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Category / Life
Just Missed – Vegetarian Haleem At Pista House
Updated Post: 25 September, 2008
Come the month of Ramzaan and the whole of Hyderabad is busy gorging on the favourite dish in this month—Haleem. But it is only people who eat meat who enjoy the delicacy. For people who do not eat meat they hardly have any alternative. But that was until a few years ago when Pista House started offering the vegetarian variety also. As far as I am informed it is the only place where you get Vegetarian Haleem.
My intial plan was to taste haleem (the regular non-veg variety) at the most popular places in Hyderabad. Then vegetarian haleem was not even on my agenda. However, my curiosity about what goes into a vegetarian haleem and how it tastes got the better of me and I decided to taste vegetarian haleem also this year. And yesterday was my chance to try it out.
We (Akhil, Prasanthi, Ram and I) went to the Old City to try out the haleem at Hotel Shah Ghouse, the surprise package of this year. My plan was to taste the haleem at Hotel Shah Ghouse and then proceed to Pista House’s main outlet near charminar to try vegetarian haleem. It was around 8 p.m by the time we reached the place. Unfortunately for us the vegetarian haleem was over by that time. Dejected, we ordered a plate of the regular haleem and started digging into it. The taste was almost similar to the one we had from its outlet in Babu Khan Mall, Somajiguda, the only difference being the amount of ghee served at the main outlet. We literally scooped out a few spoons of the ghee before we finished off the plate.
Haleem At Hy-Line – Not Worth It
Hy-Line is small restaurant located in King Koti. As part of my plan to visit all the good haleem joints in Hyderabad, I along with Akhil had been to the restaurant a few days ago to taste the haleem.
The haleem was not tasty, very light (Lot of ghee being the culprit according to Akhil) and the quantity served was less compared to the other places I visited. For me it scored poorly in terms of taste, value for money and the experience. With the regular haleem priced at Rs. 60, I feel it is not worth it.
Next on my list will be Hotel Shah Ghouse near Pista House in Charminar and Café Bahar in Hyderguda. I have got very good reviews from my colleagues about the taste of haleem being better than that of Pista House. That will be another trip to the Old City.
Recommendation: Not worth it.
Best Haleem In Hyderabad
Haleem At Shadab
This year all my visits to the restaurants in Hyderabad for haleem have been unexpected and planned at the last moment. It was Shadab this time. I was supposed to be at home by 9:00 p.m today. However, a last minute change in the schedule led me to Nampally and another last minute decision to Hotel Shadab. Situated near the High Court and Charminar, Hotel Shadab is famous for its biryani, chai and yes the haleem too.
The haleem at Shadab was the best in terms of taste even beating Sarvi. It was hot, spicy, thick and filling. All this for Rs. 60, a good value for money. It could be the setting of the Old City also that added to the experience.
For me, Shadab tops the list of the must visit places for haleem in Hyderabad.
Recommendation: Must try. Better to go the place after 7:30 p.m.
Haleem At Paradise
Haleem at Paradise in Hyderabad (Photo Courtesy: Jim Reeves)
After tasting Haleem at Pista House last week I got to taste Haleem at Paradise today evening with my friends. Paradise is the famous restaurant in Secunderabad known for the Chicken Biryani and Mutton Biryani it serves.
The Haleem at Paradise was served fresh and hot with crispy fried onions and lemon juice. Must say it tasted better than what they served last year. The extra ghee did scare me but disappeared into the Haleem quite quickly. The serving was good and worth the price (Rs. 60).
The preparation was better this time and the serving had very few bones. The bones tasted great. While lot of people throw the bones away they can actually be eaten and they taste great. Cooked for more than 12 hours the bones become soft and one can chew the bones effortlessly.
The fresh serving of Haleem at Paradise tasted better than Pista House’s Haleem (We took the parcel). Need to check if a fresh serving at Pista House would be any better.
Recommendation: Do try the Haleem fresh and hot with some extra garnishing
Aala Santhosh Reddy 