In Hyderabad: A new culinary pearl fitting for the City of Nizams

“What I’ve learned, over the years, in all the places I’ve worked, is, people don’t remember the food. It’s the people that they remember,” chef Andrea Terry says in the final episode of Season 3 of the FX hit, ‘The Bear’.
Good restaurants are always about the people. About the experience. About how you felt at the meal and whether you would go back to have another meal with them.

With a 25-foot ceiling and a stream running through the restaurant, Tansen is quite the showstopper in Hyderabad.

At the Tansen, it’s that experience, clubbed with some warm Hyderabadi hospitality, and biryani that will make you lick your fingers off when you’ve found a moment of respite from ooh-ing and aah-ing at the opulence on offer.
Tansen is the newest addition to Hyderabad’s culinary scene. It is quite the showstopper too, what with its 25-foot ceiling and a clear stream of water enveloping the restaurant, as Sahil, the resident Sufi singer, regales you with a number from Nusrat. Brass inlays of the sargam adorn the walls here as they bend and blend with the curves. Sandstone and gold take you back to a Mughal courtyard. You could be at Anup Talao in Fatehpur Sikri for all you know, where Miyan Tansen made the heavens rain with Megh Malhar and almost set himself on fire with Raag Deepak.

Gold is understated but ubiquitous at the restaurant.

Tansen, this restaurant in Hyderabad’s Financial District, is a tribute to the eponymous musician. Why Tansen, we ask Amar Ohri, the man behind this mahal in the Deccan. “Music connects the North and the South. It was our endeavour to create a tribute to Miyan Tansen and imagine what his favourite food might have been like,” says Ohri.
True to his word, our sit-down menu on a Monday evening comprises appetisers, palate cleansers, main course and desserts from North-West Frontier cuisine, with cocktails crafted by Yangdup Lama. The star of the show is (aptly) named ‘Jewel of Tansen’. The cocktail, dubbed Hyderabad’s most expensive, comes with 21 Years Royal Salute whisky, dates from Al-Medina in Saudi Arabia, pine nuts from Italy, and truffle. What’s Hyderabad’s most expensive? At Rs 9,999 a glass, a glass fit for royalty!

Jewel of Tansen, Hyderabad’s most expensive cocktail. Photo: Author

The prices are no dampener at Tansen, except for that cocktail, because it otherwise falls in the premium affordable bracket. A meal for two sans alcohol will set you back by about Rs 2,000. The greatest testament to the place’s popularity is that on a Monday evening, the 150-cover restaurant is packed to the brim. The high ceilings and ample space within the restaurant ensure that you never feel ‘crowded’ even though all the tables are full. Add to that the lullaby of the water around you and Halka Halka Suroor from the stage, as a halka-halka suroor puts you in a trance.

The stage is modelled on Anup Talao, Miyan Tansen’s stage in Fatehpur Sikri. Photo: Author

Tansen’s signature cocktails are Rasam Heritage, on the spicy side; and Aaghaz-e-Shaam, which is a tribute to the hustle-bustle of Hyderabad at dusk.
The OG drink, water, is also not your run-of-the-mill mineral water here. The restaurant has a special ‘water menu’ because ‘people hardly pay attention to the water they are drinking’. Gold is ubiquitous at the Tansen. Octagonal bottles of drinking water come with 24k flakes of the edible kind.

(L-R) Butter chicken, Hyderabadi chicken biryani, chicken khurchan

Gold plays the showstopper on your plate too, sparkling on top of a sumptuous spread of Hyderabadi biryani. You cannot think Hyderabad without biryani; and it’s a must-try here.
The other dishes that deserve a mention are knafeh, halvaye zardak, paneer khurchan, Hyderabadi marag, dal Tansen, green chicken, korme kofta, lagan ka keema and their Uzbek garlic pulao. Brownie points for the avocado quinoa golgappa that we had mouthfuls of.

(L-R) Paan patta chaat, avocado quinoa golgappa, dal nariyal shorba

A major part of the Tansen experience is the people it comes with. The crew is always ready with a story if you have an ear to spare. After all, it’s the stories you remember. And, like Chef Terry says, the people.