Moksh

The Scene
When family haven The Nest closed down, it broke several hearts. Okay, that's taking it a bit too far, but The Nest did take feeding you seriously. It kept the hoi polloi out, among both the crowds and the chefs. So you got good food in a decent setting.

Moksh looks better. They use plenty of glass to achieve this, and it works - glasses have always helped in improving sight. Sad jokes apart, Moksh indeed scores on interiors. They're classy, consisting almost primarily of matt wood finishing in a light shade, and glass. Everything blends in neatly, and you feel obligated to behave yourself.

Moksh can seat about 150 - and does. They always seem to run to a packed house. Weekends is bad news. Partly ameliorating that is the fact that it's not really hard waiting on Necklace Road (if you are a veteran of waiting outside Chutney's, you'll learn to appreciate the small things of life).

You can't help wondering if part of Moksh's success is just thanks to history - if it isn't just inheriting from the equity for that location that The Nest built. Well, Moksh has its own pedigree - it is run by the same people who built Utsav near Tivoli. If the food doesn't remind you of that, the prices certainly will. Going back to history once more, The Nest was cheaper. Moksh combines the power of inflation and the power of compounding, then adds the upwardly-mobile-software-professional-city surcharge to that, and takes the average meal per couple to Rs. 700.

A 150-seater tends to have a lot of static, and Moksh isn't the quietest of places - it's actually more peaceful serene outside than inside. Nobody seems to mind, given the number of people who are willing to pay its prices. It's a mostly family crowd - yes, perhaps another Nest legacy, but then, students can't afford Moksh, and couples seek more privacy than this.

The Food
With an elaborate menu that will help you count to well over hundred, and featuring North-Indian and Chinese vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine, plus a whole liquor menu as a bonus, Moksh doesn't disappoint you for choice.

The food doesn't, either, if you know what you are ordering - trying to discover new favorites is best done when someone else with plenty of money is footing the tab, especially in expensive places like this, unless you are the someone else with plenty of money.

10 soups and some 30 Indian and Chinese entrees offer enough to finish your meal if you are not careful. You can't go too wrong with easily comprehensible dishes like Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup and Chilli Mushrooms. While soups range are prices Rs. 65 - Rs. 75, the entrees start at Rs. 145 and go all the way up to Rs. 425 for a kebab platter.

The main course has about 50 Indian and Chinese offerings, featuring many recognizable Deccan names including Nafeez Ghost, Diwani Handi and Kacche Gosht Ki Biriyani. Prices range from Rs. 80 to Rs. 295. A small range of about 10 desserts is priced Rs. 70 - Rs. 125.

Moksh has a bar to help you wash anything down. Also popular are lunch buffets priced at Rs. 179 (+ taxes) on weekdays and Rs. 299 (+ taxes) on weekends. That's the relatively low-risk way to sample the otherwise expensive fare.

The Verdict
The location and the setting are nearly as good as it gets in Hyderabad/Secunderabad, and it's hard to screw it up from there. A nice drive deserves a nice meal, and Moksh doesn't disappoint.