Saturday, February 5, 2011

Sahib Sindh, Sultan of The Good Times


Pet mein haathi daud rahe hain. You are hungry as hell and on the streets of Hyderabad. You are thinking of all those places you have eaten out at. You draw a complete blank. You feel lost and you feel like you have never eaten out. Ever!! Suddenly one place pops in your head. It's not your mostestest favorite restaurant but you thought it was ok the last time you were there. You say to your Dove, "Hey! Indi Joe is not so far. Let's go there." Dove hasn't had much success with the options for lunch either. You and Dove are super hungry. You finally resign to your fate and say, "What the hell! Let's go!". You vrrooooom off towards City Centre on your P-Boy 180 The DTSi.

You are about to enter the Parking Lot. You see a sign board with 4 other restaurants on that list. You are delighted at the surprise additions to your otherwise empty list. You see Indi Joe, but you were already heading there so you Ignore it. You see Something of China. You can't read the word that something replaced in its name. You only realize later it was Aromas. You also see Presidentia, now this name was too much for you. It already makes you feel the food is boring. You've been to Firangi Paani before. It's not a place you want to go to for lunch. And you know that! And then you see Sahib Sindh Sultan and you think, Now here's place! You look at your Dove. She's already made the decision for you. Sindh catches your attention. You are already dreaming of meaty kebabs. You and Dove are having a craving for nice yummy spicy Indian food.

You enter the lift. You are hungry and you can't wait. But life has a way of mocking you every time. The lift you are in stops at every freaking floor, even -1. Others might think it is common. Well, you beg to disagree. No one enters. Now what do the others have to say? Others were not as hungry anyway. Ok, at this point I am loosing focus. But hey here it goes again..

 You finally reach the 5th floor. You and Dove cautiously enter the small stall like waiting area of the restaurant. You begin to wonder if it is just a take away place. Confused, Dove asks, "Sahib Sindh Sultan?" The receptionist confirms. "You have to place your final order, the kitchen's closing now.", she adds. You are  bummed. You ask, "Now??". She laughs at you and directs you to a seat. "Inside Sir", she says with a grin.

You enter, and you have a grin of your own now. You feel like you have been transported back in time. You are at a train station now. You know because you see a really long train waiting for you at the platform. You are asked to take a seat on the platform. Dove is super excited. She wants to board the train! You ask your waiter if you can board the train. She agrees. You and Dove are making funny sounds at this moment. The two of you are that excited.

You promptly take a window seat. All seats are window seats. You are relishing this experience of being on board a vintage train. You have an old style briefcase above you on the luggage shelf. You have 2 neat looking hats around you. You can't stop looking around. You just got a little more hungrier. A place that looks this good must have awesome food. Dove echoes your thoughts. The menu's in front of you and you seem a little lost. Dishes are named something e la Dalhousie and Something de Mountbatten. Everything sounds so yum! Everything sounds so colonial!! Your eyes finally stall on Kammangini Banna or also called Murgh Soole or something, a fierry Rajasthani Kebab. Your waiter recommends that too. You remember you have to place your order now or you go back home hungry. You also order Murgh Peshawari, 2 Rumali Rotis and a spicy Chicken Biryani. Too much to eat for just two people eh? Not so much if you are dove and you!

The food arrives. The rumali rotis come first. Not very impressive. No rumali rotis can impress anyone. The MurghPeshawari comes next. Seems like a spicy curry, Brick red in color. The pickles arrive. Dove blows her brains out with flavors the resto has to offer. She is already feasting on them like a hungry pig. You are not too far behind. Oh! You forget to mention the bread sticks. The kebabs come soon after. They look juicy and they are fiery red in color, its aroma bowls the two of you over. You flip a switch. You haven't dirtied your hands yet but you can't stay away any longer. You ignore the fork and spoon on your left. You jump in with you bare hands. Indian style eating today. Nothing else! The Kebab tastes just as good as it looks. The green chutney to go with it is killer.

The rotis and the curry are next and they win you over too. You feel like a child. You can't stop the orgasmic sounds you are making involuntarily. The whole resto is staring at you now. You couldn't care less. You are mindlessly tearing away at the  rotis and quite efficiently whipping the curry clean off your plate. The biryani  is next on your agenda for the evening. And now you are eating faster than you ordered. Your Dove looks at you and is hopelessly falling for you all over again. She has never seen you eat like this ever before. You have never seen her enjoying her food like this ever. You are falling head over heels in love with the food.. Errrrr… her.

A tad bit more than 20 minutes is all you take to finish your food.

You and Dove fall back on the back rest. You are full to your neck and you are, for once, tired of eating. Who won't be after eating all that good stuff in less than half an hour. The two of you let out a sigh. You look at each other and you can't stop smiling. You are high. Whoever said you need alcohol to get high.

You are inspired. You want to ride on in that vintage train and never get off.

May I have your attention Please -
If you haven't been here already, I suggest you do so as soon as you bloody can! This place is off the charts. And it is best enjoyed with good company(With your dove or with your closest friends). Also, if you are not eating with your bare hands, you are not eating at all.

Bon Appetite!

PS: Dove says it tastes better when you are starving  or if you are having a craving for authentic Indian food.

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