Oota Hyderabad: A delicious mix of Andhra and Telangana cuisine

Oota’s all wood and brass interiors are a celebration of Indian grandeur. Entering Oota at Cyberabad’s Knowledge Park feels festive as the shine of the brass bells comes into view. The music is Indian classical and plays faintly in the background. The seating is a combination of fixed seats and chairs. Designed by Bengaluru-based Shibanee and Kamal Architects, Oota Hyderabad is a celebration of the cuisine, culture, and culinary traditions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The menu focuses on local ingredients and time-honoured techniques. To create the Hyderabad menu, Oota’s culinary team travelled 3,637 km over two years across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, cooking over 500 dishes and learning alongside local communities, small eateries, bars, hotels, and food historians. The result is not just a menu, but a curated narrative of the Deccan where everyday meals, festive dishes, and forgotten recipes come together at a single table.

The team created a menu with dishes ranging from those inspired by the Nizami kitchens of Hyderabad to coastal preparations, Rayalaseema staples, and Telangana comfort food. As a result, Shikampuri Kebab, Nellore fish fry, and Bapatla kodi vepudu are the most ordered starters. For the mains, I was told that Haleem-e-Khaas, Mudda pappu with pachi pulusu, naatu kodi pulusu, and peethala iguru will not fail to impress diners who can handle tang and heat in their food.

Before deciding on my meal, I needed a drink, so I chose the Guntur Old Fashioned, which uses bourbon infused with Guntur red chilli. If you like picante, this can be considered.

Then came my starters: Nellore fish fry and Bapatla kodi vepudu. These choices are not for those who cannot handle heat. I also wanted to taste the prawns, and they somehow did not impress me. The large size of the prawns did not let the seasoning do its work. As a marag-lover, I like to taste this nutty, milky mutton soup when I see it on the menu. The marag here is not bad, but not the best I have had either. I tried the kamju pitta fry as well. While this was flavoursome, the meat turned out to be very dry.

I loved the menu’s focus on pulaos and biryanis apart from the promising curries. Since I was looking to savour the naatu kodi pulusu with flavoured rice, I got myself a portion of bagara rice (flavoured ghee rice). Both dishes complimented each other.

The Nellore mamsam pulao was also a robust dish. It was fragrant, not too spicy, and yet matched the masala love of Hyderabadis.

After all this, I had to skip the dessert, which would have been a choice between qubani ka meetha and nethi poornam bobbatlu.