Given the number of Barbecue buffet places that have cropped up over the year, a new joint doesn’t sound exciting anymore. But then that’s where the challenge lies, how do you create a niche for yourself! Sahib’s Barbeque manages to do just that. We keep hearing about the different delicacies of Hyderabad that we cannot go looking for. So now here’s a place which brings all that under one roof.

Coming from the stable of the ever reliable and one of the most prominent names on the Hyderabad Foodscape – Ohri’s, Sahib’s Barbecue fills in an existing gap in the Hyderabad food scene. The setting is royal-esque with the dim lights, gazals in the background and loads of food legends from the past.

Sahib’s Barbeque has a marathon of food items right from the soups, starters served on the table, the barbecue set, the buffet, the desserts and finally the show stopper smoke stunt!

Sahib’s Barbeque – The Spread

Taulia Naan – The opening star is the humungous Naan pinned on a platform and dazzles the table. Mildly flavoured and goes really well with the starters, especially the Sheekh. Sharing this with others on the table is one of the highlights of this spread.

Lukhmi – One of the forgotten legacies of the Hyderabad food scene. Had heard so much about it, but never got my hands on one. This one was non-veg and hot off the pan.

Shikampuri – This is one of those things that you see on a menu and you have to order it. So many stories around how amazing this one is. Meaty and melt in the mouth stuff. It looks small but few more of these little ones and you would be missing out on other stuff on the table.

Talwar – E – Kalmi – If presentation is what you are looking for, be sure to be blown away by this one. Chicken leg mounted on a sword with a live flame in the handle. Trying to take a pic with the talwar is not recommended since the flame is on alcohol and one push could do a lot of damage, to the chicken that is!

Murgh Akhbari Kebab, Darbari Jhinga and Libas Machi – These were the starters brought on skewers to the table. A little time on the grill and onto the plates. The Murgh is spiced perfectly and goes well with the chutneys on the table.

The fish was missing the zing, but then I haven’t been to a BBQ yet where the fish was nice. Jhinga is good as usual, not much that can go wrong on this one.

Gosht Gilafi Sheekh – One look at this and you can tell it’s spicy and juicy. Set it on the gril and you can actually see the juices trickle down. Wait for the right time, pull it out, roll it in the Kashmiri Naan and let it kick in. One of the stars of the day for sure.

The Pickle counter needs a special mention for the vast array on offer. The salads and the curd preps are in plenty too, but then after such a heavy dose of starters, direct buffet is preferred.

Shandar Marag – Another legend and I know people who travel far and wide to get their share of Marag. So finding it on the menu was a delight. Very light and mild, flavours plenty and served hot with a naan. Slurp it or dip it, works both ways.

Siasati Khaas Haleem – Haleem outside of Ramzan season was the most special surprise. I could have ditched the whole meal to just soak in the Haleem love. Went for a bowl right away, and having it at a buffet meant no shortage of toppings. Loaded the Haleem and then dig in. Pretty smooth and not too spicy. Not the best Haleem I have had but still pretty good. And considering that there are so few options around, you can’t complain much.

Dum ka Murgh – Most gravy items miss out on the dum flavour when they use the term dum, but this one managed to pull it off. The gravy doesn’t feel watery and the meat bits are laden with the flavour.

Hyderabadi Ghost Dum Biryani and Murgh Dum Biryani – Now you just cannot have a Hyderabad food set up without the Biryani. I liked that fact that they dint do just one meat, not everyone is a gosht fan. I would prefer the flavour in the gosht biryani and meat from chicken biryani.

But then again, being a buffet spread, you can choose the meat to rice ratio you want. Look and feel wise both aren’t the same, so you can tell that it’s not the case of just mixing the meat later.

Hyderabadi Khatti Dal – I try not to look at the vegetarian section but then I wanted to find the Khatti dal and I did. Couldn’t do the dal and khichdi mix but then just a little sip of it was a nice addition to the whole picture.

Desserts are all pro-Hyderabadi like Qubani ka Meetha, Double ka Meeth, Phirni, Rasmalai. All pretty good and a perfect end to the buffet.

The star here is the Jauzi Halwa and more so because of how it’s presented. Put in a container and then smoke is loaded before the lid is shut. Jauzi Halwa is top notch and presentation makes it delightful.

The icecream counter looks the usual till you dig into it. One bite of the red one, that is the Guntur Chilli flavour and the throat can tell what you ate!

Overall, Sahib’s manages to engage and takes you to the by-lanes of old Hyderabad, where all these items would have come from. But rather than running around from one place to another, you get all of it under one roof. And at the pricing they are going with, it’s a perfect addition to the food scene on this side.

Where – Jubilee Enclave, above 100 Degrees

Price – 699 INR

Timings – Lunch and Dinner