Hyderabad Culture Weekend Westin Hotel and Hyderabadi Biryani

I think the cultural travel experience you should not miss is eating the local food while travelling or even trying different cuisine restaurants in your city. This is the story of my first trip to India, which started my obsession with Hyderabadi Biryani.

We reached Hyderabad after midnight and stayed only for the weekend, following a series of wedding celebrations in the family. We stayed at the Westin hotel since I didn’t book and had never heard of it before, I didn’t think much of it, and my ignorance turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Westin Hotel

This upscale hotel seriously deserves more buzz. The Westin is known for its heavenly bed. And the first thing I did when we entered the room was to jump into the bed. Ladies and gentlemen, it was everything as advertised! I felt like I was jumping and later sleeping on a cloud. Also, I loved the concept of the glass window bathroom so I could watch TV while bathing (life goal).

I spent ample time in the room the whole weekend, doing almost nothing other than catching up with my cousins, sharing some family gossip and chillaxing.

The highlight of my first India trip; other than immersing in Indian culture, the wedding reception, hanging out with the family, the Indian breakfast buffet, the hotel bed and stocking up on Indian Kurtis; was the Hyderabadi Biryani.

Hyderabadi Biryani

Biryani is a mixed rice dish from the Indian subcontinent, which I used to dislike. Growing up, eating my Amma’s well-meant, but failed attempts to cook Biryani, I decided that Biryani wasn’t for my taste bud.

My extended family found it weird, even borderline insulting, when I refused to eat the celebration dish of Indian culture; so if I had to, I usually put a small portion on my plate out of courtesy.

That was exactly what I did when I was offered the famous Hyderabadi Biryani. Still, it was so delicious that I immediately regretted insisting to share a small pot of Biryani with my cousins. The rice was rich in flavour, the meat was so tender, and the condiments were perfect.

That night, lying on the hotel bed, I dreamt about eating an endless supply of Hyderabadi Biryani.

The next day we left Hyderabad, catching our red-eye flight back to Singapore, so we could go back to work the next day or in a few hours, to be exact, but not before ordering room service from the hotel. Take a guess at what I ordered.

I wonder whether Biryani in India is equal to nasi goreng, one of the most popular local Indonesian food. Also, next time I am in India, I am so going to take a Hyderabadi Biryani cooking class.

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