Sociial District
Overall
Ambiance
4.0/5
4.0/5
Food
4.5/5
Service
3.5/5
Sociial District is another newbie in the buzzing and always crowded Hitech City Area around Mindspace. But to be frank welcoming entrant for IT frenzy geeks n freaks around Raheja Mindspace area. But their USP is they are an all day Cafe Lounge operating from 12 to 11 pm every day. Not more than a quarter period mature, this newbie attracted because of their logo board and its catchy 'Sociial District' Name.
Disclaimer : This dining lounge is not part of the District Chain outlets in hyderabad or other cities.
Visit Scenario:
Me and my fellow foodie dropped in for a planned lunch ona week day as we kept keep this place in our visit radar and always was skipping all the time but then locked it on 3 Feb, 2016.
Ambiance (Decor & Interiors):
This place gets another ineresting decor concept of antique feel re-furbished decor. Right from the old cycle on the walls to the old bajaj scooter handle bar , wheels at random places, bottles as lamp shades, they seem to give you that Social feel about conversing over a lighter mood and make you relax with some good lounge food. I liked they kept it a different appeal from their competitors right next to them but also felt it was bit overloaded with too many stuff happenning. Its good to give your diners a complete ambiance but at the end of the day spaciousness also plays a key role. But the main highlight for us was the antique Car seater dining table where we could comfortablly sit, relax and dine.
Food & Quality:
Cocktails:
Electric Shock: A desi concoction of pineapple juice, lime juice, lemon and blue curacao Mocktail.
Achari Funda: Another desi try out with orange juice, leomon juice , tonic water with mango pickle - Sounds weird right?
Both mocktails on 1st attempt served were disappointing and didnt had any punch with expectations raised by the unique names which made us ordered. We immediately brought it to their notice and they politely redid it and 2nd time was far better. Electric shock was nothing related to its name but was refreshing. Achari Funda was good unique with the tangy pickle flavor but was too much pickle addition in 2nd attempt. Overall not bad for 150 Rs to start your lunch with.
Starters:
We ordered Dingi Mushroom (Veg) and Mutton Lamb Chops (Non-veg) . Both dishes were served in quite OKish time considering there was not much crowd except another table. Dingri Mushroom was a malai mushroom tikka try served with stuffings inside mushroom and malai drizzle n coriander on top and onion garnishing. This was good and tasty considering it was mushroom and was tough to make it soft and not chewy. Mutton Lamb Chops (thought a bit pricy) was served hot and it just had 3-4 pieces and I would say for that price I expect more meat on the chops. Taste was nothing fancy as it was tandoor masala marination which was flavorful but I personally prefer my lamb chops with normal mutton marination so that you can savor the mutton flavor(s) and not the overpowering masala. This was OK for me.
Main Course:
We ordered the Oceana Pizza and Chicken Pasta with pink sauce.
Oceana Pizza 12" thin curst version with assocrted sea food toppings with mozeralla cheese. This was served on the traditional pizza wooden plank in decent time and as we tasted we felt fresh sea food ingredients but prawns were too salty. Again on reporting, the maanger took it politely and came back with stating prawns were salty and he would replace it with Smoked Chicken Pizza . This was appreciative but then I would want my choice to be served properly and not to be replaced. Gesture is justified but not the item served. Smoked Chicken Pizza was served with fresh toppings and smoked chicken chunks were definitely fresh and nicely smoked rightly for pizza base. Pizza was fresh and thin crust did easy justice to be handled and consumed without any mess.
Pink Sauce name caught us our attention and on inquiry found it its just a fusion try of mixing Alfredo White Sauce and Tomato Arabiatta Sauce . We ordered smoked chicken version with penne pasta. This was served with decent quantity and flavor was definitely there. I loved the pink sauce which being skeptic initially blow us both out. Thought completely stuffed we did gulp this dish in no time. This would be easily PICK OF MY DAY.
So full, we skipped desserts and wrapped up a lazy relaxing lunch.
Service & Hospitality:
Mr. Praveen (Guess got the name right) was the only active person in the lot and knowing we are hardcore foodies talking more on the food, showed us the attention and attended to each of our concerns. He was the one who replaced our drinks and pizza on reporting issue(s). But here is why I still feel service department could still get better. There is no clear classification on role, waiters are standing there and no no staff at bar. The captain prepared the drinks which is quite not a positive point considering they label themselves as ALL DAY LOUNGE. I expect my drniks to be made my proper barstaff to do my money justice. I think its too hard to push on the improvement(s) as they are new but then considering they are serving the IT Madness, they cannot expect understanding and have to get served to them otherwise.
Verdict:
Considering the variety they have in their menu and not so high n scortchy pricing, I think this place is a good entrant in this area and mainly for me as its a walkable option. Also, based on the taste profile of the dishes served, I think I will definitely recommend to others and also dine frequently to try their other sectors. Overall, I feel a good lounge for some good food with no nonsense pricing.