HYDERABAD: At a time when restaurateurs choose either Gachibowli, Banjara Hills or Jubilee Hills to set up restaurants serving exotic cuisines, Sushil Kapadia did just the opposite. He chose Hanuman Tekdi topresent his choice of cuisine — authentic Gujarati and Marwadi fare. “It is not just business. There is an emotional attachment to the area,” he smiles. We are at the newly-opened D&J Grande, a unit of Kapadia Hotels & Resorts Pvt Ltd, which was launched four months ago; Flavours, the vegetarian restaurant at the hotel came up two months later. Sushil informs that there is no standard vegetarian hotel in the vicinity.
At the restaurant, the setting is simple sans any frills. In fact, the ventilation is ample and even curtains have not been used for the glass windows. “If we put curtains, we have to use lights and need electricity. There is power shortage everywhere and this way, we will be saving it,” he states. When we tell him about the heat in summer, he quips, “In harsh summer, we have survived. We tried it out but we will see how it works.” As we set out to eat, the waiters serve rotis on a thal or a big steel plate. The small bowls on it are filled with different accompaniments. There is daal baati choorma , flavoured roti , whote wheat and makki roti, puri and sabudana wada , papad and butter milk too. For desserts, there is malpua or jalebi . “If you visit any Marwadi or Gujarati family, the food will be served in this traditional way. We serve a small quantity in these small bowls, so that there is no wastage but you are sated,” he states. After a hearty meal, one can go to the terrace and have a view of the city. “Open terrace can be used for parties,” he says and concludes: “Foodies after a hearty meal can visit the nearby Sultan Bazar for a heritage walk.”
“Our office has been here since 1941. We run several charitable institutes like Pragati Mahavidyalaya College, Badruka College and Gandhi Gyan Mandir. Since 30 years we have been running a charitable guest house with 106 rooms. This quality of rooms and food is not available in the area,” he shares. The location of the hotel too is inside a lane. “There are two reasons for setting it up inside; one is pollution and the second is, the area is quiet. We want our guests to have a peaceful stay at the hotel and are not disturbed,” he points out.
The spacious entrance is a welcome feature. Cane chairs and tables are neatly arranged here and Sushil informs this space is used for meetings. One of the special features of D&J Grande is its green initiative. “This hotel is completely eco-friendly. We have used least amount of wood and wherever wood is required, only plywood has been used,” says Sushil. He laughingly calls the hotel ‘Poora Hyderabadi’ and explains, “We have used local material. We have not imported raw materials from anywhere. Even the flooring is made of Tandur stone. It has a special polish so it looks very rich.” What is the aim behind it? “This way, we have control of the quality and we are promoting business in our community and amongst ourselves. Why send the business outside?” he asks. With LED lights and solar-powered heaters and steel overhead tanks, the hotel complies on vaastu too. “In construction business, everybody buys according to vaastu only,’ he states. With two years of planning, the hotel took 18 months to complete. The rooms and suites are warm and cosy and the interiors have been done by Sushil’s wife Kalpana and daughter Devika.
