Grand Trunk Road Madhapur, Review – A Toothsome Buffet

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Anyone who loves road trips would surely love the ‘desi’ dhabas along the way. Even though we see the cafe / restaurant culture settling in, many (like me) prefer to stop at a local dhaba rather than a swanky upmarket restaurant. Thanks to these dhabas that the trend of ‘desi’ themed restaurants is on the rise. Be it the likes of Chauki Dhani that gives a unique Rajasthani dining experience or Vishala in Ahmedabad that gives a taste of Gujarati Food. One such desi themed restaurant that I visited recently was the Grand Trunk Road in Madhapur, Hyderabad. After a delicious meal and an even better experience, I decided to pen down my thoughts on the Grand Trunk road Madhapur.

The Punjabi Ambiance

The Grand Trunk Road Madhapur has the perfect ambiance that will remind you of the country side to some extent. Even though it’s in the heart of the IT hub, the restaurant manages to bring the desi feel quite nicely. The entrance is grand with a pan shop and a truck welcoming you. As you enter you’ll the pani puri waalas, chat waalas at one side, giving that street-side look. The restaurant itself has a great ambiance. The furniture to the cutlery, everything goes with the theme. Loved the way the lights were tweaked along with the number plates all over the place. Since we went for lunch and got a table almost in the corner, I felt the lighting was a ted dark. I guess that shouldn’t be a problem during dinner. Now enough of praising the ambiance, time to move to the food.

Delicious food at Grand Trunk Road Madhapur

The buffet spread is pretty good with a wide variety of starters, vegetarian and non vegetarian main course dishes and the desserts. On the day we went, we had Krunchy Munchurian, Corn Kebab, Paneer Tikka for vegetarian starters along side Chicken and Fish starters. (Pardon me for not remembering the names !) I loved the Corn Kebab and Paneer while my meat loving friends drooled over the fish. One of the best starters variety I’ve seen in the recent past. The starters were served on the table, and that meant a slow service. Most of us had to wait for quite sometime before getting another round of starters. Kind of dampens the whole experience 🙁

For the Main course, there was a Paneer preparation, Veg Jalfarezi, Bhindi and Dal Makhni to name a few for the veggies while there was Egg Bhurji and a Mutton Curry for the not-so-veggies. Apart from this there were a couple of Chinese items including Noodles and Veggies in Garlic Sauce alongside the local delicacy Chicken Biryani and the Veg Biryani.

The Paneer was not quite the regular one I usually have so that is something I loved. Paneer used was fresh and soft. Veg Jalferezi was on the spicier side (at least for me) and the Bhindi and Dal Makhni were delicious. I enjoyed a couple for servings of plain rice along with Dal Makhni. The Biryani was pretty average for the veggies while the Non Veg folks relished the Biryani and the Mutton Curry. One downside at the Grand Trunk Road Madhapur was that the buffet area was common to both vegetarians and non vegetarians. What this did was both groups were in the same queue to get their respective items.

Mediocre Desserts

The desserts were limited but were good. There were chocolate pastries, Rabri Gulab Jabum served in shot glass, Ice Cream, Rava Kesari and Mango Mousse. My favorite was the Mango Mouse, it was quite different and had a good texture and taste. Apart from this I also tried my all time favorite Lemon Iced Tea which is not part of the standard buffet. The presentation was quite different and I certainly enjoyed it. Even the Jalebi which is served at the counters outside was pretty good.

Recent Visit – May 12, 2017

I was again at The Grand Trunk road, for dinner this time around. We were a group of friends who decided to tickle our taste buds after a hectic week of work. Had our table reserved well in advance but had to delay the same. Lucky to have gotten a spot even though we reached an hour late. The waiting time around 9PM was almost 45 minutes, so always reserve your tables before heading to GT Road. They have started serving Buffet during dinner also, which wasn’t the case when this post was originally written. The spread was almost the same, hated the “coriander” pieces in Paneer starter. Friends were drooling over the Fish starter and Pav Bhaji. Overall it was a good experience. More than the food, it was the company that made things amiable ! Thanks guys 🙂

Final Words

The Grand Trunk Road Madhapur brings the best of both worlds together – the typical dhaba ambiance along with some great food. The restaurant served one of the best starter spread I’ve experienced along with a delicious and sumptuous main course. If the service time for starters is improved, I’m sure the entire dining experience will be enhanced. For Rs 571 599 (incl Taxes) the Buffet at the Grand Trunk Road is entitled your time and money. The whole dining experience was a breeze. Already been to Grand Trunk Road Madhapur ? How was your culinary journey ? Mention in the comments below or tweet to me @Atulmaharaj