Hyderabad House Family Restaurant

I like the chummy, clubby atmosphere of Hyderabad House, but maybe you don't. In which case, the more upscale Family Restaurant offshoot directly across the street from the original could be for you.

Inside, there are two rooms, one with hardwood flooring (or some approximation thereof), the other carpeted. In contrast to the more utilitarian setup on the south side of the street, here the chairs are soft and comfortable -- really comfortable, in some cases, as in the second room there are even some plush armchairs. The feel of the place is bright and cheerful. All the other trappings of a typical restaurant that the original does just fine without (waiters, pretty menus, silverware) are in place here -- along with, it must be said, a concomitant price increase (although prices are certainly still in line with those of similar sit-down places on Devon, if not lower).

As the name indicates, the focus is on Hyderabadi food. My initial impression, based on only one visit, is that the cooking here is a couple of notches above that of the original, of which as I've already said I'm a fan. More care seems to have gone into both preparation and presentation. The menu also offers much more variety; in particular, there is now a good number of vegetarian options. Please note that if you require rice, you will need to order it.

Although this new place will not replace the original Hyderabad House for me, I can easily see myself becoming a regular here. The food (what little I've sampled so far) is very tasty and available consistently, unlike at HH, where one is always at the mercy of the mercurial menu board. The prices are slightly higher, but well worth it, especially as the upgraded ambiance makes this a good place for dining with family or to take guests new to the cuisine.

Attn c8w: Chicken 65 on the everyday menu and damn good stuff it is -- even better than HH Sr.'s, I'd say, but I'm interested to know what you think. Nice level of heat, too. Double Ka Meetha was perhaps a bit low on nuts/raisins, but otherwise quite outstanding. I'm eager to try the Bagara Baingan next.

P.S.: United Cafe, which replaced Ambala Sweets, seems to have failed as well. I never got to try it, so I don't know if we're losing something worthwhile, but it seems like that location is simply too far west to maintain a Desi-oriented food establishment.

P.P.S: At the moment, HHFR's credit card machine is not working, so despite the door signage, it is CASH ONLY for the time being.

I was excited to see this place was open, so I stopped by for dinner tonight.

They were very catty with me, I tried to reciprocate in kind, but I was pretty worn out after a full day of work and school, so, not so much. I chose the mutton qorma and tandoori naan, both of which were tasty and satisfying - although I do wish there weren't quite so many bones in the meat. Call me bourgeois, but I prefer not to have to dissect my dinner.

It is a little more expensive than its across-the-street cousin, but it's still good value. Will return.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:They were very catty with me...

er, chatty?

cilantro wrote:Attn c8w: Chicken 65 on the everyday menu and damn good stuff it is -- even better than HH Sr.'s, I'd say, but I'm interested to know what you think. Nice level of heat, too. Double Ka Meetha was perhaps a bit low on nuts/raisins, but otherwise quite outstanding. I'm eager to try the Bagara Baingan next.
P.S.: United Cafe, which replaced Ambala Sweets, seems to have failed as well. I never got to try it, so I don't know if we're losing something worthwhile, but it seems like that location is simply too far west to maintain a Desi-oriented food establishment.
.

Thanks, was there on Friday night for a few minutes picking up, but didnt look at
the menu hard enough to notice the Chicken 65! (Their to-go menu's were not
available yet either). At least one of the people behind the counter used to be
across the street a while ago (and, BTW, he informed me that a "plasma TV"
would be going up in the new HH Family restaurant soonish... so it may soon
turn into a slightly more upmarket place to watch cricket than its parent across
the street

It is definitely more expensive (2 or 3 bucks per entree), and I was told it was
a different restaurant from across the street - different cooks, different menu
etc. As you say, a fixed menu, not just a chalkboard. The only thing I picked up
was a Haleem, and it was 8 bucks and ordinary, so my first impression was
not hugely favourable... thus am glad to hear a more detailed report from you,
and will stop by soon and try a few more things!

HH Jr now becomes the second Hyderabadi sit-down-style restaurant on
Devon I think... after Chaarminar, which is about 4 blocks further west.

BTW, was at Devon near midnight on Friday night (hoping to pick up Haleem
from Chopal, but they ran out.. and Daata Durbar had run out too, as had
HH Sr, which is why I ended up at HH Jr Anyway... the reason I mention
the above.. Devon was completely *packed* at midnight on Friday! Probably
due to Eid being the next day, but still... both Tahoora and King Sweets were
still open at midnight, and Tahoora had at least 20-30 people waiting *outside*
to get in, thats how busy they were! Remarkable.

And noticed the same thing as you re United Cafe... dont think it ever came into
existance, at least I never noticed if it did. Iam not entirely sure its just too far
west, however... there are 2 or 3 other Desi places in the vicinity nowadays
(a place called Fazl-e-Rabi is a door or two away, and its been in existance for
a few months now I think, so they must be doing *some* business Id guess).

c8w

Actually Fazl-E-Rabi (which succeeded the bad fried chicken place) seems to have closed, too. I think there were for rent signs in its window.

From the look of it I thought United Cafe was still coming, not already gone.

Can anyone give a description of what HH's "chicken 65" is? I have never had the pleasure of trying it yet, but would like to. If there's another thread with a description, I've missed it, sorry.

found it, nevermind. Used "langan"

germuska wrote:

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:They were very catty with me...

er, chatty?

Eh, it's all a matter of perspective.

Suzy Creamcheese wrote:They were very catty with me

I also thought this was a typo, but did you mean rude? In what way? For a place trying to attract families that's a huge mistake.

c8w wrote:It is definitely more expensive (2 or 3 bucks per entree), and I was told it was
a different restaurant from across the street - different cooks, different menu
etc.

Yes, all different -- except for the biryani. Aside from the hard-cooked egg that garnished it, it was completely indistinguishable from the ones made across the street -- right down to the Mirchi ka Salan. So I was happy because I really enjoy HH's biryani, but on the other hand the question becomes, why pay $2 extra for a hard-cooked egg? Anyway, it was tasty for sure. Oh, and I don't care what the menu says: that ain't lamb.

c8w wrote:Anyway... the reason I mention
the above.. Devon was completely *packed* at midnight on Friday! Probably
due to Eid being the next day, but still... both Tahoora and King Sweets were
still open at midnight, and Tahoora had at least 20-30 people waiting *outside*
to get in, thats how busy they were! Remarkable.

That's funny, because Kedzie & Lawrence was DEAD. Maybe one bakery was still open around 10:30, but otherwise it was like a ghost town. We ended up on Devon and tried Uncle's Kabob (not great, but hit the spot) where they were trying to close up shop all while furiously filling boxes and boxes of take-out orders.

Have you tried Chaarminar yet? Please post a review if you do.

seebee wrote:Can anyone give a description of what HH's "chicken 65" is? I have never had the pleasure of trying it yet, but would like to. If there's another thread with a description, I've missed it, sorry.

found it, nevermind. Used "langan"

Chicken 65 is quite different from Langan chicken (the only place I've ever had the latter is HH). Chicken 65 consists of boneless chicken pieces which are marinated in yogurt and spices, deep-fried, then cooked in a sauce/spice mixture with chilis until the "sauce" is absorbed by the meat; the final dish is fairly dry with a distinctive acidic tang that comes from the lemon juice added in the cooking (although I would guess that HH uses vinegar instead). I must say that HHFR possibly skips the deep-frying stage but the end result is quite delicious nonetheless.

No no, it was just a missing "h". They were nice to a fault.

I have eaten at Chaarminar, but it was the buffet (what can I say, my husband loves those things) so it wasn't what I'd call a representative selection. However, it was the best buffet I have experienced on Devon since Sizzle India closed, so make of that what you will. Everything was decently spiced, which is pretty rare when you're talking steam tables.

cilantro wrote:

c8w wrote:It is definitely more expensive (2 or 3 bucks per entree), and I was told it was
a different restaurant from across the street - different cooks, different menu
etc.

Yes, all different -- except for the biryani. Aside from the hard-cooked egg that garnished it, it was completely indistinguishable from the ones made across the street -- right down to the Mirchi ka Salan. So I was happy because I really enjoy HH's biryani, but on the other hand the question becomes, why pay $2 extra for a hard-cooked egg? Anyway, it was tasty for sure. Oh, and I don't care what the menu says: that ain't lamb.

Does that mean it was goat? If so, I'll definitely have to try it again soon

Actually, I used to sometimes have the chicken biryani at HH a while ago
(when they sometimes ran out of the lamb)...and the chicken biryani
there (a decent version) *always* came with a hard-boiled egg as
garnish, right on top of the rice! Usually one egg, slice in half... I wondered
about it too, but figured they just served it with the chicken biryani and
didnt bother to ask. (It did, after all, answer the age-old philosophical
question... they both came simultaneously)

So anyway... you can actually get the egg-on-chicken-biryani at the old
HH still, presumably, and still a couple bucks cheaper I think youre just
paying the extra 2 bucks for the "ambience", and the putative plasma
TV. Iam most likely to stick with the old HH for carryouts, and most
eat-ins... unless, of course, one is in the mood for Chicken 65 on a
weekday etc (for Haleem I think I'll continue to stick with Usmaniya,
for Nehari with Sabri etc - IMHO those are probably superior versions).

c8w