Ziti, Hyderabad
The Basics - Small, good service, good food, parking might be a problem, Rs.1000 for two, open for lunch and dinner.
The Address - #8-2-334, 1st floor, Aditya Court, Road no. 5, Banjara Hills. Or call 040-65552442 if you're lost.
The Verdict - Must try, especially for main course and desserts.
The Basics - Small, good service, good food, parking might be a problem, Rs.1000 for two, open for lunch and dinner.
The Address - #8-2-334, 1st floor, Aditya Court, Road no. 5, Banjara Hills. Or call 040-65552442 if you're lost.
The Verdict - Must try, especially for main course and desserts.
A small restaurant that is rather hard to find in the posh Banjara Hills is Ziti. Keeping up with Hyderabad's (and India's) love for all things Italian, the name Ziti, is in fact, a type of pasta. Located in what used to be an apartment building, Ziti proudly sits on the first floor. It is indeed "comfort food" and what is most striking about the menu is the first page itself, where a beautiful J.R.R Tolkien quote "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world" sits. It got me and my friends thinking and kept our conversation alive.
The petite restaurant looks like an apartment that's been artfully converted to a restaurant serving continental food and catering to Hyderabad's swish crowd. Having opened just a few months ago it's decor is simple, it's walls splashed with a pleasant yellow and olive green and covered with photographs from travels across the world. A door separates the main restaurant from the kitchen, but the wonderfully talented chef Hussain plays perfect host and tries to cook a homely meal for his customers.
We tried to keep our order simple and went by our well-trained waiter's suggestions. We were served a complimentary bread basket that consisted of soft foccacia, pesto and buns. We started off our meal with Baked potato skins with smoked chicken and mozzarella. The chicken was cut into small pieces and the potato jacket was crisp and the creamy stuffing was delectable. Vegetarians, don't fret, they cater to you too - they have a vegan baked potato skin option for you.
From those who love chicken and craving buffalo wings, Ziti's Maple and chili smoked chicken wings come slightly close. Semisweet, the wings were well cooked but rather messy to eat. It comes in a plate of eight pieces and is filling. So if you're looking to stuff up on the main course, you should probably give this a miss. This is also not a starter that may be relished by all. Nevertheless, I liked it.
Stuffed from our starters and drinks, we barely had space for our main course. Having enjoyed our starters, we thought we wouldn't do justice to the restaurant unless we did try some of their extensive items listed on the menu.
We ordered a Fish escabiche, a basa fish with lemon sauce that's served with Mexican rice. Escabiche is traditionally a Mediterranean dish that is sometimes served with chicken. Basa, being a bland flavor is rather tricky to work with and requires a skilled chef. It is however my favourite fish and some may say I'm being a little biased to the review of this particular dish. Nevertheless, the citrus flavour stood out and of course, the lemon sauce as a side added to it. The fish was so soft it melted in my mouth and the Mexican rice was spicy yet tasty. However, if you can't handle spice, chances of you liking the dish are low.
Finally, we ended our main course with Sausage and scamorza filled grilled chicken breast. Scamorza is a type of Italian cheese made of cow's milk and goes perfectly well with chicken. The dish was extremely filling and heavy, what with the tinny cut sausages and cheese oozing out from every corner and gap it could find. The chicken was easy to cut through and was scrumptious.
And the best part of the meal? The desserts. We ordered Bits of Heaven, a dessert comprising six small pieces of crispy short crust sandwiched with gooey caramel and white chocolate. It lives up to its name and is truly heavenly! While I personally haven't tried any other desserts, I know my readers and loyal Ziti-eaters, swear by their Banoffee and Chocolate mousse.
When you go out to eat, it's not so much the ambiance that you always look for - it's ultimately the food that defines the place. And Ziti definitely scores high here. I would go back just for the desserts and might even consider skipping starters altogether to have a hearty burger or full meal of fish or chicken with steamed veggies on the side! I like it. I hope you will too.
What's hot - Sausage and scamorza filled grilled chicken; Bits of Heaven
Your Foodista
The petite restaurant looks like an apartment that's been artfully converted to a restaurant serving continental food and catering to Hyderabad's swish crowd. Having opened just a few months ago it's decor is simple, it's walls splashed with a pleasant yellow and olive green and covered with photographs from travels across the world. A door separates the main restaurant from the kitchen, but the wonderfully talented chef Hussain plays perfect host and tries to cook a homely meal for his customers.
We tried to keep our order simple and went by our well-trained waiter's suggestions. We were served a complimentary bread basket that consisted of soft foccacia, pesto and buns. We started off our meal with Baked potato skins with smoked chicken and mozzarella. The chicken was cut into small pieces and the potato jacket was crisp and the creamy stuffing was delectable. Vegetarians, don't fret, they cater to you too - they have a vegan baked potato skin option for you.From those who love chicken and craving buffalo wings, Ziti's Maple and chili smoked chicken wings come slightly close. Semisweet, the wings were well cooked but rather messy to eat. It comes in a plate of eight pieces and is filling. So if you're looking to stuff up on the main course, you should probably give this a miss. This is also not a starter that may be relished by all. Nevertheless, I liked it.
Stuffed from our starters and drinks, we barely had space for our main course. Having enjoyed our starters, we thought we wouldn't do justice to the restaurant unless we did try some of their extensive items listed on the menu.We ordered a Fish escabiche, a basa fish with lemon sauce that's served with Mexican rice. Escabiche is traditionally a Mediterranean dish that is sometimes served with chicken. Basa, being a bland flavor is rather tricky to work with and requires a skilled chef. It is however my favourite fish and some may say I'm being a little biased to the review of this particular dish. Nevertheless, the citrus flavour stood out and of course, the lemon sauce as a side added to it. The fish was so soft it melted in my mouth and the Mexican rice was spicy yet tasty. However, if you can't handle spice, chances of you liking the dish are low.
Finally, we ended our main course with Sausage and scamorza filled grilled chicken breast. Scamorza is a type of Italian cheese made of cow's milk and goes perfectly well with chicken. The dish was extremely filling and heavy, what with the tinny cut sausages and cheese oozing out from every corner and gap it could find. The chicken was easy to cut through and was scrumptious.
And the best part of the meal? The desserts. We ordered Bits of Heaven, a dessert comprising six small pieces of crispy short crust sandwiched with gooey caramel and white chocolate. It lives up to its name and is truly heavenly! While I personally haven't tried any other desserts, I know my readers and loyal Ziti-eaters, swear by their Banoffee and Chocolate mousse.
When you go out to eat, it's not so much the ambiance that you always look for - it's ultimately the food that defines the place. And Ziti definitely scores high here. I would go back just for the desserts and might even consider skipping starters altogether to have a hearty burger or full meal of fish or chicken with steamed veggies on the side! I like it. I hope you will too.
What's hot - Sausage and scamorza filled grilled chicken; Bits of Heaven
Your Foodista
