The spicy taste of Andhra in Delhi

A friend’s description of his dinner a few days ago had me drooling. On his way home from work, he had stopped at Andhra Bhavan and packed some mutton fry. The dish was hot and spicy, and he liked it so much that he went all misty-eyed while describing it.

It got me all nostalgic too, for I had been thinking of visiting this old haunt of mine for a while now. There was a time when we went there every other Sunday for a plate of Hyderabadi biryani. The thali was a special favourite, for one could eat as much as one wished to (for ₹14 when I first started going there).

I often went for breakfast too — and enjoyed my cup of hot filter coffee, the soft idlis and crisp vadas.

The prices have gone up since then. I was there one weekday recently and heard that the breakfast — coffee, with one piece each of idli, vada, one dosa — cost ₹130. The non-sharing vegetarian lunch thali is for ₹200 – and consists of rice, puris, a special rice dish, dal, two kinds of vegetable dishes, chutney, sambar, rasam, curd, papad, pickle and a sweet. Rotis replace puris in the dinner thali.

The Andhra Bhavan canteen (also called Andhra and Telangana canteen), I found, was as busy as ever. The place is meant for people who like their food spicy. I did so at one time but over the years, I have lost my passion for hot food — though I must admit I still enjoy it.

I decided to place an order for home delivery — and asked for their ‘Carrier meal’, which at ₹490, has all the ingredients that adorn the regular thali. And, of course, we wanted their mutton — so I ordered two plates of boneless mutton fry (₹300).

I was not disappointed. Many Andhra Bhavan afficionados believe that over the years the standard of the food has fallen. However, the dishes I had were as they used to be — hot and spicy, even though I had asked for a non-spicy platter.

The rasam was excellent, and helped a young dinner guest clear his sinuses. I liked the sambar, the carrot vegetable dish, the dal with bits of spinach and the eggplant curry. I liked the sweet dish too — a soft halwa — and enjoyed the juicy mutton immensely.

I didn’t order the biryani this time. When we started having their biryani with the glistening egg, it cost ₹60. The chicken dum biryani is now for ₹300 while the mutton biryani, available only on weekends, is for ₹350.

Sometime back, when Andhra Bhavan ruled, Delhi didn’t have too many places offering Hyderabadi biryani. But in the last 15 years, restaurants and outlets — such as Bagundi, Andhra Canteen, Sassy Begum, Bikkgane and Andhra Kodi Pulao — have mushroomed across town offering Andhra and Hyderabad cuisines, prepared by talented khansamas who focus more on the flavours than on the chillies.

Despite the ups and downs, I enjoyed the Andhra Bhavan fare. It was sheer nostalgia, garnished with red chillies.

(At 1 Ashoka Road; Breakfast 8am to 10am, Lunch 12pm to 3pm, Dinner 7.30pm to 10pm; Phone: 011-23387499)