The City Point building at the end of Dhole Patil Road is a foodie destination. Dhole Patil Road has a number of restaurants and you can spend months trying each one of these.
I have been to this building many times and visit to Oh! Calcutta was particularly memorable. Unfortunately, they have shut shop now.
Food Story on Dhole Patil Road had been on the radar for some time. I had heard a lot about its focus on Hyderabadi cuisine and rich Nawabi food. If you are a regular reader on this blog, you must know by now that Biryani is my favorite Indian rice dish. And I knew I was at the right place the moment Chef Arif Ahmed proclaimed that Gosht Biryani is the only true biryani. I avoid eating Chicken Biryani at all costs. It just doesn’t give the right flavor.
To begin our own culinary story at the Food Story, I started off with the Dark Surprise, which was a mixture of Mint and Jaljeera. Can’t think of a better digestive before an indulgent, rich meal. The restaurant has many similar drinks on its menu with an Indian flavor profile to go with the Hyderabadi cuisine.
It is truly a rewarding experience to go out for a nice luxurious meal with family and friends and nibble at the tasty food over endless chatter. Food Story has a vast appetizer menu, and chef Arif has taken great pains to make every dish unique.
Appetizers at Food Story
The Pathar Ka Gosht is a pounded boneless piece of mutton roasted on a special stone. But the name also comes from the spice that is dominant in this dish. Pathar Ka Phool or Dagad Phool or Kalpasi has always been an essential ingredient in the Black masala in our house. But tasted so yummy with roasted lamb. The Hyderabadi style of preparation – cooking the meat on heated stone – makes this dish a must-try.
The other highlight of the appetizer platter was the Shikmapur. Shikampur is a classic Hyderabadi dish. It uses a thick minced lamb mixture with a moist hung curd and onion stuffing at the center.
But it is not all about Lamb. Food Story also offers many choices for seafood and chicken lovers. The Machli Rubayat with its pickling spices comes with a very different taste profile than the Lamb preparations. The delicate fish fillets are mildly spiced with Achari masala and melt in your mouth.
But you know what, I will still prefer lamb over chicken any day. If you are not yet reached an age when Galauti and Shikampur is the only option for you, don’t be afraid to break a bone.
The Gosht Ke Chops is a spicy preparation. The chops are coated with a thick spice-mix and cooked in tandoor. Crispy on the outside, you can easily bite into its soft meaty center with the coating still intact.
What ‘s all the appetizers without some chutneys? No matter how well spiced the dish is, we just can’t have food without our chutneys.
And I am so glad that Chef Arif has come up with some new chutneys that complement the spicy appetizers perfectly. The Mooli (White Radish) dip is made with Cashew paste that not only reduces the tartness of the Radish but tastes amazing with the Pathar Ka Gosht. And if you must have the regulars, you can dip into the traditional Green chutney.
Main Course at Food Story
I can’t imagine how the Nizams of Hyderabad moved around with such rich food. Rich, but not oily or greasy at all. Hyderabadi Gosht Ki Haleem is exported and sent out from Hyderabad across different locations during the Ramadan month. It is said that the dish was so filling, the Nawabs ate it for breakfast and then went for a two hour nap.
The last time I ate Haleem was at a Pakistani restaurant and that was completely different from this one. And I can say I like Chef Arif’s Gosht Ki Haleem much more compared to the one that I remember.
The gooey mixture or daals and wheat was very comforting. Cloves were the dominating spice here, which gave it a completely different taste than other lamb preparation that I tried. Haleem is not something you will find on every restaurant’s menu, and unless you are planning to move to the city of Charminar, make sure that you try this dish at Food Story.
Another slow cooked breakfast dish that is famous is Nalli Nihari. Said to be a find of kitchens in Delhi, the Nalli is the lamb shank, which is cooked slowly for hours to mix all the goodness of the bone marrow into the gravy.
Almost every dish has a legend. Nalli Nihari was said to be a breakfast dish which as cooked overnight for laborers working at the royal construction site. It provided the much need nutrition early in the morning before the laborers went out for the day’s work.
The story may be true or not, but the dish is definitely to believe in. The slow cooking method ensures that the lamb is juicy and cooked to the bone. The gravy here too was mildly spiced and again very different than the taste of Shan Nihari Masala that I tried a couple of times.
I loved all of these and I am sure I will visit this place many times more before I get bored of it, if I do. But my true love is the Mutton Biryani. Chef Arif’s Gosht Kachi Akhni Biryani is awesome.
I literally dread ordering Biryani in restaurants because most of them never serve Dum Biryani. All you get is rice tossed in mutton gravy, yuk! But Biryani at Food Story was yum. And this reason alone is enough for me to make trips to the restaurant. I can’t figure our how the chef managed to keep the Biryani slightly moist without being oily. The fragrance of whole spices and lamb was simply irresistible. I can feel my mouth watering writing this and looking at the picture :(
As Chef Arif says, every Hyderabadi meal must end with a cup of tea and a Paan. My rate of chewing on a Paan has dropped considerably in the recent years and I regret it very much. But before we get to that part of the meal, there’s still some space left for a sweet. Think Hyederabad, think Khubani ka Meetha.
Khubani ka Meetha is desert made with dry apricots (jardalu) and topped with cream. But what surprised me most of the dish here was the topping of small Apricot nuts! The dessert was sweet, light, and natural.
Guys! if you are planning to have a flavorful Nawabi Indian meal, Food Story on Dhole Patil Road is definitely the place you need to visit. I can say without any doubt that you will not be disappointed.