Cafe Reed by Quorum — Restaurant in Hyderabad

When a restaurant mentions progressiveness or elaborating traditional dishes with a modern twist either through fusion of cuisines or incorporation of unexpected ingredients in the regular dish, the curiosity is bold and daring for food lovers alike such as myself. The idiosyncrasy was of the same when I first checked about this restaurant nestled in west of Hyderabad in Raidurg amidst tall glass buildings. The menu aplenty, and as a part of the home group, District 150 alongside with Subko Coffee, this restaurant is on the 4th floor of Elixir tower through Gate no. 6. The lavish and intimate furnishings are of the restaurant when you first enter are pictures of opulence and ornate extravagance with a very well-spoken staff showing your way to the table of your choice with genteelness. It’s surely one of those restaurants where you do love to dress up for with cravat or bow or a beret and a brooch. I wouldn’t like to talk of the prices of the food and the entire experience since it is expected to cost quite a lot but let me also tell you that it is worth every penny you pay. I took a seat at a corner table for a bit of privacy and I was immediately attended by a waitress who told about the menu on the scanner, suggestions for mocktails and so on and so forth. I chose Shredded Paneer Tikka on Malabar Parotta for my entré, Pesto Paneer Pasanda with mini Kalonji Kulchas for the main course, A Guava Mary as my Beverage and Mastani for dessert. The Appetiser and Main course almost came too quickly followed by the beverage. The Shredded Paneer Tikka Taco was a delectable affair. Shredded soft and succulent paneer extravagantly coated in an ambrosial melange of aromatic spices and herbs with a slight hint of smoke rounding up your palette as you crunch and bite through the wafer-like and buttery layers of the parotta, acting like the shell of the Taco with the little drizzle of rich mayonnaise to bind the exquisitely unique flavours of the Taco was a testament to how much attention the chef pays to balancing of flavours and playing with textures. As for the main course, Pesto Paneer Pasanda. Who would’ve thought of incorporating a strong italian sauce would blend beautifully with roulades of cottage cheese, encasing a gourmet mixture of caramelised onions and herbs, would be a winner with those fluffy and proffer kulchas adorned with Kalonji seeds? It was a decadent and rich dish that has gotten me utter happiness for its indulgent flavour that neither sweet, too herby nor too spicy. Although the benevolent quantity of the curry and sauce surpasses the amount of bread necessary to finish the curry but nevertheless, I crown this main as the dish of the day. But there is another equally decadent dish that scores as the dish of the day and that is the dessert, Mastani. A celebration of mangoes in various forms that is a tribute to the Pune’s famous Sujata Mastani. Although the presentation of the dish was a little dull but it was fantastic. A light and airy mango mousse shell solidified by liquid nitrogen encasing a sweet and fruity mango custard and adorned with fresh cuts of a well ripened mango along with a slight crunch of a nutty praline on the top. It was a masterful celebration of textures and an easy dessert after a heavy main. The Guava Mary was a fun beverage in a fine wine glass with notes sweet, salt and spice and was a lovely refresher although it could’ve used a little more citrus to amp the refreshing flavour. The food was absolutely excellent flavour wise. Perhaps, the progressive twists could’ve been much bold and pronounced rather than being a safe combination. And it would be lovely to see more options on the desserts section where more progressive and modern creations could be made using indian flavours. I commend the staff for their attentiveness and knowledge about the menu with details. Special Kudos to Ameesha for making my experience very delightful and for making some of the best suggestions for a lovely meal. Great for dates and intimate dining that surely gives an experience to...

I planned to explore this "luxury fine dining" restaurant in the buzzing Knowledge city - Zila. The progressive Indian restaurant tag carried by Zila doesn't only reflect in their fusion food but also in the modern aesthetics and contemporary vibrant interiors with soft lighting. Zila is set up on the premises of district150 which boasts of a lifestyle focused, hospitality-powered, multi-purpose venue for meetings & events. The first impression of progressive India starts from their intricate Mitsubishi lift(knowledge city to be blamed 😜). Zila is set up on a softly divided floor and shares space with Subko, and other event/meeting spaces which host events like standup comedy etc. Upon scanning the menu, you are presented with 2 brief menus further shrinked for Vegetarian options- one from Zila and another one from district150. The portion sizes varied for different dishes.

Coming to the culinary experience, I ordered a mix of known and exquisite dishes. Here is how it came about -

ZILA Morels - Stuffed honeycombed Kashmiri mushrooms(my favourite) paired with Kuta spiced Parathas totally lived up to the expectations. However I have had a slightly better version of the same earlier.

Lotus Rogan Josh - Another show stealer Kashmiri dish, perfectly cooked in the Rogan Josh gravy these Lotus roots paired perfectly with the walnut pulao.

Pesto Paneer Pasanda - While the pesto was dominated by the richness of paneer and the creamy gravy served with , this dish was another killer one paired with mini 'Kalonji and fennel kulchas'. However the Kulchas portion couldn't match the portion of the curry served.

district150 French fries with rosemary and seasalt - Well prepared ! But somehow the rosemary flavour was missing.

Spaghetti with Tomato ragout - Totally loved it and repeated this safe bet of mine. However, I would skip it on my next visit to Zila for their novelty dishes.

Penne pesto cream (basil pinenut pesto) - After having all the amazing dishes, this pasta failed to give a fight of survival and I felt that this is one dish I could have avoided to stay out of feel of mediocrity and fullness.

Overall, a great experience and I am going back...

I visited this establishment on a Saturday with a vegetarian friend. Our experience was unfortunately marked by two extremely disappointing dishes.

We started by ordering the Chocolate Pancakes. The order took around 20 minutes to arrive, which was fine. However, the taste was quite bad. The pancakes had a clear burnt flavor, which was made worse by the combination of the burnt chocolate with a distracting Blueberry paste. The flavors clashed terribly, and the dish was barely edible. We provided feedback but proceeded to pay the bill.

The manager approached us after we paid, sincerely asked about the issue, and generously offered a complimentary dish, which turned out to be a savory mushroom fry. This gesture was appreciated, and the dish itself was genuinely good, slightly restoring our hope.

Buoyed by the quality of the complimentary dish, we decided to give their "best seller" a try: the Veg Ramen. This decision proved to be a disaster. As soon as the bowl was placed on the table, it emitted a strong, pungent, rotten smell that immediately hit our noses, making it horrible to be around before even tasting it. Both my friend and I could not bring ourselves to eat more than a single spoonful of the dish.

When I spoke with Chef Sagar about the issue, he confirmed it was a best seller but could not provide a clear reason for the terrible smell. He mentioned using "different flavors" to make the food tasty, but sadly, this was the single worst-tasting dish I have ever encountered.

If you are a vegetarian, I strongly advise you to think twice before visiting this place due to the extreme inconsistency and poor quality of the dishes we...