Lazeez Affaire in Hyderabad serves a generous spread of North Indian classics

Bathed in sunlight, Lazeez Affaire’s, in Jubilee Hills, dining room immediately presents a small dilemma: where to sit. The long table by the windows is perfect for that Instagram shot; but with summer already making itself felt, the cooling does not quite reach that sun-drenched corner. Thankfully, most of the restaurant is awash in natural light without the glare. Done up in tasteful dual tones of beige and brown, the space gives off an easy, beachside-resort sort of calm.

The menu is resolutely Indian — North Indian, to be precise — and a quick scan reveals the familiar comforts: chole, dal makhani, Amritsari kulche and the like. The beverage list sticks to non-alcoholic drinks and avoids unnecessary theatrics. There are no elaborate names for nimbu pani or iced tea; instead, the drinks are simply numbered in the Indian system — ek, do, teen, all the way up to gyarah. Gyarah turned out to be a spicy kokum sherbet, while dus was a spiced guava mocktail. When gyarah arrived, I leaned in for a cautious sniff, promptly sneezed, and realised this drink meant business.

Mughlai Mutton Burra at Lazeez Affaire
| Photo Credit:
Dinesh Kakollu

Sipping one non-alcoholic drink after another, I turned my attention to the food. The vegetarian section, featuring dahi ke kebab, beetroot galouti and black chana galouti, suggested that some thought had gone into making the menu more than an afterthought for vegetarians. The in-house welcome bite arrived as a mini kachori chaat, a pleasant opener.

The menu runs to nearly 15 pages, so I quickly gravitated toward the special Ramzan menu and almost immediately decided that the mutton marag was non-negotiable. When it arrived and I took the first spoonful, I knew I had chosen well. Creamy and brothy, with the occasional sweetness of birista cutting through, it was deeply comforting.

Encouraged, I decided to stick with the Ramzan menu — from kebabs to dessert, I found myself wanting to try most of it, especially the darbari lukmi kebab. Here, the lukmi is not stuffed with meat; instead, the kebab arrives in the form of a meatball. Abdul Kareem of Lazeez Affaire explained that the traditional lukmi was never meant to be stuffed. Unfortunately, the dish did not quite deliver. The kebab was overly dense and heavily spiced, while the pastry lacked the expected flakiness. In parts, it was simply too hard.

Aslam Butter Chicken
| Photo Credit:
Dinesh Kakollu

Without dwelling on what did not work, I turned to the next dishes. The sheermal murg seekh kebab was a pleasant surprise, as were the dahi ke kebab and the beetroot galouti. Then came the Mughlai mutton burra, cooked perfectly and not weighed down by excess marinade. By then, I had no room left for the Kashmiri dum aloo. Thankfully, I was sharing the table with two others, whose verdict was a polite “okay.”

After a short walk, I returned for the next round: mutton daleem (chunkier version of haleem), sufiyani biryani, Aslam butter chicken (ABC) and murgh musallam. Each dish was rich and unapologetically indulgent — creamy, buttery, lazeez. The daleem is a good pick if you are unsure where to go for haleem this season. The ABC — smoky chicken smothered in butter — could rival Hyderabad’s ghee-drenched dosas for sheer excess. It is a dish that needs a meal of its own. I am told the murgh musallam was even better. The sufiyani biryani will have to wait for another day. Much of the food here is meant for cheat days. Lazeez Affaire fits the “family fine-dining” mould, provided the family’s love language is indulgence.

A warm bowl of sheer korma is hard to refuse. This Eid, if you do not have a home invite, head to Lazeez Affaire. Order the sheer korma, the marag, or anything that makes the day feel festive.

Table for two will cost ₹1500 upwards; open for lunch and dinner.