“Anna Native” a marquee restaurant that serves great south Indian cuisine

“Anna Native” the restaurant that serves cuisines native to the southern region entered Hyderabad’s food culture sans the nouveau Indian style, and embraces the rustic, authentic flavours with nostalgic recipes from Kerala to Andhra.

The first look at Native Anna a restaurant in the up market A.S. Rao Nagar area of Secunderabad would transport to a voguish and elegant style café, replete with classy furniture glittering crockery and with accents by partners Satish and Karim, the space speaks volumes of characters in the quaint neighborhood. “As we conceptualized the experience at Anna Native, it became clear that we needed to bring nostalgia into the space. The idea is to take you back to simple Indian living, somewhere along the country side, filled with aromas of your grandmother’s cooking”.

Knowing the hospitality group’s forte in southern cuisine, the menu features Konaseema Kodi Vepudu –traditional Andhra chicken dish, Pan fried with dry roasted spices and onion or the  Chilli and garlic prawn traditional Asian dish of stir fried prawns in chilli and garlic sauce, for the vegetarians, there is Paneer ghee roast a Mangalorean delicacy of paneer with fiery red tangy sauce, flavours of Ghee and roasted spices or the Mamsam ghee roast a Mangalorean speciality of mutton slivers slow roasted in desi ghee and onion masala served with crispy lentils and some new concepts of Indian flavours like the Mokka Jonna seekh kebab ie minced sweet corn marinated with spices cooked in an Indian clay oven served with roasted tomato chutney or the spicy pineapple tikka sweet and sour mango chutney.

marquee restaurant
marquee restaurant

Starring high on this menu is the Pandu Mirchi Kodi Kebab served with curry leaf chutney-Tender chicken morsels marinated in gongura chutney mixture cooked in clay oven and served with gongura leaf or the Nalli Biryani A Fragrant Rice Preparation Tossed With Spicy Rich Mutton Nalli Masala And Curry Leaf from Konaseema Hyderabadi Tandoori Chicken, Laal Pyaaz Tender Chicken Legs Marinated In Indian Spices, Cooked In the tandoor and Served With Red Onion Laccha Even the  Pachi Mirchi Fish Tikka, Charcoal Roast Chilli Succulent Fish Marinated In Green Chilli Chutney, Cooked In An Indian Clay Oven, Garnished With Roasted Chillis or the Tandoori Pomfret, Salad Chutney A Whole Pomfret Fish Marinated In An Indian Red Chilli Masala, Cooked In An Indian Clay Oven, Served With Salad Chutney served with speciality chutney dips whipped up by the chefs at the restaurant are sure to tantalize your palates.

The duo partners who have mastered cuisines in their previous ventures have now focused on Indian food which comes with a serious commitment –the menu has been designed with several brains behind it. “We wanted to focus on authentic Indian recipes, no frills, only flavor with an easy vibe. The food needed to be exactly how it was when first created.” And true to his word Satish and Karim reveal that their kitchen team consisting of chefs have worked at some of the legendry restaurants in town.

On this note all the stars of Indian cuisine go to the Anna Native Potlam Biryani A Special Rice Preparation Of Prawn, Mutton And Chicken Wrapped In A Thin Egg Sheet Served With Mirchi Salan And Raita or the  Bilal Mamsam Biryani A Fragrant Rice Preparation Tossed With Mutton Chunks, Masala, Green Chilli And Curry  Mamsam Kura, Steamed Rice Andhra Style Mutton Curry Served With Steamed Rice or the  Andhra Chepala Pulusu, a delicacy Of Andhra, Fish Curry Served With Ghee And Onion Pulao

For the vegetarians  Chettinad Paneer Masala marinated with paneer dish from Chettinad region of Tamil nadu served with  Kerala Parotha Yoghurt or the  Puttagodugu Batani Masala, Miryalu Paratha South Indian Style Mushroom And Green Pea Masala Served With Crushed Black Pepper The Avakai Dum Biryani A Dum Rice Preparation Of Raw Mango Pickle And Mixed Vegetable

Food means serious business at  Santosh and Karim’s Anna Native –the menu an amalgamation of must try preparations from five South Indian States,-Telangana, Andhra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala-so you’re definitely going to have a hard time picking and choosing. While South Indian food is the highlight on the menu there are some regular North Indian delicacies like the Creamy dal, Paneer butter masala, Dal tadka, Butter chicken which is really buttery and creamy and many more. And at the end of the meal do not miss the desserts. The beautifully balanced Anna Native Mango delight – a speciality of Anna Native. It is made with Alphonso mango served on a bed of sweet Milk pudding flavoured with Gulkand or the   Anjeer Ka Halwa, Vanilla Ice Cream Cooked In Desi Ghee With Sugar And Dry Fruits Jaggery And Honey Payasam A Delicacy Of South India.

Loyalists cults sipping on the digestive like tomato rasam –clear and spicy south Indian soup served with fresh coconut or the Pottelu Paya soup made of mutton bones that is highly rich topped with homemade chilli oil or the kodi bonda soup classic chicken soup served with deep fried chicken bonda. One cannot help but feel lost amid the comfortable vibe. Anna Native binds a diner in a promise –to draw them back. With regional Indian dining missing in Twin cities growing restaurant culture, the restaurant will surely have a cult following wanting to try the entire menu be it the fluffy appams or the soft breads, or the various meat fish and chicken dishes.