Resto Reco- Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa may be a clean slate but it shows you its quirky side through its menus, the little quips and a nice, mellow, chilled out owner who take your orders, brings you food and also checks if it’s burptastic rather than sit on a lofty perch somewhere or have a cell phone stuck to his ears.

But before we start extolling the virtues of the people there, let’s look at the main thing in any restaurant…FOOD.

The food is Italian. No two ways about it. Right from their antipasto, to their Insalata and their main courses which give you a usual array of pastas and the sauces that go with them.

We had ordered a  mushrooms with rosemary and garlic bread for starters, Supremo (white sauce with veggies, mildly spicy and lots of broccoli) with ravioli and a spaghetti with beef bolognaise.

The thing about ravioli that is available in most restaurants in Hyderabad (when it is available that is) is that either it’s too doughy and you have to literally chew your heart out or it just falls apart and all the stuffing scatters in your food. With beef too you end up taking a chance since it’s either not a good cut and very rubbery and you end up spending more time chewing and less time swallowing. Even with the mince. The sauces in both the main courses were flavorful and the pasta perfectly cooked.

The servings were just right I’d have to say. Some places have trouble striking a balance and end up giving you either not enough or too much and you have to doggy bag it later.

What I really liked about this place is that they catered to a mildly fussy little boy’s palate by making a plate of gooey, tasty mashed potatoes for him even though it wasn’t on their menu, even as a side dish.

That alone will have me going back for more.

The decor is unpretentious with wide tables (a must for people like us who carry big bags and park our digital media on the table while feeding a child), good lighting but muted enough for ambiance. There’s outdoor seating as well and an interesting chandelier which caught my eye but I was too busy snarfing up my food to take a picture.

And with a bill of about Rs.1700 inclusive of taxes for a meal for 3 that comprised of a starter, mocktails, main courses..it is a good deal for a place like Jubilee Hills and is very easy to find.

Try it out! You might have a few favorite grub joint.