Ciclo Cafe
Cafes are not new to Hyderabad but in a country dominated by automobiles and cycles , its imperative that the trend shows more cycling lifestyle slowly and has become trending. Well established in England and US ,this type of cyclist friendly cafe is something fresh for India.
Ciclo Cafe , pronounced Chiclo, Ciclo means cycle in Italian & Spanish (lifestyle that has adapted cycling deep into its habituation) is an unique venture from TI Cycles of India (Murugappa Group) partnering on F & B Side with Absolute Specialty who operates L'amandier as their F & B Partner this is the brain child of Mr. Arun Alagappan , co-owner of the brand along with Nidhi Thadani from Absolute Speciality Group. Already established in Kotturpuram, Chennai, this is their second outlet.
The concept is itself interesting as Mr. Arun takes the inspiration and experience from visiting the Bianchi Cafes in Milan and Stockholm and wanted to bring this unique experience to India. Now for a country where anyone could related to cycles in any part of their lives, Ciclo Cafe is nothing but a strong conceptual venture to bring bicycles and its lifestyle to one place under one roof. Ciclo Café will enable lovers of cycling to spend time together with their families while we provide a relaxed and friendly environment with the cycling lifestyle being the backdrop.
The Cafe is completely thought through from each aspect to represent the cycling culture with a complete array of cycles from international brands like such as Bianchi, Cannondale, Mongoose and Schwinn (marketed by TI Cycles in India) for sale and related accessories Or if you already have a bike, and are looking for accessories and other services, this cafe should be your latest hangout. Also embedded into this store is a proper dining section in ground floor and full fledged bar & dine facility in upstairs. Full score on ambiance and decor. No doubt about it.
I can keep talking about it ambiance, the table support is cycle rims when the legs are nothing but cycle fork body. A clock made out of cycle wheel and forks, Decor Lights out of cycle wheels again.Suspended balcony lights incorporate wheels and there’s even a quirky chandelier that contains cycle chains . Even the washroom reflects the concept. While food is a critical component, the cafe is also looking to be a hub of cycling activity.
We started off with Rajamundry Rose Milk which is a complete pleasant drink to start with and I definitely liked it as it kept it light on tummy and I had multiple rounds of it. Then we were served Miryala Rasam which is nothing but black pepper rasam aka shorba. Now this soup was served in perfect temperature one spoon and you get the heat form the pepper but in a good way. For the chill weather, this served as a perfect hot blanket of spices on our palates and I loved the way they kept it spicy as it should be and I know some of my friends in the session did sweat :P Very good start of it.
Then came the veg starters comprising of Venkai chips (Fried Brinjal chips) and Spicy Corn Wrap. Venkai Chips was scrumptious and aptly fried and though brinjal is not a favorite on the table, the spice mix on the dish was apt and it served as a typical Andhra chips snack. Spicy Corn Wrap was served like stick kebabs. The spice level was good and we can relish as one of those items but frankly didn't much get the ideology of this dish in this menu. On inquiry , it was informed that this was just inspired by Dubai food scenes . The spice was apt but wasn't a WOW dish for me.
Spicy Corn Wrap
Next followed non-veg starters. Golkonda Kodi which was chicken strips filled with some masala filling and deep fried like chips and tagged inside tooth picks for snack-ish feel. This dish was good except the fact that chicken was too dry for me but the flavor and the spice mix again was something different and made it satiable. Can definitely improve on strong flavor appeal.
Khandari Kodi Kebab was my top favorite of the night and the kebab was succulent cooked and the authentic spice mix made it even more cherish-able and definitely was a hit in the table. The legs were perfectly married with nice and fresh onion raitha and mint chutneye - MUST TRY.
Chepa Chips is typical fish fry which is quite popular in coastal regions and with the strong flavor from the fried curry leaves and aptly fried boneless fish slices made it one of the quickly vanish snacks in the table. With no bones it was crunchy like regular chips which every one - MUST TRY.
Next we were served pulaos one from veg and non-veg. Vankai Pulav (Brinjal pulao) was nicely spiced and the richly cooked venkai added more flavor to the rice though I felt it was a bit on the dry-ish side but the flavors were mild and flavorful. Nellor Mamsam Pulav (Mutton pulav) was also equally spiced well but this was very dry for me as the pieces were also dry and not so WOWing me on first bite. The rice again was aptly cooked but I always love my muttom to be succulent and fall of the bone type. Definitely the veg pulao impressed. They also served as avakai veg pulao and palavancha kodi pulao both of which friends said was good now WOW but I didn't taste them.
The finale of the night was chef's innovation Guava Jamun Delight (A different variant from Apricot Delight) which was quite interesting and held its WOW factor when Chef told us it was almost zero sugar and made out of guava extract. The dish was definitely light and flavorful though I felt the backed biscuit thickness was a bit more that it provided more dryness than the cream and custard effect. I would have absolutely loved it if it had more dosage of cream and oozy custard than the baked biscuit. Feedback was given and was taken by the management.
Service & Hospitality:
When you are attended by the man behind this venture Mr. Nagaraju himself chatting and dining with you as a fellow friend, I think you would know by now service wasn't t be screwed. The staff are polite and knowledgeable of the dishes which is good. Keep it consistent would be the success factor considering the competition now they have in that area in terms of cuisines and similar ventures as well.
Verdict:
Vivaha Bhojanambu from Nagaraju is definitely an earnest attempt to bring in authentic Telugu cuisine to people and keep it simple and neat. Like the ambience, it doesn't decor over the top on dishes but have left the flavors and spice mix speak to the customers. I wish I could try more but I will definitely come back to try their mutton and other sea food dishes on the menu. I wish them all the success and hope they deliver consistency as their competition is not far from them and I hope they deliver, bang on every time.
Note: This review experience is based on Management Invite and was on the house & review shared is honest and unbiased in the interest of fellow readers and foodies.