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Grand Hotel has the distinction of being the only hotel in the city which makes a popular starter—chicken gulmohar, chicken pieces stuffed with kheema and spices.
Abids used to be the happening area in Hyderabad many years ago, but now it is frequented only by sentimentalists. Still, there are a couple of restaurants here popular for serving ‘original Hyderabadi food’—like Grand Hotel, started by 12 Iranians who came here from Mumbai. Today, the restaurant is run by Mohammed Jaleel Farokh Rooz, whose family acquired it when the Iranians returned to their home country in the late 1960s. Rooz worked as a pharmacist and a lawyer in the US before returning to Hyderabad to run the restaurant.
“We were once famous for our roast mutton and mutton chops,” he says. “But since our old cook died, we haven’t been able to replace him.” Earlier, when the busy postal department was located right behind the hotel, it used to be open 24 hours. “Now we keep it open the whole night only during Ramzan,” says Rooz. “I converted the hotel rooms into a dining hall, and, today, it is popular for its multi-cuisine menu.” Despite this, people mostly come here for well-known Hyderabadi dishes like mutton and chicken biryani and mutton masala. The breakfasts at Grand Hotel—khichdi with kheema and khatta, bhaji gurda (spinach and liver) with roti and kheema with roti—are also popular among regulars. Grand Hotel has the distinction of being the only hotel in the city which makes a popular starter—chicken gulmohar, chicken pieces stuffed with kheema and spices.
Hyderabad is probably best known for its mutton biryani, large quantities of which are, surprisingly, cooked by men. In fact, some royals, too, like Nawab Mehboob Alam Khan, were famous for their biryanis. The marinade of the biryani is supposed to be a ‘holy secret’ known only to a few. Some also include saffron-soaked yoghurt, milk or water in between layers of meat and rice in the biryani.
Murgh sufiyani kebabs
The city is also known for the variety of kebabs—served here with sliced onions, mint and lime—and lukhmi, which is a pastry stuffed with meat. If you swear by meat, then Hyderabad is the place to be; try the slow-cooked mutton masala with a variety of rotis, which are large and made with whole wheat in some places and maida in others.
Earlier, with its limestone walls and wrought iron chairs, the restaurant had an old world charm. Rooz regrets changing the look of the hotel. “But, let’s see,” he says. “Someday, I might bring back the old style again.” He has converted a balcony above the eaves into a cosy little sit-out, which gets fully booked during the weekends. Being listed on online platforms like Swiggy and Zomato has ensured that he gets bookings from across Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
On the ground floor of the hotel, Rooz sells Irani chai and biskoots. The tea, made at the right temperature with the correct mix of sugar and brewed leaves, is quite addictive. “It is also because we serve it from a samovar heated over coals,” he says. He has had many famous personalities visiting his restaurant, like artist M.F. Husain, former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh T. Anjaiah, and former home minister of the state M.M. Hashim.
