Exotica Hyderabad’s one of the known and famous dine-in restaurants has started its second venture in the city. The Exotica at banjara hills was one of my family’s favorite restaurant for every special occasion we visit this restaurant. Both the outlets are rooftop based on the great view of the city and an amazing ambiance with a beautiful interior. After the successful run at the Banjara hills, the owner thought about the IT crowd as it’s quite far from the IT offices. So, now they have the second outlet at Hi-tech city opposite to Hitex Minar which is again a rooftop with the view and such beautiful decor to embrace the interior.

Ambiance:

The ambiance of this place is quite different from the first place as it has more greenery lush were added along with some artifacts pieces inside the indoor seating which is completely closed and it has centralized AC. The front section has a roof but opens for natural fresh air, and they also have a party area again on the top of the restaurant for private parties.

 

Talking about the Food:

Appetizers:

Soups: So, we started with Chinese cuisine soups that are chicken Hot and Sour and sweet corn soup which was perfect for the weather as it was raining outside and these hot soups were soothing to our shivering souls.

Talwar E Tandoori Murg: Now it was the royal entrance of tandoori chicken kebab skewed in the sword which quite a fascinating presentation of the kebab. The taste was good as the flavors of the marination was well inside the meat which was making if more juicy and succulent enough.

Murg Kasturi: Another chicken kebab dish that was quite different from other dishes as the main ingredient of the marination was dry fennel leaves which have its own aroma and taste. It is other ingredients in the marination the taste of the dish has been enhanced to the next level and the chicken chunks were so soft that it was melting in the mouth.

Drums of Heaven: The Chicken lollipop was completely covered sweet, sour, and spicy sauce the taste was superb. The sauce flavor was well inside the meat and as well on the bone too which make the meat tender and succulent enough every bite was flavorful.

Butter Garlic Prawns: I am a big seafood lover and when it comes to prawns I cannot stop my self to have as many pieces as I can from the serving. These juicy big prawns were tossed in a white creamy sauce which has strong butter and garlic essences and those blanched veggies giving the crunch to the dish. It was lite and tasty but required a small amount of salt seasoning in it.

Sichuan style chili Mushrooms: It’s a crunchy battered deep-fried mushroom that was looking like chicken but a veggie which was tossed in Sichuan chili sauce as when you take a bite of it the Sichuan chili heat hits on your tongue and explodes the flavor inside the mouth.

Dahi KE Kebab: The Star dish of the day I have eaten this dish at many restaurants and even in a couple of my favorite places too but I wasn’t quite impressed with the taste as it always has a sour after-taste on the tongue. But here it was quite different where the flavors were right enough and the after-taste was sweet and sour one which was perfect for my taste palate.

Paneer Peshawari Tikka: The Another gem from the menu for vegetarian options these paneers was so soft and fresh that they have absorbed all the flavors from the marination and it was perfectly cooked in tandoor with lite charred texture on the edges of the paneer.

 

Main Course:

Chicken in Oyster sauce: The dish was perfect as the shredded chicken was well soaked inside the gravy and the veggies were a perfect combination with the gravy but the dish was not justified as we had too much of Mughlai dishes.

Paneer Lababdar: This beauty can’t be left out of the menu every place has its own way and style to cook this amazing dish. The paneer cubes were fresh and soft and the gravy was thick, creamy, and tangy which was perfect with butter naan.

Dal Zafraan: The best dal makhani I have eaten till now the taste was so smooth that it was melting in the mouth and the texture was so buttery and creamy that makes you to eat more of it and it’s hard to stop your self from eating such delicious dal.

Mutton Rogan josh: It’s one of my favorite wazwan dishes as it’s a fusion of subtle spices and flavor no too much of hypertension in this dish but quite extensive and focused, The gravy was nice and thick and the mutton was so tendered that it was easy coming out of bone. But the dish was missing a little of its Rogan which comes out of ghee on the top.

Punjabi Fish Masala: This dish has some similarity with rogan josh gravy and rarah dish as the gravy was thick felt like it has minced meat in it but it was shredded fish chunks that made the gravy thick but the fish chunks dry enough as they didn’t absorb the flavors from the gravy.

Dum Biryani: It’s a Hyderabad’s specialty, and we know you cannot go wrong when it comes to Dum Biryani as it’s a basic need of Hyderabadi every day. The biryani was well cooked and flavorful the mutton pieces were juicy and tendered, the rice was perfectly cooked.

Desserts:

The scrumptious meal ended well with Gulab Jamun. Gulab Jamun is a dish that is the best dessert and it is loved by everyone.

 

Ratings:

 Ambiance: 5/5

Food: 5/5

Service: 5/5

Overall Experience: 5/5