As soon as we entered, three senses were pleased — perhaps it was due to a melange of culinary aromas, the hanging rattan pendant lights, and a cheerful, chatty atmosphere. And when we held a piece of buttered, crunchy bread in our hands, dunked it in a bowl of soothing Orange Zucchini Soup, and savoured it, the other two senses nodded in blissful affirmation. Oh, what a wonderful start this was to our meal at Thyme & Whisk in Jubilee Hills.
The fine-dining vegetarian restaurant unveiled a new menu, and the brains behind it was none other than co-founder Bobby Patel — the intriguing chef and businesswoman took CE on an insightful culinary ride, all while we devoured her delicious dishes.
“Contrary to some notions that veg food doesn’t have ‘variety’, there are so many amazing and exciting vegetarian and vegan ingredients to work with — jackfruit, soya, lotus stem, and mushrooms of so many different types…I could go on and on. We train our chefs to use a lot of ingredients and keep perfecting the art of vegetarian cooking. The dishes we whip up using these ingredients are so delectable that even non-vegetarians happily chomp and slurp!” expressed Bobby.
But when the chef initially thought of opening an outlet here, she was slightly doubtful of how Hyderabadis would receive her food. “We thought that the people here were mainly meat lovers. But what we learned is that there is a huge vegetarian population here, and many love going to a fine-dining restaurant that serves only vegetarian food,” the chef said.
For Bobby, who opted to walk away from her well-paying engineering job — because her heart was just not in it — food has always been a passion. “I was amazed by the variety of tasty vegetarian dishes my mother made. But outside, I found that veg options were limited to the likes of sandwiches, gobi manchurian, and pani puri. This was the case in places that served both veg and non-veg as well as those that served pure veg food. Also, the pure-veg places were not as fancy, and I wanted to change this,” she explained, adding that to learn more, she completed her diploma in culinary arts and baking from City and Guilds, London. “I started Thyme & Whisk to redefine luxury vegetarian dining in the country. But I would say we have only tapped into 10% of what veg food has to offer…there is so much more to explore,” revealed the chef.
So, what was divine?
Among the soups and small plates, the standouts were Orange Zucchini Soup and Edamame Hummus with Pita and Lavash. The soup was largely savoury, with little chunks of zucchini, and we enjoyed the dash of sweetness from an orange slice. The silky smooth hummus was subtle yet flavourful, pairing wonderfully with the pita. The Veggies Dragon Roll Sushi, Peri Peri Cheese Chilli Seekh Kebab, and Crispy Lotus Root were close contenders.
The big plate winner was the Apricot Pistachio Kofta, which we chose to pair with fragrant Jasmine Rice. Neither too sweet nor too savoury, the kofta was pure creamy indulgence. The treasure for health-conscious foodies at the table was the Forever Treasure Pizza Ragi, topped with pesto sauce, veggies, olives, and thyme.
And who tasted sweet victory? The San Sebastian Cheesecake Strawberry Compote, which was decadent, fresh, and light, all at the same time. All in all, a hearty meal savoured in the perfect setting!