Breakfast at Chutneys -- Restaurant Review

This photo of St. Mary's Church is courtesy of TripAdvisor. 

Sunday morning had us (self, Arien and MIL) rushing to the famous St Mary's Basilica at Secunderabad. We were not too sure of the route but the Arien used google maps to the best possible advantage and though we left our home at 8:25 am, we were at the church at 9 am. After staying for the English mass which began at 9:30 am, the next most important item on everyone's mind was "BREAKFAST" (yes - in capital letters).

As we were driving back home, the Arien chanced upon Chutney's and we stopped right away. It was close to 11:15 when we walked in and asked to be escorted to a table for four. (Restaurants usually never have a table for three) Anyway, we were asked to go to the first floor- which we did. We ended up occupying a table for 8, because none of the other tables were empty.

The Arien was full of enthu. Lots of folks at his office had spoken of this place and he was waiting to try it. As soon as MIL had taken her medicines, we asked for the menu. Both the Arien and self wanted to eat Pongal but it was after 11 and so we were asked to choose something else. Both of us chose
Guntur Idly and ordered Steamed Dosa for MIL. I was not sure it would be sufficient and asked the Arien to order for an Upma as well. First, the famous chutneys arrived. There were 4 different types: Thengai (Coconut), Pottukadalai (RoastedGram),Varekadalai (Groundnut), and another chutney which I cannot recall. It looked yumm... and then the dishes arrived. Sambhar was served from glass dispensers into small Kinnams after which they left us to eat in peace.

The Guntur Idly was not as spicy as expected because it was coated with ghee. But, it was yummy all the same. To me, it was like eating idly, molagapodi and ghee. The Arien loved it. He was busy trying out the various chutneys. The Steamed dosa did not have a drop of oil and my MIL did not like it all that much. She likes a generous dose of oil in her dosa. She is not a beeg fan of chutneys either and so I don't think she liked it all that much. The upma was full of ghee as well. I liked the Sambhar though it was sweet. It tasted vaguely like north Karnataka sambhar which usually has sugar or jaggery. I wanted something spicy to finish it up but apart from some paneer dish (which we did not try) and Guntur Idly (which we tried and did not classify as spicy) - none of the items were actually spicy. Isn't that quite surprising to hear considering I was at Hyderabad known to be famous for its spicy food? Egzactly my thoughts! Anyway, the Arien and MIL finished up their late breakfast with a cup  of coffee (by two) which they were unable to finish. Coffee was good but the quantity was much more than expected.

The food reminded me vaguely of the food served at Adyar Ananda Bhavan. A2B also includes a lot of ghee and zero spice in all their dishes. Of course, A2B does not have the ambience or shtyle that Chutney's has.

Would I ask someone to try it? Yes, I will. It is a nice place and for people who are wary of eating spicy food or prefer to eat only at a vegetarian place - this is a great option. It is a bit on the pricey side. We paid more than 300/- for the dishes that we ordered. It was a nice experience.