If I ever committed a serious crime (like leave a measly tip) and had to escape the (moral) police, I could conveniently come and settle down in Hyderabad. Not because such crimes go unnoticed here or because people are stingier than usual, just because, given the absence of a nearby tropical island and a few other legal duty-related glitches, Hyderabad is the perfect getaway to feel safe and happy in, long-term.
I have come here more than a couple of times over the last few years and I must say, the changes and developments are not just absolutely unbelievable, they are also impressive and in the right direction. The food scene has tremendously improved. From having super-spicy chicken 65 or greasy biryani at every second food outlet, even at the ?classy? looking ones, to ordering sushi and authentic Teppanyaki, Hyderabad has come a long way.
And where there is food, wine cannot be too far behind. And this is where something seems amiss. Hotels are springing up faster than weed and are equally relaxing. They have the most intricate of food preparations and, while some effort is being made to equate and then enhance this pleasure through wine, a lot remains to be done.
For starters, the local food needs to be revitalised. Hyderabad has one of the richest cuisines but for some reason, it is not being entirely valorised except by a few places. As a result, the concept of pairing wines with such is still nascent. En suite, the wine lists are rather boring. The logistics of wine supplies make it a non-viable proposition for importers to bring in more wines and as a result the lists at one hotel may read like a photocopied version from another property of a different chain. Thank goodness they use different fonts to create some sort of variety.
And then as if that couldn?t be deterring enough, the final blow is dealt by the local levies. At a staggering near-180% the final wine prices are near ridiculous. As a result, a simple bottle of champagne that is at around INR5,000 in Delhi is almost four to five times in Hyderabad! That is double of what one would pay for a bottle of not just a regular but a premium champagne in Delhi. Mind you, hotel pricing tactics are still as ruthless as elsewhere; under the garb of corporate policies and procedures they continue to be unreasonable.
But, one look at the price list and I could see why teetotalling could be a lucrative proposition. One bottle of wine not ordered could almost pay your month?s rent and car fuel, crude oil prices notwithstanding! Hats off to the local populace who brave such irrationalities and continue to order quality wines to go with their food; I don?t know how they manage to sip and swallow such horribly expensive and over-priced stuff. I could barely manage to gulp. Perhaps if they knew how easy certain other states have it…
Amongst places I would recommend for trying out food and wine would be The Spice Junxion (yes, with an ?x?) at the Taj Deccan, Collage at the uber-boutique Ista, and surprisingly at Novotel. That last one was surprising because for anyone who has travelled westwards and seen the rather run-down excuses of Novotels will not believe what this one has in store. The convention centre could host the best of Indian wine exhibitions and is unparalleled in its structure and features.
So, in retrospect, for the time being I better not commit any crime and be evicted from Delhi. Hyderabad is a lucrative getaway ? lively and upwardly mobile ? but I would have to go to bed dry like a stick many a night. Not quite the ideal trade-off.