I had just landed in Hyderabad from my first trip to Odisha when I get a call from a fellow food blogger to meet up for dinner. As it is we have been under lockdown for ages now. So me being me, I readily agreed to meet over dinner. The last time we met, we dined at Once Upon A Time. That’s when I became a fan of set menus. Chef Vignesh is the man behind this restaurant. Known for his expertise in fusion food are, he has also done the menu at Noya Hyderabad. And so we decided to visit Noya Hyderabad for dinner. This blog post is going to be my Noya Hyderabad experience and not exactly a review since we didn’t eat much.
Noya – Rooftop Terrace & Bar – Elegant Ambiance
Noya is part of the Avasa hotel which is located in Hi-Tech city. It’s right next to Flechazo and opposite the Hi-Tech City Metro station. So if you plan to visit Noya, taking the Hyderabad Metro could be an option.
The entrance to the hotel is grande and is elegant. The same theme prevails at Noya as well. Located on the 10th floor, Noya Hyderabad is a rooftop terrace and bar. It does have a small indoor seating area that overlooks the Hi-Tech city metro station at one side and a well-stocked bar at the other. Hyderabad has been at the receiving end of heavy rains over the past few days and hence they had to shut the rooftop area. ๐ I’m sure we missed a lot!
Nonetheless, the ambience is pretty lively. The bar is the highlight of the place and the attached tables with glowing lights just add to the ambience. The tables are designed keeping in mind that people would drink and not eat as we did. And hence we felt the table to be smaller because we had lots of food!
Impressive Fusion Food and Drinks at Noya Hyderabad
When two food bloggers meet, it’s going to only food talks. Be it the home-cooked food or restaurant food or some speciality food. While we discussed food, Chef Vignesh had shared a list of must try items at Noya Hyderabad. However, most of it was non-vegetarian and had cocktails. That was because he wasn’t aware that I was joining in too. Nonetheless, the servers were kind enough to suggest.
Refreshing & Exclusive Mocktails
A few months ago I had visited 3 breweries in a span of few weeks. That’s when most of my friends were like you don’t drink so how come you are at a brewery? While I had a good experience at all those places – Ironhill Brewery, Prost – when it comes to cocktails, it’s just colour codes. You can have a blue, red, green, drink.
But I’m glad that wasn’t the case at Noya Hyderabad. They had a handful of options of exclusive mocktails. I was suggested to try the Chilly Amrudh mocktail. It was Guava juice with a dash of chilly. The chilly wasn’t too sharp and made the overall mocktail quite unique. The other drink that I tried was the Tender Coconut Ginger Frost. This is a highly recommended drink. It was a rare mocktail that I had with a tender coconut base. That with a dash of ginger and crushed ice, Man that was something. If you are a tippler, try it with Vodka. I bet you’ll like it too.
Next time I’m at Noya, I’ll try the other drinks too. My friends tried Qubani Fizz & Gulabtini.
Fusion starters and sides
We were so busy talking that we gulped a few glasses of our drinks. And realized we don’t have much space for the mains. That’s when we decided to order some starters. The Roasted Pineapple Cheeslings Bhel and Singhada & Kamal Kakdi. The meat-eaters on the table ordered Ghee Roast Mutton Samosa & Butter Chicken Pakoda.
The Roasted Pineapple Cheeslings Bhel was quite a fusion. Juicy, diced pineapples tossed with some herbs and sprinkled with cheeslings. The pineapples weren’t sour and the saltiness and crunchiness of the cheeslings just transformed the dish. It was a perfect play of flavours. A must-try. The next dish that I tried was Singhada and Kamal Kadki – Water chestnut and Lotus stem. Unlike the honey glazed variants of this dish that I’ve eaten elsewhere, this was sans that. The dish just had these items cooked to perfection and topped with some herbs and chilly. It was a simple and good preparation.
In the end, we had the Burnt Chenna Cheesecake that was one the house. I had the Chenna Poda a day earlier. This was nowhere close to the original but the fusion was pleasing. The cheesecake was nicely done, the base was crispy and the caramel sauce was just the perfect accompaniment.
Visit Noya for Scenic Views & Fusion Food
Overall, I was quite happy with Noya Hyderabad. While I didn’t do justice to Noya by not having the main course, the drinks and starters tell the story. Chef Vignesh has surely pulled a rabbit out of his hat with the fusion dishes at Noya. The ambience and the courteous staff just add to the whole dining experience. The food is good and the portion size is just enough. The drinks are the highlight and I’m sure all the tipplers would love their unique offerings.
You would be wondering how much all of it cost? Well, you know when friends meet, it’s always “I’ll pay, I’ll pay” so I didn’t pay it and neither did I get a chance to see the bill. Whatever it is, I’m sure it justifies the whole dining experience. Once again thanks to the staff and Chef Vignesh, Srinivas was taking care of us that evening.
What’s the craziest fusion food you’ve eaten? Would you think about Noya Hyderabad, wouldn’t you want to visit? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM me on Instagram or Get In Touch.
I am reading your blog at midnight.
And craving some good food now ๐
Oops! If you are ever in Hyderabad, you know whom to reach out to for food ๐ Thanks for dropping by ๐
Yes, I certainly will reach out to you ๐