A Charminar walk is in itself a fascinating experience, and you add in a food walk and it's an inundation on the senses.
Navin, after he quit Google, has been doing some super interesting stuff. He does 'heritage photography walks' . I'd signed up for one to qutub shahi tombs, but rain played spoilt sport that day.
So last week when he messaged saying 'Dhruv and I are going for a food walk, want to come?', it's only after I said yes, that I even asked what exactly that was.
The list he sent me had me dazed. I said "I'll come and watch". (I'm no foodie). And notwithstanding their exasperated reactions, I went.
What an experience that was. Every facet of it more wonderful than the other. Walk through the gallis of Charminar, taking pictures of the little nooks and crannies he knows so well, the titbits of information he comes up with, the relationship he has with the dhabha guys.......and the food tho.....mashallah !
He has it planned out beautifully, starting right from giving us a bottle of water each as we get off the car, to knowing not just what, but even how much to eat.
Rest through pictures:
The start of the walk
We started with Nayaab, a small eatery inside of a small galli. Navin seemed to know not just the menu well, but the folks there too.
He ordered. Paaya, Bheja fry, tandoori roti. And what's more, he ordered one tandoori roti, and split it in three. He said that's the way you'll get to eat everything on that list I sent :)
Us after that kick ass start. Was to me, as I've had a mental block with bheja fry, that these two managed to break through :)
He took us on a tour of the kitchen, he seemed to ahve free access to anywhere. Half the kitchen is in the galli out the kitchen.
The paaya
Was amazing to see the dexterity with which he was slicing the onions, super thin, and what's more, he wasn't even looking.
The kitchen, way cleaner than you'd think
More cooking happening in the galli
Next was the 'Baadshahi Ashoorkhana', a heritage sight I hadn't even known off.
Built in 1594, three years after the charminar. It's a place of mourning for the shias during moharram. There was some prayers on, so we stayed in the grounds.
An abandoned building inside the grounds. There's a huge tree growing right through the building.
The entrance to the ashoorkhana . You can see the Madina building in background.
Dhruva and Navin outside Mashallah Shammi Kabab, our next food halt. Missed a picture of the shammi kababs, they were so yumm I dug in before the picture. They were my favouritest of the lot.
Where they were being made. Looks like we aroused a lot of curiosity.
That's the whole of the eatery, even their vegetables and mixi sit on the tables we eat on.
And then we walked and walked. This was through mir alam mandi
The gate into mir alam mandi
An athar store, and the basket outside, it's meswak twigs used for brushing teeth
Royal fish, a counter on the road that sells just fish. Stood with a scooter as table and ate.
Interesting to see how the sewai was being sold
An old ornate door of a building that's yet in use as residence.
Sheekh kebab, again an eatery that had just two tables, one in purdah, and one outside. There's pictures of Mohammed Ali on the wall, and that got us talking. The owners brother was a wrestling champ and apparently the place is still better known as 'Pehelwan ki kabab'. Actual name is Jehangir Kebabs.
Back to walking towards Charminar
Kesar Chai....was wonderful chai
A kutti store, actually pretty much a cupboard converted into a service store.
All glitz and glimmer...a chudi (bangle) shop
Faloodah at Shadaab. Again, we just split one.
Dusk. A woman lighting a lamp at a really small dargah
Nimrah, right next to Charminar. He had the best Osmania biscuits ever. It's said that no biscuit eaten there is more than an hour old.
And finally avocado juice, at Milan juice right there, on the Charminar boulevard :) It was so pleasant and inspiring kinds, that we chilled there until almost midnight.
After an evening that started at seven and went on into late hours, we must have walked four hours and eight kms. And this is but half the interesting pictures we got.
Navin and Dhruva, so so glad to have done this with you.
Navin, you've got something wonderful going here. Made me feel full on hyderabadi after a long time. Inshallah, may it grow and grow.
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