The spicy taste of Andhra in Delhi

Experience the spicy nostalgia of Andhra Bhavan's iconic dishes, from mutton fry to Hyderabadi biryani, 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.