VIJAYWADA Street FOOD Tour | 40 Types of Biryani 😱 Pungulu & Military Hotel Feast + Passion Delight

We explored Vijayawada, a bustling riverside city known for its bold flavours and rich culinary traditions, in a 3 part food tour series. This was Part 1. We began with a deep dive into regional flavours at Food Exchange at Novotel Vijayawada Varun. Chef Smriti Ranjan curated a special veg and non veg thali that offered a wholesome introduction to local cuisine. We tried tawa chicken and chicken pulao. We tasted coconut rice and rice with mamsam kura. We also tried mushroom curry, pappu, dondakaya peanut fry and rice with majiga pulusu. Each dish brought a distinct flavour. We then tried rice with ulavacharu and cream. We ended on a sweet note with chekkara pongali, which had a strong flavour of cardamom and camphor. After this, we met our gracious host Dhanya, who took us deeper into the city’s food scene. Our first stop with her was Appalaraju Military Hotel. It was a no frills spot with film star portraits on the walls and a simple seating setup. The menu was focused on meals and the food was served on banana leaves. We tried rice with chitti royyala, bommidayala pulusu and Nellore chepala pulusu. We also tried crab fry and fish fry. Every dish had a distinct flavour and everything leaned towards the spicier side. Dhanya also shared interesting insights into why these are called military hotels. Next, Dhanya took us to her favourite punugulu spot. It was a crowded snack shop that reflected the street food culture of Vijayawada. The city is known for punugulu and the Kanaka Durga Temple. Fresh batches were constantly being fried and people waited eagerly as each batch got over within minutes. We got our portion. It was crisp and irresistible. After this, we visited a bhaji and mixture stall, a hidden gem. We tried mirchi bhajji and brinjal bhajji served with mixture and cut onions. It was crunchy, savoury and zesty, creating a true rollercoaster of flavours. Next, we headed to Shri Satya Sai Hotel where we spoke to the genial owner. The place was full of energy, with people of all ages coming in for tiffin. We tried idli, Mysore bonda, pesarattu and wheat halwa. The food was simple, delicious and easy on the pocket, reflecting everyday eating in the city. We then visited RR Durbar, a place with a royal feel in both its ambience and menu. The owner shared that they served more than thirty types of biryani. We tried the classic dum biryani along with murgh musallam biryani and murgh mehfil biryani. It was clearly a popular spot for families dining in groups. Our last stop was Sweet Magic, a sweet shop that had grown into a restaurant. They introduced the ulavacharu biryani, which we tried first. We then explored their range of Andhra sweets and ordered ariselu, burelu, laddu, pakam and malai kaja. It was a one stop place for both sweets and savoury dishes. This brought us to the end of Part 1. Stay tuned for Part 2. https://www.instagram.com/tasteofbezawada?igsh=Yjh4eTNlOWpmMXZs About the host: www.instagram.com/anubhav.sapra Also follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delhifoodwalks Twitter: https://twitter.com/delhifoodwalks Instagram: https://instagram.com/delhifoodwalks Design and filmed by Nidhin Kanad Texts by Swetaleena Nayak