Heart Cup Coffee — Restaurant in Hyderabad

Heart cup café or HCC is the very few names in the hospitality industry that I have been hearing since my initial days of blogging which is like almost 6.5 years. I have been to their Jubilee hill outlet more than to Kondapur one too, but I haven’t been to Begumpet and Gachibowli one. Now I can strike off the Gachibowli outlet as I have been to it recently, and it's amazingly humongous property HCC with great space Ambiance: It’s one of the huge properties of HCC which can easily accommodate 1500+ per at once. The best place to enjoy great food, live music, open mics, and special events as the place is divided into indoor and outdoor sections. They have got 2 separate bars for indoor and outdoor as the outside section has the smoking option in open space. Let's talk about food: It's a food feast combination of oriental and pan-Asian cuisine spread to sapidity on. As the food is eye-soothing and vibrant also versatile in taste and texture so apt for every dish you eat here. So starting with Cheese chicken murgh good marination of succulent chicken pieces where the flavors were dripping out on each bite was topped with melted cheese to make it more smooth and creamy texture as each bite of chicken kebabs were melting in the mouth. The Lotus stem in sweet sesame chili sauce. As the lotus stems were crunchy and as well it was equally coated with the sauce as the stem doesn’t have any taste of its own. The first impression will be sweet, but the after-effect will be slow and steady, as the chillis hit you quite late and the spicy gives you a wake-up call. Tangra chilly prawns It's a butterfly batter fried crispy prawns tossed in Indo-Chinese sauce which again has a similar after-taste of lotus stem, the late spicy flavor perfectly blended with the seafood. This was not the only prawn dish, the next dish was Steam prawns sunrise sauce. The prawns were nicely steamed presented as scorpion style with pesto sauce garnish and placed on tomato-based gravy reduction. Asian chili cottage cheese got perfect smokey edges to enhance the taste to the next level.  The Kur Kure Paneer Fritters has a filling of hung curd and cream cheese filling inside with outside covered with aloo bhujia coating to give a nice crunchy bite to these fritters. The Herbal grilled chicken was covered in the oriental spices with subtle taste making it quite juicy and succulent enough but what I felt was thyme and rosemary herbs were quite dominating as you won’t be able to feel other spices taste. The crispy fried chicken was presented in a similar roulade style but a crispy one where the chicken breast is filled with gooey melted cheese inside and outside it got crunchy texture which has enhanced the taste also the dip served was a unique way as it was served inside a lettuce bowl. Main Course: After a vibrant flavor journey of starters we have reached the main dish where we had some more delicious and amazing dishes. Started with Chicken patty with orange caper sauce along with creamy mashed potatoes. The Chicken patty was perfectly cooked has absorbed the flavors from the orange caper, but the mashed potatoes have stolen the show from the entire dish as it was much more creamy and tasty. The best dish from Japanese cuisine is sushi, the veg one was Avocado sushi and the nonveg was California Sushi. Both were amazing, but California sushi steals the deal from the plate as it has the goodness of tuna, chicken, and other ingredients. My favorite Thai green curry was really delicious, all the flavors were on point, and it was really delicious to relish. Finally, the last dish was Burmese prawns curry huge meaty prawns cooked in Burmese spices and coconut milk has got all the flavors. The panda leaves, giving its kick to the gravy. Desserts: The dessert bar is being handled by Concu one of the finest bakers in the town. So we had blueberry compote cheesecake and pull-over chocolate truffle cake, they were damn amazing the fab I would say it. Rating: Ambiance: 5/5 Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Overall...

Heart Cup Coffee', located at Gachibowli is a vibrant cafe with an uber cool setting for DJ and karaoke nights and chilled out session with live music bands, standup comedians and sports screenings. The lush green outdoor seating and spacious indoor seating sets up the mood for the a beautiful evening ahead. Enjoy live performances complementing to the finest food that the place has to offer. One of the pioneers into the cafe culture, they serve some delectable appetisers paired with quirky drinks.

We were invited for a blogger session and the review for the restaurant is as follows.

Mocktails:

The ‘Mocha Frappe’ is a must order here, double shots of espresso blended with milk, thick cream and chocolate syrup. The ‘Kiwi Slush’ and ‘Blue Hawaiian’ was aptly sweet and absolutely refreshing.

Appetisers:

The ‘Lotus Stem’ was stir fried and tossed in a sweet chilly sauce sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. The ‘Stuffed Paneer Fritters’ had spiced hung curd stuffed in a panner block coated with gram flour and aloo bhujia which was pretty average. The ‘Tangra Chilli Prawns’ had work fried large prawns tossed alongside asian veggies in a tangy spicy oriental sauce. The ‘Herbal Grilled chicken’ has chicken breasts coated with fresh cilantro and chillies, pan grilled to perfection. The ‘Asian Chilly Cottage Cheese’ had large cubes of paneer tossed in a spicy tangy soya chilli sauce which was another interesting take. The ‘Chicken Cheese Murg’ had creamy cheese stuffed into a Reshmi kebab that was melt in the mouth. The ‘Crispy Fried Chicken’ was my absolute favourite, crispy fried chicken stuffed with chilli cheese. ‘Steamed Prawns’ was tossed in a balsamic tequila reduction.’ The Avocado Sushi’ had creamy avocado with crunchy vegetables. The ‘California roll’ here needs no introduction, simply fresh and breathtaking.

Main Course:

The ‘Thai Green Curry’ was a fragrant dish with right balance of sweet and spicy flavours, packed with the goodness of crisp, colourful vegetables and creamy coconut milk served hot with jasmine rice. Also the ‘Burmese Prawn Curry’ was mildly spicy and hit the right notes and went well with the jasmine rice as well. The ‘Chicken Patty in Orange Camper sauce’ was my favourite of the lot, well cooked yet juicy chicken breasts with roasted veggies on a bed of creamy potato mash, drizzled with a beautiful reduction of orange zest, caper berries and parsley.The Pollo Forza is a fiery classic hand tossed pizza topped with chunky grilled chicken, bell peppers, mozzarella cheese drizzled with garlic chilli oil.

Desserts:

For my sweet tooth, they served desserts from Concu from their counter inside the cafe. The classic ‘Blueberry Cheese Cake’ had a buttery, thick graham cracker crust topped with an utterly creamy mascapone cheese topped with fresh blueberries and berry compote. Going with the trend, what better than a ‘Belgian Chocolate pull up cake’ , trust me that a beautiful mess on a plate that you dare not to miss. . Recommendations: Lotus Stem in Sweet Chilly Sauce, Steamed Prawns in Tequila Sunrise Sauce , Asian Chilly Cottage Cheese, Herbal Grilled Chicken, Crispy Fried Chicken, Avocado Sushi, California Sushi Rolls, Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Rice, Chicken Patty with Orange Capper Sauce, Pollo Forza Pizza, Blueberry Cheese Cake by Concu. . Taste:4/5,Ambience:5/5,Hygiene:5/5,Price:4/5,Overall:4/5 . Follow me @snehasish_behera . #foodguide101 #zomatography #foodphotography #foodinsta #foodgram #foodblogger #foodstyle #foodlover #hyderabadifoodies #influencer #foodphoto #foodshare #foodforlife #foodnetwork #foodography #foodstagram #foodproject #foodblogging #bloggerslife #lifeofablogger #bloggerstable #bloggerstyle #tastyaf #bloggerlife #indianfoodblogger #oneplus #tastingtable #FoodReviewIndia #hyderabadifoodblogger #foodbuzz...

A Heart-Wrenching Letdown

Heartcup Coffee in Gachibowli was once a sanctuary for my brother, a place where he found joy in every sip of a drink and every note of the live music. Our last visit there in December of last year was filled with laughter, good tunes, and unforgettable moments. It was his favourite resto-bar, a spot where we'd retreat to celebrate or simply to enjoy each other's company. We never imagined we'd find ourselves writing a review like this, one drenched in disappointment.

I wrote a review saying "simply awesome" 2 years ago, but now I'm forced to change the review to this because our recent experience was just heartbreaking.

This year, returning to India, we were eager to relive those cherished memories, especially with so many new places opening up. We decided to revisit Heartcup, hoping to capture that magic once more. We booked through Zomato, excited about the 10% discount offered with our Gold membership, planning for an evening under the spell of live music.

However, upon arrival, our hopes were shattered. We were told that our discounted reservation would seat us outside, away from the live music my brother so adored. We compromised, forgoing the discount for a table inside, only to find the service, quality of food, and music had fallen far below our expectations. The place, once vibrant with life and laughter, now stood eerily quiet with many empty tables.

The bill, a hefty 14,000 INR, seemed like an insult to the evening we had endured. After detailing our frustrations, both the outlet and Zomato offered no consolation, not even a gesture of goodwill for our loyalty and the memories we held dear. We learned that the restaurant had told Zomato there was a "concert" inside, justifying the lack of discount - a blatant lie as it was just the regular, unimpressive live band. This felt like pure manipulation, an exploitation of our trust and affection for this place.

We felt betrayed, not just by the lack of transparency from Zomato, but by the erosion of what was once a beloved spot. If there were conditions to our reservation, they should have been clear from the start. We pleaded for some form of acknowledgment or remedy, but received nothing but silence.

This experience was more than just a subpar evening out; it was the painful realization that a piece of our past, a place filled with joy and comfort, had been lost to us. Heartcup Coffee, you've not only lost a customer in me but a piece of my heart, as this was my brother's sanctuary. We are left with a bitter taste, not from the drinks, but from the memory of what once was, now tarnished by deceit...