Even as half the world sat down to watch Argentina and Holland fight for a spot in the World Cup finals against Germany in the early hours of Thursday, June 11, many others headed to Yusuf Tekri Colony, Tolichowki. Reason, they wanted to experience another kind of buzz – one created when folks from different corners of the city, accompanied by family, friends, colleagues or neighbours, depending on who’s in the mood, come together to savour and experience the joy of late night drives and delicious food. Although the area is already known for its ‘food court’ and a host of old and new restaurants, during Ramzan, these restaurants — tables, servers, kitchens and customers in tow — spill out onto the road, leaving just enough room for the constant stream of traffic. It is a busy time and people can be seen savouring the season’s delicacies – mainly haleem — standing on the road, sitting in their cars or heading out to wait in line for a seat at Shah Ghouse or 4 seasons.
For those who have adopted the city as home for a few years, Ramzan will not go by without the customary food odyssey to savour the season’s delicacies - the focus is of course on haleem and the destination of choice is Old City. A trip to Old City, however, is an expedition that cannot be undertaken spontaneously, especially for those who live and work in and around Gachibowli or Kukatpally. Conveniently, Tolichowki is only a short drive away and offers almost as much as Old City does, at least in terms of culinary indulgences. Starting from Café Rumaan, a preferred destination of Irani Chai and Osmania biscuits, the entire street is lit up and teeming with cars, trucks and motorbikes. Being stuck in traffic provided ample time to take in our surroundings and decided exactly what was going to be on the menu but the wait was over sooner than we realised. Even before we could find a space to park, we are approached by staff of Pista House, who wore a sign saying ‘Pista House Haleem – Rs 120’ over his parrot green shirt; why waste time explaining how much a plate costs?
Across the road, men dressed in red are on their feet selling Shah Ghouse haleem. With competition like this, quick service may be just the thing to make the best use of the seasonal demand. Pista House is located at the famous Tolichowki ‘foodcourt’ where a cluster of hotels, including Mandar and 4 seasons, battle it out for the ‘best biryani’. Outlets of Subway and Baskin Robbins are sandwiched between them wearing a desolate look for the crowd is in no mood for fresh vegetables and fruity ice cream. The food court is a meat eater’s delight – apart from the haleem, shawarma is another popular snack, and hardly anyone can resist the aroma of Siddiqui kebab centre. Its distance from the epicentre of Ramzan festivities may mean it lacks the kind of charm the streets of Old City exude but it is the ideal place to get a taste of what the city has to offer without travelling to Madina and while this may not mean feasting under the shadow of the Charminar, it certainly offers much better parking.