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Hyderabad is abuzz with new eateries in town. From cafes to regional and pan Asian, Hyderabadis do love to dine out. And the most recent addition to Hyderabad’s Pan Asian space is NoHo. Brought to you by the same team behind Farzi Cafe and Aidu, NoHo is a rather different take on Pan Asian food in the city. There already were quite a few Asian restaurants in the city, namely Haiku, Zega, Kembara, to name a few. So how’s NoHo different?
That’s what I’m going to discuss in today’s post. I was recently invited to dine at NOHO and experience the interactive Pan Asian food. So let’s get going.
NOHO – Elegant Yet Playful Ambience
Road No. 45, Jubilee Hills is the most popular address in Hyderabad, especially for all the foodies. The area has some of the most popular eateries including Lord Of The Drinks, Prost, Telugu Medium, Broadway, Itlu and Aidu to name a few. NOHO too joins this list. Coming from the same team as Aidu, NOHO is located in the same building as Aidu. While Aidu occupies the ground floor, the first floor and the rooftop are captured by NOHO.
The interiors at NOHO are elegant yet playful. There are interactive areas across the place where you can sit and see the chef make your favourite dish. From a Sushi bar to a Japanese Robatayaki grill, NOHO promises to provide an amazing experience. The use of Red and a tinge of gold all over the restaurant gives it an elegant, modern and yet playful touch. There are multiple seating options from bar counter to high chairs and comfortable sofa seating, there’s everything for everyone.
Moving to the rooftop, you’re greeted with a nice and airy ambience. The green planters welcome you along with a spray of water, just what you need for a relaxed evening. Here too you’ll find different types of seating including some private spaces. There’s a DJ area which means there is something for the party animals. The bar here takes centre stage with the bartenders mixing some great cocktails. There’s a large screen which also streams IPL matches so they’ve got all the men covered 😉
Overall, I loved the interiors and the attention to aesthetics. Further, the choice of music and the volume is perfect. Not too loud that I cannot hear the person next to me nor too low that I can hear the person from the next table.
Asian Food From The Silk Route
One of the interesting things I like about NOHO was the thought behind the food – the silk route. The whole idea of NOHO is to offer Pan Asian food made with ingredients found along the traditional silk route. Whether you talk about the starters, mains, grills or the bar, there’s something special about each of these.
Before I talk more about the food, let me put out that I’m not a huge fan of Asian food but that doesn’t mean I don’t eat it. It’s just that if given an option, I might not order Asian food. Nonetheless, chefs at NOHO knew about this and they had something special to offer.
Starters
They started by serving me some Edamame Truffle Dim Sums along with Lotus Stem from Robatayaki Grill. The dim sums were pretty good and I finished all 6 of them. I first had Edamame soup somewhere in the city and I liked the flavour since then I like Edamame. The Lotus stem was interesting because it wasn’t served as small discs, rather they were these huge chunks of it. I’ve never seen Lotus stem that thick. It was quite subtle on flavours initially, but later the chilli kicked in.
If there’s one dish that I don’t like, it’s Sushi. I’ve had numerous variants of it, but I disliked all. So when the chef told me he’ll send Sushi next I was like “Why God Why!”.
The Sushis were soon on the table, and this was the Mango Avocado sushi. It looked good, but I was still unsure of tasting it. Nonetheless, I gathered all my courage and had it. After chewing it a bit, it felt good. The sweetness of mango coupled with the kick of Wasabi and red chilly made it extra special. For a non-Sushi person, this was way too amazing! Must try.
Mains
Later, there was a serving of Cauliflower steak which looked delicious. It came with a glazed look and was done well. Though it was flavourful, I feel it could have been done a little better. By this time I was almost full and there was Edamame Fried Rice on the live grill. I think it was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. So if you have an option to try that, do try it.
For desserts, there was a Deconstructed Lotus Biscoff along with a Chocolate Brick. The deconstructed Lotus Biscoff was decadently rich and satisfying. The chocolate brick, which mimicked a Snickers bar, made for a delightful sweet ending to the meal.
Ho Ho at NOHO!
Excuse me for the subheading but I feel anyone who loves Asian food, would like what NOHO has to offer. For someone like me who doesn’t enjoy this cuisine much, the chefs were able to entice me with the delicious Edamame Truffle Dim Sums and the Mango Avocado Sushi. These are the two must-try items if you’re a vegetarian.
Every dish here is in some way or the other inspired by the Silk Route. Even the cocktails too are pretty good is what my friend tells me. They don’t have many mocktail options, but the bartender can surely mix something and give you.
Overall, quite a good dining experience. It’s been barely 15 days since the restaurant opened and the place was jam-packed on a weekday evening. This shows the love for Asian food that Hyderabadis have and the fact that NOHO is doing something different.
What are your thoughts about Asian food? How do you think someone like me can embrace Asian food? Let me know in the comments below, tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM @Atulmaharaj on Instagram or Get In Touch.
