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Whenever I’m on a holiday, I always prefer to venture out and explore the local delicacies. Be it the Kachori at Samrat in Jaipur or Chai in Lucknow, I always love to eat what the locals relish. However, that isn’t possible always, especially when you are on a work trip or a staycation. If you’ve been following my journey on Instagram or have read my previous blog post, you know that I was at Mercure Hyderabad for a staycation last week. In my previous blog post, I summed up my experience of staying at Mercure Hyderabad, my suite life, the gym and the hospitality. In this blog post, I’ll talk exclusively about the food at Mercure Hyderabad.
During my 24 hours at Mercure, there was so much food that I had to have a separate blog post on it. Right from the time I entered the hotel to the time I left, I was served some delicious dishes. From Indian to continental and refreshing drinks, I got a chance to relish quite a bit. So in this blog post, I’ll talk about the food at Cayenne, their all-day dining restaurant, IQ, the lounge bar and the in-room dining service. So you see, you have plenty of choices when it comes to food at Mercure.
Dining at Cayenne Mercure Hyderabad
After the healthy kadha (health drink) that I had upon entering the hotel, I relished the local mithais that were put in my room. Fresh, soft, melt-in-mouth and delicious. The work desk was so good that I was engrossed in my work so much that I had almost missed the lunch. Cayenne is their all-day dining restaurant. Trivia: Cayenne is a variety of Chilly that was first found in regions of Brazil. And on the hotness scale, they sit right in the middle with 30-50L Scoville units.
Located on the second floor, Cayenne welcomes you with a beautiful Kalamkari decorated wall. As you enter the restaurant, the first thing that you notice is the light. One side of the entire restaurant has windows and there’s ample light coming in that lights up the whole place. The decor too with the blue and white colour combination is pleasing to the eyes. The restaurant serves a buffet, thali and a regular a la carte menu for lunch, a la carte and a buffet for dinner. Since I was on a staycation, Chef Ganesh decided to serve me a 5-course meal with a global touch.
Soups and Starters
We started the meal with a plate of Mexican Nachos with a variety of dips – Fried Beans, Tomato Chilli Salsa and Pineapple Salsa. My favourite was the fried beans. Nachos were crispy and the dips were complimenting it perfectly. We then had a Thai Coconut Corn soup which was refreshing. The sweetness of corn along with the grainy coconut not only have a good taste but also a good mouthfeel. The soup also had a sting of chilly which made it even more appealing.
The next time was a desi starter – Mushroom Galauti. I’m so happy to see that the Veg. Kebab section is seeing the variety. The kebab had a coarse texture but melted as soon as they were in my mouth – characteristic of a perfect kebab. The kebab was adequately spiced and all I could have asked for was a good rumali roti to go with it.
Italian Mains
After a mix of Mexican, Thai and Indian starters, it was time for some fusion Italian mains. I was served Penne Pasta in curried Schezwan sauce along with garlic toast. The sauce was pretty good, and the curried treatment that it got made it different. I am not a fan of Schezwan sauce, however, this version of the sauce, I loved. It was cooked to perfection and the portion size was also good enough.
European Dessert
Chef Ganesh after taking us on a world tour with his food finally decided to take us to Austria and serve some Strudel. A native of Austrian cuisine, Strudel is now a part of many European cuisines. He served us the Apple Strudel which was quite unique. Flaky, Crispy and salty shell was baked well and the stuffing of sweet Apple and Cinnamon mixture was on point. Overall the whole dish was pretty good, salty, sweet, crispy, there was so much in just one dish.
Overall Cayenne at Mercure Hyderabad is a good place to dine in. Whether you are staying in the hotel or coming in for lunch, the restaurant has quite a lot on offer. Their buffet and thali I’ve heard are pretty good and worth a try. I’ll surely try them some time and will update this blog post then.
IQ Lounge Bar Review
After a heavy lunch, I got back to work. Some calls, meetings and reports later I realized it was already 5. I was busy with my work and the radio playing along in the background made me more productive that day. I then took a stroll in the lobby and explored the property. The hotel is inspired by art and promotes local artisans a lot. You can read my previous blog post to know more about it. Soon I reached the ground floor to find the IQ lounge bar.
While it isn’t one of the largest lounges in the city, Impression Quotient of Mercure Hyderabad has got everything to please your tastebuds. Whether you are a tippler or teetotaler, the bartender surely knows how to please you. The classy lounge has a live screening facility so that you can enjoy a match with your friends as the bar works on dishing out some unique drinks.
I had an option to have either tea, coffee or a cold drink. And being the Maharaj that I am, I requested for Filter Kaapi and a Virgin Mojito later on. I quickly got chatting with Mr. Ramakanth, who is the F&B manager their and found that he not only loves Cricket but was also present during my Tata Hexa Bloggers’ Meet at Novotel Hyderabad Airport. What a small world! As we chatted, the chef brought in a variety of small bites from dahi vada, bruschetta to pastry.
The filter coffee arrived and it was bitter – just as I liked it. Served in a traditional manner, the coffee was pretty good. I’m no coffee connoisseur so I can only say that this was a good coffee. The small bites – especially bruschetta was pretty good. It was crunchy and cheesy at the same time. I sipped my coffee and enjoyed our conversation. Soon it was time for another drink, and my cool Virgin Mojito was on the table. It was loaded with ice and the fresh minty aroma had me.
Overall, the IQ lounge at Mercure Hyderabad is ideal for corporate cocktail evenings to unwind or celebrate. A soothing ambience makes it ideal for friends and families to bond and relax.
Exceptional In Room Dining Service
Lastly, if you happen to stay at Mercure Hyderabad and are too lazy to visit the restaurant, the in-room dining service is nothing short of exceptional. I was served my dinner and breakfast in the room. I must say that in terms of safety, they have taken utmost care in preparing and delivering food to my bed. Every item on the table was cooked fresh and shrink wrapped. The steward was also all masked up as he brought the food into the room.
For dinner, I had a non-alcoholic Apple Sangria, Kasundi Marinated Paneer along with Minced Soyabean Biryani and a Hyderabadi dessert platter. The Sangria was refreshing and the little apple pieces in the drink were pretty good. The marinated Paneer was good, flavoursome but dry. It could have been done in a different way or a dip/chutney should have been served with it.
The biryani was flavoursome. The long-grained rice was perfectly layered and the aroma that filled the room as I opened the handi was magical. The flavours were pretty good and on point and the salan and raita only helped it become better. While I would have preferred soya chunks instead of minced soya, this was good too, my first time trying this variant of the Soya Biryani. The dessert platter had Gulab Jamun, Qubani Ka Meetha and Gajar ka Halwa, all of them were pretty standard on taste and looks.
Breakfast on the other day was a lavish spread of South Indian and continental dishes. From bread butter, cornflakes and porridge to Onion Pesarattu, Sambhar Chutney with fresh fruits and Watermelon and Carrot juice. Pesarattu was on point and flavoursome and so was the Sambhar. The variety of chutneys served were good too. I really enjoyed the fresh fruits and the carrot juice. It wasn’t canned juice and was freshly made. The lavish breakfast spread was enough to put me to bed but thanks to a freshly brewed coffee from the in-room pantry that got me back to work 😉
If you love to be in the comfort of your room and enjoy the luxury, the in-room dining service at Mercure Hyderabad is a match made in heaven for you. Delicious and fresh food delivered right to your bed are all you want. Plus they have ensured that all the safety measures are in place too, hence you’re assured of healthy and safe food.
Delicious food at Mercure Hyderabad
Whether you are on a holiday or on a staycation, Hotel Mercure Hyderabad will ensure you make the most of it. Be it their rooms, hospitality or food, everything will make you feel comfortable so you can just relax. Talking about food, Cayenne and IQ offer a variety of food. Whether you are in a mood to eat everything or a small bite with a glass of wine, you can enjoy both of them at Mercure. I truly loved the experience of not only staying there but even the pampering with food in my room – couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Lastly, if you travel a lot, stay and dine at hotels, you might want to check out the ALL membership as well that is valid across all the Accor properties across the globe. They have some fantastic discounts and exclusive perks on stay and dining. All you have to do is register for an ALL membership – just like I did!
That’s about it for my Food at Mercure Hyderabad blog post. If you are ever in that part of the city, do try out Cayenne for their thali or IQ for a live match screening, I’m sure you would be satisfied with your experience. Keep following me for more such stories. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM me on Instagram or Get In Touch.
