551 Barkly St, West Footscray. Phone: 9689 0998
We’re surprised how many folks assume that because we’ve embarked on a food blog that we’re eating out more than ever.
That’s simply not the case – we’re just doing what we’ve always done, which means we dine out three, maybe four times a week.
I’ll concede that’s more than most people do – even in the cheap as chips west – but it hardly seems excessive to us.
The highlight, though, is always Saturday lunch – work/school done with, chores/shopping performed, it’s time to get on the fang with relish. So to speak …
This Saturday we are delighted to have our buddy Kurt along for the ride.
He broke his ankle a few weeks back, and has been experiencing varying degrees of pain, discomfort and inconvenience ever since, so we’re chuffed to get him out and about for a few hours.
Even better, this is his first dosa experience – and we’re thrilled it turns out be an excellent one.
We’d been keeping an eye on this place, half a video store refurbished, for a couple of weeks, waiting for it to open – ever since Bennie noticed the new signage.
In fact, we’d turned up a few days previously only to find it was their first day and they wouldn’t be opening until 5pm.
Happily, another new place – Wok Noodle – was a more than adequate stand-in on that day.
But it’s all on at Hyderabad Inn for Saturday lunch!
This is a nice, big room, tastefully kitted out in a somewhat spartan fashion – which suits us fine.
Unlike so many other places that serve doas, idlys, vadas and the like, this is a full-service Indian restaurant.
The menu boasts a full range of curries, tandoori dishes, Indo-Chinese tucker and so on. Most curries are priced around the $11 mark.
But we’re here for the south Indian goodies. They suit our budget better, we like the flavours and textures, and a fully satisfying meal doesn’t leave us feeling full … as in over-full.
There’s a wide range of dosas, uttapams and the like from which to choose – including a variety of combos.
Kurt goes for the Dosa Deal – dosa of choice (chicken in this case), one apiece of idly and vada, sambar, the usual coconutty sides and a can of soft drink.
This is an outstanding deal for $9.95.
The crumbly minced chicken is delicious, the vada doughnut is unique of flavour and surprisingly soft on the tooth, and the whole deal, including the sambar and coconut chutneys, is a delight. The idly, served on a separate plate, is less to Kurt’s fancy at first … but it, too, disappears in due course.
Bennie and I order the Chef’s Dosa ($10.50) and a lamb biryani ($10.50).
The Chef’s Dosa is stuffed with the same chicken and also separate portions of equally crumbly lamb, spiced paneer with coriander and the usual spuds. It’s all great, with the potatoes more gooey than found in your average masala dosa – almost like a stew.
I’ve never seen Bennie enjoy a dosa more.
The biryani is fine, if not quite meeting the same top-shelf standards as the rest of our order. Embedded in the spicy rice are fried onion strands and three tender portions of lamb on the bone, while the dish is rounded out by a lovely hard-boiled egg, runny raita and a gravy that also seems to have a high coconut quotient.
Cheap Indian food can sometimes mean cheap service.
Such is emphatically not the case at Hyderabad Inn – and that alone seems to make its chances of prospering, in what is becoming an ultra-competitive neighbourhood, very good.
We’ll be back for sure!
Hyderabad Inn website here.
consider the sauce 
My question is this: if you dine out four days a week, how do you stay slim (as you are) and avoid becoming the size of a house? None of this food is diet or low fat, quite obviously (and quite rightly). What is your secret?
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I’m, ahem, rounder than when you last laid eyes on me – but not disastrously so. South Indian food is actually pretty healthy – precious little ghee. We eat homemade meusili for breakfast, NEVER have breakfast out these days, eat no eggs, eat little meat at home, eat heaps of fruit. After a lunch out, we sometimes have nothing more than fruit salad for dinner. We eat a lot of pulses – dal and lentil soup mainly, these days, but sometimes red beans and rice or blackeyed peas New Orleans-style. Though a lot less fatty than you’ll get there! Used to do it, but somehow the breakfast routine of Melbourne’s cafe hordes – eggs, bacon, sausage, spinach, avocado, hash brown, kitchen sink – just stopped being part of our lives. Three meals out a week is 3/21.
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That dosa looks unreal! Can’t wait to get down.
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It was a beaut experience. I think you’ll like it! Waiting times were a little longer than ususal for dosas, even longer for biryani, but it turned out to be longer in a good way and for the right reasons.
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Dear Kenny,
We tried this place last night. The Tandoori chicken was excellent and we would return just to have it again and we enjoyed the vada. We found the chef’s choice dosa to be too much for our little anglo stomach’s! Required a zantac immediately upon arriving home. No ill effects today however the spices must have burned all the way down and out with a burning after effect! [If you get my drift!] We will be back to explore more on the menu as at $24 for a meal for two we can’t complain.
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Hi Melissa! We’ve been back a number of times – it’s very quickly become one of our faves. I like the vego thali with soft drink. A few weeks back I got the heavily creamed dal makahni AND paneer with spinach. So much dairy! So yesterday I asked for no cheese or cream, and got the simple dal and a dry spud curry with rice and a single gulab jamun. Hmmmmmm – yummo. Oh dear – I call that Johnny Cash Syndrome.
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Yes I think we will have to take more care with our ordering. We eat too fast must slow down and think things through or start asking more from the staff re how bloody hot is it?! Suffered from sweaty eye bags [can’t think of the medical name for this area of face.] Cheers Melissa
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I like this place, in part, because I’ve found the staff approachable. A request for my vege thali on the weekend to contain no dairy food was fine by them. Still, I’m surprised you found the dosa order THAT spicy. Not that chilli heat is everything, of course, and can ruin a meal.
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You liked this place!!!
Well- how and from where do I start. This is the 2nd place of the 2 in the west which “provides” Indo-chinese.
Please do not go to this place eveeeer. It may look BIG and DECORATED. But the food is equally BIG let down and only DECORATED without soul or taste or freshness. I have tried to give it some chances and tried on different days of the week. But nah!!! Egg Biryani out of 4 takewaway times, 2 times it did not have egg at all. The other 2 times I could not make out if I ordered Egg Biryani or Chilli Chilliyani. Plus Fried rice of the 4 take aways and 2 eat-ins have always been stale and cooked atleast 2-3 days ago. Noodles- you really want me to get started on it. We had Dosa once and after we had left the place my wife felt something stuck in one of the gum/tooth. We assumed it was SAUNF. Once she picked that out, it was an aluminium sort of thread.
Please nevah evah visit this place if you like your tummy even a single bit.
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Too bad you had a bad time here. We’ve been on a winner every single time. Also: Restaurant biryani is frequently disappointing. I suspect it’s beyond the capacity of places to make this supposedly festive dish as it should be AND at an affordable price. We have not ordered the Indo-Chinese dishses. With the South Indian and thalis – all fine or better.
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We booked a function for 60 in this restaurant. We liked the restaurant size. N food tasted good, service looked ok,until the day wen they said they hav only entree plates 4 40, not enough plates, 12 wine glasses 4 60 ppl, waiters wud sit down n stare at the guest, instead of making sure about drinks. No entree plates were cleared from the table, it was sitting there until we finished our mains. We brought our own ice-cream n asked them to store it, n they stored in fridge, instead of freezer. N the list goes on. I was just wondering y wud ppl work in hospitality business,if you hav no idea about hospitality. In the end it ruined our party. I would never go back! N wat more, the owner had promised he would b there , at the tym. But he disappeared n came at the end!
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I would never book such a large party at such a restaurant – no matter what assurances they gave. Take it up with the restaurant?
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we have been to few such functions in restaurants lyk that , n that has worked out.but this one jus ruined our mom and dads silver jublee anniversary.I jus wish i cud take some action to that restaurant, for giving false impression.and y would they take such bookings when they clearly don even have enough plates and utensil and wine glasses.they sud have borrowed.or jus not taken any bookings., we would happily hunt another restaurant.and we booked it nearly 3 week in advance.its not lyk we booked overnight.i just don know wat to do.and in the end, he wasnot even sorry for ruining it.it is soo disappointing.
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Yes, well, I can guarantee you that posting here will not provide you the satisfaction you desire.
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have u any suggestion, on wat cud i do? apart 4rm well, never ever going back n m sure none of those 60 guest will ever again
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Learn to communicate in something other than text-speak.
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Seriously, you have two choices:
1. Take it up with the business again.
2. Move on. Turn it into a dinner party laugh.
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Most pathetic and disgusting Indian restaurant I have ever been to in my life, I have been to most of Indian restaurants in Melbourne as I am big Indian food lover but I am confident to say compare to all other restaurants HYDERABAD INN should be rated negative -10 in customer service or put it this way if you want to insult your self or ruin your dinner night please visit Hyderabad inn.
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Maybe it’s time for a return by us – it’s been a while. This restaurant does seem to polarise people. In the meantime, I’ll let this post stand. I think it’s tenor and lack of detail eloquently speak for themselves. I also note you’ve left almost the same comment at Urbanspoon – it tends to stand out among all the positive reviews.
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I booked the function for about 25 people well in advance. When we reached at the hotel, there was no separate sitting arrangement for us. I booked there so we can sit all together as it is a big hall but when we asked for the same to management, they denied and asked us to leave if we don’t want to sit on different tables. Unfortunately, we left without being served as we didn’t want to get more insulted. After this experience, I will say if you want to get insulted please visit Hyderabad Inn. They don’t know how to speak to customer or what is a meaning of customer service.
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Hmmm … all I can say to those unhappy with this place is: Do not return …
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