Hyderabad

Cinnabar Redd with its pan-Asian fare opened to equally high expectations a few months ago, but it’s evoked mixed responses. The restaurant has a wide-ranging menu covering all Southeast Asian countries. You can sit at a table or the Teppanyaki grill and watch the chefs do their thing. The decor is all red and a glass partition here too separates the bar from the restaurant. The music is retro, and as the night wears on, enthusiastic bartenders jump the bar to pour cocktails down their guests’ throats.

Strings, the latest addition at the Taj Banjara, positions itself as a restaurant serving up international cuisine. The menu is a pick from 15 different countries, from the Far East to Europe, a whiff of Africa and the Caribbean. The decor is smart contemporary with the accent on black and white.

Ohri’s Banjara, a multi-restaurant complex opened just a few months ago, is proving just as popular as the original Ohri’s Cuisine Court in Basheerbagh, especially for their midnight biryani buffet. Minutes before midnight the whiff of biryani fills the air, and within minutes handis of all kinds of biryanis and curries make their way to the tables. The buffet is available till 2.30 in the morning and priced at Rs 199. Outdoors there is the Chowpatty chaat corner, with pani puris, bhel and outstanding aloo tikkis.

Durgam Chervu or Secret Lake was a quiet placid hideaway till it became a lively open-air disco on the weekends, hugely popular with the city’s younger set. The beautiful lake cradled in the midst of massive boulders makes the perfect setting for an evening on the rocks by the water.

Bars

• Cinnabar Redd: Retro music and enthusiastic bartending, Road#1 Banjara Hills
• Durgam Chervu: Name means "hidden lake"; now well-known outdoor party place on weekends, off Madhapur Road, behind Jubilee Hills
• Touch: "In" lounge with lots of buzz about it, Road #2, Banjara Hills

Restaurants

• Cinnabar Redd: Wide range of pan-Asian food, Road#1 Banjara Hills
• Ohri’s Banjara: Food court with biryani buffet up to 2:30 am, Road #12, Banjara Hills
• Strings: World cuisine from Caribbean to European, Taj Banjara, Road#1 Banjara Hills
• Touch: French food, Trendset Towers, Road #2, Banjara Hills