Amara, which means eternal in Sanskrit, is one of the four restaurants in Trident Hyderabad. Although Amara does have an a la carte menu, it is mostly known for its lavish buffet spread. The towering Trident building and the elegantly designed lobby impresses you from the moment you walk in. The decor inside the restaurant itself is minimalistic, but the long glass panes offer an excellent view of the hustle and bustle of HiTec City. The waiter courteously greeted us and led us to our seats. The service through the evening would remain excellent. Even though attentive service is something you would like to take for granted at places that charge a premium, it’s not often the case. The service-staff were never intruding but were always there in case you needed them.
The starters included a generous selection of salads, numerous cold cuts, and bruschetta. Sushi, shrimps, dimsums, and a creative creation of chicken and asparagus were also on offer. A live pasta counter was dishing out pastas cooked to your liking, and the the grills section had grilled chicken in both traditional and Indian flavours. The highlights of the main course were the smoked fish, krapaw vegetables and the lamb massaman. Every section also had a few Indian options to satisfy the traditional Indian palate. Dishes on offer included chaat, dahi bhalla, mirchi bhajji, dal makhni, Indian lamb curry, and naan. However, the Indian dishes were consistently mediocre, and it’s clear that Indian is not Amara’s strongest suit. The desserts section was the most attractive of the lot, but due to some strange Trident policy I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of it. The desserts section included fresh fruits, cake, mousse, tart, cup cake, cheese cake and ice cream.
On the whole, even though the spread was lavish, I wasn’t quite wowed by the dishes. There were very few truly standout dishes. The service and ambience were top notch, but the lack of standout dishes meant I wasn’t entirely sold that its worth the one and a half thousand bucks per person that it demands. I luckily went picked a Saturday evening to visit Amara, which turned out to be ‘Mojito Madness’ night. The unlimited mojitos that were included made the deal slightly better. However, normally alcohol is not included in the buffet. Amara was a good experience, but it’s missing the signature delight to edge past the likes of Seasonal Tastes.
