19 August,2011 09:58 AM IST | | Amrita Bose
Ignore the ambience at 4 Seasons, a new Hyderabadi eatery in town. the food more than makes up for the lack of aesthetics here
Getting drenched on your way to a food review can't be anybody's idea of a good end to an otherwise hectic day at work. But a food reviewer with MiD DAY is often on a mission, come hail or high-water especially with looming deadlines and thrice-a-week requirements for food reviews.
Chicken Badami Rolls
So, on a rainy evening, we set off in search of 4 Seasons, a new restaurant on 100 feet road in Indiranagar. But having miscalculated its location, we ended up stranded in a steady drizzle that very soon made us look like something that the cat might have dragged in. So, by the time we finally made it to the third floor location of 4 Seasons, we were cold, unkempt and looking at some seriously good food to help us escape our misery.
But the staff helpfully turned off the air conditioner as soon as we stepped in and pretended not to notice our dishevelled appearance. One of them very helpfully suggested that we start our meal with a hearty Mutton Soup (R 110). The menu is essentially Hyderabadi and Mughlai with smatterings of Continental, Chinese and some Arabic too. To be honest, the menu seemed like a slightly fine dining version of a popular chain restaurant around town known for their Ghee Rice-Butter Chicken combos, fried kebabs and grilled chicken.
The Mutton Soup turned out to be a delicate, flavoursome shorba or stock spiked with fresh coriander, caramelised onions and a dash of lime. The steaming, clear soup warmed us up in no time and left a bite in our mouths from the freshly ground pepper.
The d ufffdcor is nothing much to write home about at 4 seasons with simple wooden chairs, comfortable seating and slightly tacky upholstery. But the food leaves no room for complaints. This being the month of Ramadan, we decided to go for the Mutton Haleem (R 120), which the eatery is serving all of this month for the faithful to break their fast with. The Haleem came garnished with caramelised onions, roasted cashew nuts, fresh coriander and some ghee. Bits of meat hit our tongue when we spooned in the gooey paste-like Haleem spiked with cinnamon, whole peppercorns and bay leaf, the onions adding a sweet note to the otherwise robust dish. Chicken Badami Rolls (Ru00a0 260) came next. Sweetened khoa and a dry fruit mixture came stuffed in flattened breasts of chicken, shaped into rolls and charred on a grill. While the meat tasted smoky, it gave way to a sweet and nutty stuffing inside. We mopped up these kebabs with spicy mint chutney in no time.
Though 4 seasons is a newcomer in town, it is no stranger to Hyderabad with four restaurants, including one inside the Infosys campus and one in Chennai. Steering clear of the continental and Chinese fare, we decided to stick to Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani (R 180) andu00a0 the Arabic Khabsa Laham (Ru00a0 230). The latter is a native dish of Saudi Arabia where Khabsa means rice and Laham is meat. The rice was flavoured with saffron and came with bits of roasted pine nuts. But what made us feel a little iffy was the gigantic leg of mutton that accompanied the rice.
The leg looked straight out of Roald Dahl's macabre short story Lamb to Slaughter where a jilted wife swings a frozen leg of lamb and does her husband in. Gingerly we picked at the tender mutton while pretending not to notice the giant bone. The rice was tasteless and the addition of a tomato gravy served alongside didn't help much. The Mutton Biryaniu00a0 cooked in the layered, dum style, however turned out to be trusty as usual. But what escalated its taste was actually the Mirchi ka Salan served with it in true Hyderabad style. Tempered with mustard seeds, the flavour of the salan was almost pickled and tangy and took the fragrant biryani to another level.
We finished our meal with a Khubani Ka Meetha served with vanilla ice cream. The candied and deseeded apricots paired with the ice cream were a nice idea but we found the fruit a bit too sugary for our liking.
A meal at 4 Seasons is best for those days when you crave some heavy duty Mughlai food but don't really care about the ambience and are not exactly counting calories.
Where 4 Seasons Restaurant, 100 Feet Road, Indiranagar
Call 25252221/ 2523331
Meal for Two R 1000
4 Seasons didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.
