Bawarchi - Hyderabad

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The sudden flurry of bikes revving and the collective gust of auto drivers that blew towards

the buzzing people exiting the theatre across the road, announced the end of another show
for the day.

On this side, a chain of bikes would be parked haphazardly, their owners dressed in red; a
closer look would reveal the word Zomato printed in bold Sans serif on the back of their
shirts. Some paced around impatiently, some made small talk with the others, some
clamoured around noisily at the counter, but one thing remained – you could always see
them there.

Full chickens on skewers sat on display, their plucked frames smeared with chilli paste as
they twirled around slowly, getting roasted, their ends charred a sooty black.

Two trains of people were always moving in and out of the doorway, it was easy to
distinguish the people who came out; their bellies would be relatively bigger, and if you
heard closely, you could hear their faint nibbling on fennel seeds (saunf) and an occasional
burp of satisfaction.

The standard black and white chef, his upturned hand holding a steaming dish of what we
can only imagine to be biryani, with the tag ‘Bawarchi’ which translates to chef, is one of the
most recognisable sights in Hyderabad. ‘Bawarchi has no branches’, a board proudly
announces, just beside.

It is only fitting that a lot of restaurants have tried to emulate the popular brand – scattered
all across the city, you can find Green Bawarchi, Red Bawarchi, an Airport Bawarchi, to name
a few, and yet none can match up to the flavour and popularity of the original’s.

Once inside, a huge settee would welcome you, and even this would almost always be
completely full with people waiting for a table. One had two options, a table in the air-
conditioned hall, or the terrace above.

Almost nothing comes close to the feeling of sitting with a full stomach, sipping on the dregs
of a glass of coke, after tucking into a scrumptious dish of hot biryani, along with mirchi ka
saalan, raitha and of course, onions marinated in lemon juice and pepper.

History has it that Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty, who is also a huge lover of biryani founded
the restaurant back in 1994. It started as a modest café with tea and snacks and today, it
stands as one of the most popular landmarks, in India, if not the world, for its various
delicacies, especially the Biryani.

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