings, but everyone was entering without paying for their cell-phone cameras, and many were taking selfies. If you are a regular morning walker you can buy a pass for ₹400 per month or ₹1500 for an annual pass.

As you enter there are some life-like statues of animals and birds laid out in neat gardens. There are some demarcated areas for yoga, a wellness center, a party zone, skating rink, mini golf course, fitness center, an adventure arena, a video hall, conference hall, and an amphitheater. There are some cottages for rent and a Food Court which opens later in the day.

The main walking track leads into a dry forest which is more brown rather than green. The track is made of a mixture of sand and gravel. The full round of the track is about 3.5 km. You can hear peacocks early in the morning, and if you are lucky you may even see some. Other smaller birds like bulbuls, babblers, sparrows, and bee-eaters can also be seen and heard.

It is best to go early in the morning if you want to exercise your limbs. Compared to parks in other parts of the country, like Bangalore or Pune, the entry rates are very high, and the park is not so green and soothing to the eyes. The Telangana Forest Department should work on these aspects to make it a better experience for the nature lovers.

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Date of experience: March 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.449: Pala Pitta Cycling Park, Hyderabad.

Cycle To Your Heart's Content.

“You don’t stop Bike Riding when you get old, you get old when you stop Bike Riding”. This is a quotation on one of the boards displayed as you go cycling around the well laid out cycling tracks in the Pala Pitta Cycling Park in the Kothaguda Reserve Forest in Hyderabad. It is located just opposite the Botanical Gardens in Kondapur.

Here you can hire bicycles for ₹50 an hour. The track goes around a fenced in forest and is about 2.5 km in circumference. The track is a mixture of sand, gravel, and mud and is quite suitable for the sports bikes of which they have plenty available in their shed. They have ladies bikes, as well as smaller bikes for kids too.

The park opens at 6 am and it is best to go early in the morning when it is cooler. It is only for cycling, and walking is not allowed on the cycle track. There are benches for sitting and there is a washroom.

The terrain is flat but there are some small hillocks to challenge your pedal power, and the track curves around treacherously in some places, making your ride a bit challenging. If you are lucky you will get to see peacocks wandering around in the forest.

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Date of experience: March 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.448: L&T Metro Rail, Hyderabad.

Faster, Cleaner, Cooler, Cheaper.

Traveling by the L&T Metro Rail of Hyderabad is a much better option of getting around the congested city. It is faster because it avoids the long waits at the traffic signals. It is cleaner by far than the dusty streets, cooler because all the bogies are air conditioned and much cheaper than road transport if you are traveling alone.

Recently the Blue Line got an extension from Ameerpet to Hitech City. We used the metro to travel from Hitech City to Secunderabad East to catch our Shatabdi Express from Secunderabad Junction Main Station. It took us 40 minutes in the metro and 10 minutes to walk from Secunderabad metro station to the main station. If we had taken a rickshaw or cab it would have taken us an hour and a half.

At the metro stations, elevators are available to take you up from the road level to the platform level. The staff are very helpful and guide you to the concourse. There are some seats reserved for senior citizens and ladies. Small luggage can be kept under the seats.

For the local commuters of Hyderabad, the Metro is a blessing, as it serves as a Rapid Transport System, avoiding the massive traffic jams and bottlenecked roads which the city is fast becoming. It serves the main areas of Hyderabad, but one still has to make use of the buses and autos to connect to the outlying areas.

Work on expansion and new routes are still underway, and hopefully should be operative in the near future.

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Date of experience: March 2019

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My TripAdvisor Review No.438: The Eat India Company, Restaurant in Hyderabad.

Unique Ambiance But Average Food.

The restaurant has a unique ambiance with a quirky theme of the times when India was governed by the British East India Company in the 19th century. There are many pictures and paintings as well as ancient weapons and relics of the princely states of the erstwhile maharajas of medieval India. As we enter we get the feeling of entering a durbar hall of an old palace in pre-independent India.

However, the food did not live up to our expectations. It was mainly North Indian, Mughlai, and Chinese dishes. There was the option of ordering buffet (served at the table) or ala-carte. Alcohol is also served, with one complimentary welcome drink in the buffet.

For drinks, we ordered a beer and a ‘Strawberry Surprise’ mocktail which tasted more like the popular syrup ‘Rooh Afza’.

We decided to do vegetarian ala-carte and ordered ‘Dahi ka Kabab’ and ‘Makai ka Tikka’ as starters and both tasted mediocre. For the mains, we tried ‘Nizami Handi’, ‘Pudina ka Dal’, with Naan, Roti and ‘Subzi Ka Dum Biryani’. The sabzi and dal tasted good, but the biryani served with curd and gravy was very spicy. The Indian breads were quite exorbitantly priced.

The service was satisfactory but not exceptional. A service charge of 7% was added in the final bill. The taste of the food can be improved, maybe the non-vegetarian food might be better.

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Date of visit: March 2019

• • Value
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