“You will see only Audis and Mercs parked outside,” a friend reminds me. But I still brave taking my little nine-year-old Maruti Suzuki to this fancy place, all for the sake of good food. Sure enough, there was a row of gleaming luxury sedans.

Tiger Lily Bistro is the first ‘child’ of Sripriya and Aditya Reddy. Their travels to different corners of the planet fuelled their long-lived dream of opening their own restaurant. When the decision became final, they came across a home in Jubilee Hills and Sripriya recalls the owner was sceptical about their plans to convert the space into a restaurant.

What could have been a design conundrum turned out to be a design centrepiece, starts interior designer Sripriya. “That tree,” she says, pointing to the behemoth trunk behind the countertop, “was already in the front garden. We did not want to remove it so we built the restaurant around it. Hence the faux greenery coming down from the ceiling above the booth seating.” Sripriya’s design fetish lives on through the marzipan pinks of the interior along with the imported Spanish tile that makes for a great flat lay background.

Down to the food

The seating at Tiger Lily Bistro is always full, though mostly with younger people who would prefer to keep an eye on their wallets while still having a good meal out. Weekends are especially busy. Chef Delzad Khurshad Avari heads up the culinary team with chef Chary as his secondary.

The mushroom filo parcels at Tiger Lily Bistro, Hyderabad   | Photo Credit: Divya Kala Bhavani

What is common across all these customers is that they are quick to order the truffle parmesan fries. I order one too and it comes quite quickly, emanating a heavenly fragrance. The fries are golden and crispy while the parmesan flakes are carefully proportioned. Dig into a few and you will find yourself tempted to order another... and another... and maybe yet another.

Before I can go truffle-crazy, Sripriya recommends the paneer enchiladas. I maintain my poker face despite the abhorrent thought of paneer in enchiladas but she urges me to give them a go. “One of our chefs had a Mexican roommate for a while,” says Sripriya, “and he learned how to make enchiladas the authentic way, right down to right black beans and the base sauce.” When two enchiladas arrive, draped in fluid cheese, I spoon some out and am surprised by how true-to-form they are, paneer aside. I would, though, opt for the chicken option if you are able.

Next, come the mushroom filo parcels, a light yet flavourful snack: not for everyone but I would suggest giving them a chance.

The chicken and waffles at Tiger Lily Bistro, Hyderabad   | Photo Credit: Divya Kala Bhavani

If you are feeling like you want just one big meal, do give the chicken and waffles a good go. The waffles are crisp and not oversweet, complementing the fried chicken. This is proper soul food, if you would like to try American Deep South classics. The fresh greens of arugula, rocket and lettuces break up the spice-meets-sweet profile.

The drinks at Tiger Lily Bistro are virgin but they offer swathes of hydration and variety. The O Promo Lily is a welcome treat of pomegranate and citrus notes, and people often order this in plural. The craft coffees are also recommended as are the machine-brewed.

Go ahead and secretly unbutton those jeans (but do not be indecent about it) to make some room for desserts. I would opt for the chocolate dome, which comes with that melting theatric of hot chocolate sauce poured over a neat white chocolate half-sphere. It is not too sweet and worth a visit on its own.

Keep going back to Tiger Lily Bistro, whether with friends or family, and make sure you take a picture for the ‘Gram in front of the neon artwork on your way in or out.