Rahul tries out South Indian food

Hyderabad, April 10: The Chutney’s Hotel at Punjagutta had a surprise guest relishing its steamed dosa on Friday night — Mr Rahul Gandhi.

The young Congress leader was in the city to address a rally at Qutbullapur Assembly constituency. He finished his campaign and reached the Lake View Guest house near Somajiguda at 6 pm in the evening.

After a workout at the Taj Krishna Hotel in Banjara Hills, Mr Gandhi apparently decided to have some South Indian food.

“At around 9.15 pm, we received a call from Punjagutta Police informing us of his visit,” said Mr A. Sivaji, manager of the Chutney’s Hotel, without hiding his excitement. “We were surprised.”

Mr Gandhi came in with his friend and had steamed dosa, Babai Hotel idli, lassi, Casatta, mineral water and watermelon juice. “It cost him Rs 539,” said the manager. “He spent around 40 minutes at the hotel.”

Though other guests were excited, the security personnel accompanying Mr Gandhi did not allow them to take his photos with their mobile phones.

“He was very friendly and simple,” said Mr Sivaji. “He spoke to the family who was in the next table for about 10 minutes. Since we were informed of his visit five minutes earlier, we reserved a seat for him in the ground floor.”

The manager said the hotel staff also checked the food properly before serving him, for security reasons.

“He wished us good luck before leaving. It was a memorable event for us,” said Mr Sivaji.

When Mr Gandhi visited the city in October 2005, he surprised the security agencies by visiting Hotel Paradise at Secunderabad to have a taste of Hyderabadi Biryani.