HYDERABAD: You want Italian, your friend just wants some pub grub but another friend, true to her roots, chimes in and says she wants some good ol’ Hyderabadi biryani. Where do you go? OKA - Bar & Bistro in Jubilee Hills. But OKA’s resplendent boho theme—hanging rattan pendant lights, walls painted with coconut trees, and banana leaf plants in tall vases—made us feel like we were blissfully holidaying in Goa.
And so we started to crave something refreshing. As we perused the mocktails menu, we were utterly spoiled for choice but finally decided to go with Berry First Night and Cranberry Coffee.
The cool, slushy concoction of strawberries, raspberries, and mulberries in Berry First Night made for a burst of natural fruity flavours, which were only texturally amped up by the berry seeds. The Cranberry Coffee was in a league of its own too; the bittersweet organic coffee flown in from Mumbai was perfectly balanced with the cranberry flavour, making the drink pleasantly different from its namesakes in other restaurants.
As we took a couple of sips, our tummies begged for some sinful tid-bits. For vegetarian starters, we got the Naan Bombs and Burmese Parcels. While the perfectly spherical, charred Naan Bombs had a smoky flavour, one bite and the melted cheese almost took us to cheesy heaven. The Burmese Parcels were literally shallow-fried bundles filled with cream cheese, herbs, and tomatoes.
Long spring onions tied around each parcel mimicked the criss-crossing ribbons on birthday gifts, adding both a fresh taste and an aesthetic look to the dish. For non-vegetarian starters, we had the Threaded Chicken served with chilli sauce and hot garlic sauce. The handmade crispy noodles encasing the chicken complemented the soft, juicy chicken inside.
While cheese has a penchant for stifling hunger quickly, these starters got our tummies purring for the main course. OKA’s Aglio e Olio took us to southern Italy but the restaurant’s Veg Tawa Biryani and its coconuty salan took our breaths away, bursting with flavour and authenticity in every bite. And while the street-style Bandi Chicken Fried Rice was deliciousness personified, the Pachi Mirchi Chicken Pulao—with its rich flavours of green chilli, coriander and pudina seeping into the crispy chicken —snagged first place.
And OKA is a real winner when it comes to understanding the sweet tooth; the warm and gooey Cookie Dough with Vanilla Ice Cream practically saw us clamouring with our dessert spoons to scarf down more. And while the Hazelnut Mousse was absolute decadence, it was the cookie dough that made us feel all warm and fuzzy.
“The reason we offer an array of cuisines at OKA is to cater to customers with different food preferences and across different age groups. We also wanted to give them different ambiances—an open rooftop, a cosy pub with live music, and a boho-themed indoor space with tons of natural light pouring in,” said Nadendla Vedashree, owner of OKA.