Over a cutting chai

Chai Shop attempts to re-create the quintessential Irani chai experience in a five-star ambience Piping hot cups of chai, a few Osmania ‘biskuts' and endless conversation as you listen to retro music. Old LPs adorn a wall, a blackboard lists out rules of the café, glass jars are filled with biscuits, puffs and candies and yesteryear film stars give you company from the black and white and sepia-tinted photographs. The difference is in the setting. We are seated at the newly-opened Chai Shop at Taj Banjara. In a city that's now being monopolised by high-end coffee shops, it's refreshing to see an ode to Irani chai cafés that Hyderabad is famed for. Yes, the Chai Shop is inside a five-star hotel but there's a clear attempt to tone down the ‘five-star' trappings. The chai is served in narrow glasses one identifies with roadside tea stalls and food is served in simple white plates bereft of the hotel's name and logo. The menu offers a mix of street food from different parts of Hyderabad and Mumbai. There's the famous Hyderabadi Mirchi, Bun Muska, Lukhmi, Patti Samosa, Machi ke Chops, Tootak, Kheema Pao and much more. Sounds appetising? There's plenty more. Not just short eats, the Chai Shop has enough to offer for a filling meal. Try the Penderghast that's the way the menu spells it) ki Vada Pao/ Kheema Pao or Hyderabadi haleem. The vada paos (again, the spelling from the menu) are served with spicy mint and tomato chutneys and Sumeet Sood, the executive chef, discloses that they've tried to keep the flavour of the street food alive without using hydrogenated fats. The chai is the USP of this place. The Salahuddin ki Chai is a deep, flavourful brew for those who love black tea and the Sulemani chai, boiled with milk, is for those who prefer the South Indian variation. You will also find Cutting Chai, Khade Chamach ki Chai, Adraki Chai and Malgudi filter coffee. If a hot cuppa is not what you'd like on a balmy afternoon, try the gulabi or namkeen lassi. For more variety, there are beer concoctions such as Santra beer, Chatpata beer and Chai beer to choose from. For a sweet treat, try the Muradabad ki Malpua Kheer or Lab-e-Shirin. Old timers might still miss enjoying Irani chai as you overlook the traffic pass by on the dusty streets, but the Chai Shop fits the bill for those who like to sample street food in a hygienic setting. So, dunk a biskut into a glass of chai as you work on your laptop or chat with friends. Chai Shop is easy on your wallet too. Where: Taj Banjara USP: Varieties of chai, Hyderabadi and Mumbai street food. Meal for two: Rs. 600 approx. Timings: 12.30 p.m. to 10 p.m.