Hyderabad’s newest eatery will leave you feeling pink
- Featured Food & Beverage
Jade Crasto- 7 minutes read
Jade Crasto
Think modern maximal with a mix of classical Indian fare. Situated in Hyderabad, The Pink Elephant offers the city a new premium dining experience. It takes you through a true culinary experience with its portrayal of what India loves to eat, from Rajasthan to Lucknow and all the way to Pondicherry.
Whimsical and Colourful interiors
The restaurant welcomes you with a line of art elephants, designed and painted by artists from all over India. The restaurant is divided into three sections, the courtyard, the monument room and the elephant lounge. From the moment you walk through the doors, it’s like a dive into a whimsical wonderland that’s reminiscent of The Great Gatsby and Alice in Wonderland albeit with an Indian touch. The interior of the restaurant is bathed in delightful shades of rose, fuchsia and hot pink. The four dining rooms, spread across 11,000 square feet, are separate from one another yet share a flowing design and form part of the larger artwork.
The Elephant Lounge, which has two floors, is a terrific place to dine during the day and a great place to dance and drink once the sun goes down. The Courtyard’s high translucent ceiling brilliantly tracks the sunlight as the day fades into night and evolves into a starry sky. A fun piece in the courtyard is the mass front of a bright yellow and ostentatious truck which has been converted into a DJ Booth! The Fountain Courtyard features sandstone seats that were transported in from Rajasthan and is indicative of all of its splendour. The Monument Room which features an upside-down Black Taj Mahal was curated by a Delhi-based craftsperson as a work of love.
A Reflection of Contemporary Indian Food
Executive Chef, Mrigank Singh says, “The Pink Elephant is a reflection of how India enjoys eating, What, Where and with whom. It’s an amalgam of absolute classics and true moderns.” Singh has traversed far and wide to curate the most authentic recipes of India, for food patrons. We had the chance to try out some of the exotic and delicious flavours of India at TPE.
Once we feasted our eyes on the glamourous décor it was time for the real deal. We were first served up a platter of Hyderabadi classics like loose prawn, chicken 65, Andhra-style fish fry and more. The oily and savoury food paired perfectly with the various clarified cocktails, but we’ll get into that a bit later. The huge platter was just a ‘snack’, before we got into the good stuff.
First up was a spiced watermelon salad. It’s a bit different from your usual watermelon feta salad as the watermelon was doused in a laal theeka dressing, which made it refreshing with a bit of a kick. To cure us from the spicy watermelon, was a Shahi Chicken Shorba, with a smooth soup and some caramelised crispy onions for a bit of a crunch. The starters included a Plantain Galouti, which was made with ‘Srika’ onions and was nestled in a phyllo cup along with some chutney. We also indulged in some surprisingly delicious Jackfruit Tacos, which were made with homemade crispy taco shells and masala jackfruit, a sweet and savoury combination. Sticking to tacos we also tried the Pepper Chicken Tacos which were made with a soft shell instead of a crispy one.
Nearly stuffed and ready to go to sleep, we kept pushing through to the tempting main course. The chefs stuffed us with some classic Indian dishes, like a south Indian seafood thali, and savoury nalli nihari served alongside some soft and fragrant rice. We had to end our meal on a sweet note, and you know what they say, there’s always room for dessert. We had a combination of traditional Indian mithai, with a twist of course.
Cocktails and more
