Relish Regional Flavours at AnTeRa – My Honest Review

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No matter what you’ve eaten, your comfort food is always going to be your regional food. The food that is cooked at your home and you’ve been having them since childhood. For most people from North India, Dal Chawal, Roti Subzi is a comfort food.

While most people from the South would prefer the humble curd rice or rasam rice. Even with all the fancy restaurants in the city serving fancy dishes, you need a place where you get your comfort food. There already are a few places that are known for regional flavours, I tried another one a few weeks ago at AnTeRa Kitchen & Bar.

AnTeRa Kitchen & Bar – Gachibowli and Banjara Hills

The first time I saw posts about AnTeRa, I was amazed by the name and the branding. The use of periodic table-type elements to represent the cuisine served was pretty neat. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Rayalaseema – AnTeRa. Couldn’t have been any simpler or better.

AnTeRa is located a little further from Vivah Bhojnambu in Banjara Hills. Their newest outlet, Antera Gachibowli is located near Deloittr towers. This one in Banjara Hills, like most other eateries in the area, too looks like a bungalow converted into a restaurant. Before I move ahead, let me warn you about the waiting times. Please ensure that you have a confirmed reservation before you visit AnTeRa. The waiting times on a weekday can go up to 45 minutes. Further, parking for two-wheelers can be a concern.

On the outside, there’s a mural of a bullock cart as you enter the premises. A small flight of stairs lead you to the waiting area on one side and the restaurant on the other. The waiting area is the instgrammable spot at AnTeRa. The seating space is huge and you have an option to sit on the first floor as well which is semi-open seating. Smoking is allowed on the first floor. The walls in the restaurant are painted with art depicting the regional culture and diversity. Overall, the ambiance at AnTeRa is pretty good.

Food & Drinks at AnTeRa – Review

AnTeRa boasts of regional cuisine, however, there are a few continental items on the menu too. Further, the menu isn’t as expansive as a book but is a sheet of paper. Not to forget, there are extremely limited choices for a vegetarian. So if you are a vegetarian, you might find it a little difficult.

Standout Starters

One of the first things that we ordered was the Mokka Jonna Garelu, Thotakura Liver Fry and Bangla Paneer. Mokka Jonna Garelu is corn pakodas. These were pretty crisp and flavoursome. The corn was cooked to perfection. Thotakura Liver Fry was extremely spicy and not all of us at the table enjoyed it. While the concept was good, the taste could have been better. Lastly, the Bangla Paneer was an innovative dish that I came across. It was a slice of potato and a Paneer cube held together with a toothpick, dipped in besan, deeply fried and sprinkled with chat masala. It was totally new for me and it tasted fine.

Regional Main Course on point

Moving to the main course, we order MokkaJonna Palakuru iggu, Garlic Naan and Ulvcharu Veg Pulao. MokkaJonna Palakuru iggu was a corn & spinach gravy. It was like the typical Italian combination of corn and Spinanc but sans cheese and cream. It was mildly spiced and tasted good. Ulvacharu was nice and rich in flavours. Made from horse gram, the pulao tasted different. Further, if you are having this for the first time, you might not like it much.

And that’s pretty much it. You have a couple of dal/pappu on the menu, Paneer Butter Masala, Mushroom Masala, Manchurian and Chilli Paneer. That’s all a vegetarian can have at AnTeRa.

Final Verdict: Vegetarian Variety needs to be better

This wasn’t my first time trying local cuisine. A few years ago I was at Rayalaseeema Ruchula and more recently at Subbaya Gari, both these places have a huge variety of regional vegetarian options. Frankly, I wasn’t quite amused with the vegetarian variety. Nonetheless, the food was delicious barring the Tootakoora liver Fry. In terms of your dineout experience, you’ll surely have a good time. The servers are quick and attentive to your needs. The ambience of the place will make you want to wait longer.

Overall, it was a nice experience. The food was good, the service was nice and AnTeRa lived up to its name. If you are a non-vegetarian, you’ll surely have a good time in terms of the variety of options to choose from.

So what’s your favourite regional dish from Andhra, Telangana or Rayalaseema? Let me know in the comments below, Tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM on Instagram or Get In Touch.