What do gourmets who know a lot about good food, aroma, authentic tastes, names of dishes do when they want to share their knowledge of the real taste of ‘good Hyderabadi’ cuisine which is more than just biryani? Well a group of friends in Hyderabad who initially didn’t know anything about cooking but shared their love of food with their friends, simply founded Chicha’s. After a lot of ground work, of course.
After months of research, trials with ‘khansamaas,’ collating names of dishes that are ‘must haves’ but not featured in any restaurant, the men set out to unveil Chicha’s with a stress on ‘daba ke khao miyaan’ (literally ‘stuff yourself well’ but actually means ‘eat well’). Chicha itself is a typical colloquial Deccani term used to refer to ‘cousin’, ‘uncle’ or any close acquaintance.
They have kept the décor simple, avoiding flashy fare. It is a place to chill for men and women but has bouncers to handle mischief makers. “The inputs for the dishes and the recipes come from our homes. In our search for something new and different if someone offers a dish with homemade flavours, who wouldn’t lap it up? That is how we decided on the menu,” explains Fauzan, one of the partners.
So the restaurant serves true blue Hyderabadi food, taking pride in its khatti dal and jeera rice, which can be enjoyed with chicken or mutton curry. It’s not like the chicken or mutton curry served in restaurants with a standard gravy. To begin with, the curries aren’t red and the khatti dal isn’t a thick lump of soft cooked lentils. The dal looks homely and tastes even better once it is mixed with the jeera rice and the pepper chicken curry is something whose taste will have many of us guessing about the ingredients.
During the day, the eatery is mostly about fixed meals, biryanis and a concise menu. By night, it transforms into a place that offers a street food kind of atmosphere, serving kebabs, kaleji, gurda, brain and the all the tawa snacks we can think of. They are open late into the night for club hoppers.
The kheema they serve is also different from the usual fare available in most eateries. How about the biryani? If you are one who loves greasy biryani with the meat, drowned in spices, then this might not be your pick. The other dishes that will make your mouth water are Tala hua gosht , Kareli ka gosht and Shikampuri kebab .
Chicha’s serves biryani with a ghar ka swad . It is flavourful without the spices over powering one’s senses, thus letting diners enjoy the taste of the meat. Their mirchi ka salan is also special; just try it to know what we mean.
The new addition to their menu is their Shaadi ka white chicken curry . So, the next time you crave for Shaadi ka khana and have no invite, head out to Chicha’s at Lakdikapul. During Ramadan season, Chicha’s is open all night, with added specialities like Malai paya , Mutton marag, Jaban curry etc. They also promise to make arrangements for sehr and iftar .
