Alpha Hotel (Restaurant)

The Scene
Locating Alpha is no problem. Parrying the socks-and-handkerchief hawker to make a dash for the restaurant, is.

So well-known is the joint, that the Secunderabad Railway Station stands opposite to it. Towering over the medley of pedestrians, peddlers, commuters and itinerants, Alpha is like a busy junction. People throng its tiffin section and the take-away section with the same vigor and intensity as they do the railway reservation counters.

The dining section is however an entirely different story. It is on the first floor, a small, low-roofed compartment, partitioned with iron jaalis, and wobbles dangerously every time somebody walks around. No, these are no special affects la Ohri's Silver Metro, but genuine tremors created in the rickety flooring by the bearers who model their waiting habits after Hindi films' generic taporis.

The Food
For starters, you can have an egg sandwich, which comes soon enough, with the whites of a hard-boiled egg stuffed roughly between 2 slices of raw bread. While crunching your food, you can ruminate over the fate of the yolk. And order tea, coffee, chocolate or Bournvita - you'll anyway get the same liquid.

The place, the starters, the motion-sickness, all take a backseat when your meal arrives. A scoop of Cheese Kofta, and you'll forgive the flies trying to make a beeline at your plate. Chicken Biryani and Navratan Kurma will wipe out the memories of your sandwich, and by the time you eat Qubani Ka Meetha, the tremors will be lulling you into a satisfied bliss.

The Verdict
Order, get it packed, run.