Where Irani cafés fuel big dreams and the biryani debate never ends. LFC Hyderabad plates up slow-cooked stories, secret spice blends, and a warmth that always feeds you more than you asked for.
Photos by Content Volunteer, Lakshmi Sravani.
HOST
Lakshmi Sravani
CO-HOST
Jessie Lourdes Misquitta
CONTENT VOLUNTEER
Lakshmi Sravani
WHERE WE MET
Coffee Sangam is a café in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, that blends old-school charm with contemporary flair, offering a retro-style space with fuss-free food like puffs and jam rolls that are evocative of classic treats from the 90s’.
Attending this meetup heightened my passion for cooking! The participants were as enthusiastic as I was!
Tony
I would have loved to stick around and talk to more people even after eating. The sattu paratha and jaggery khova were stand out dishes!
Lakshmi
I was glad to be surrounded by fellow foodies. The pumpkin curry, the pineapple upside-down cake, the khova—I enjoyed to my fullest!
Juhee
What We Loved
The sweet treats that made sure every craving was covered!
The sattu parathas–simple, satisfying, and straight out of our childhood lunchbox.
Buttery homemade bakes like this pineapple upside-down cake.
MEET YOUR HOST
Madhumita Pyne is a filmmaker, self-taught chef, and culinary revivalist. She runs Insomniac Cook, a kitchen and catering venture spotlighting the depth of Bengali cuisine—reviving lost recipes, celebrating local produce, and reimagining traditions. She is also co-founder at Hocus Porkus, a pork-focused pop-up collective. Her work has been featured in Vogue India, Condé Nast Traveller, Outlook Traveller, and more.
What is your most enduring food memory?
Competing with my school friends to see who could have the most amount of phuchka!
If you were a seasonal ingredient, what would you be?
Banana blossoms. A bit difficult to process, but the result is rewarding, most of the time.
What comfort do you reach for, when you are unwell?
My mother used to make a very simple chicken stew, where you just chuck chicken into a pot along with large chunks of potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and whatever veggies you have at hand. No oil, no spices, just salt and pepper. That’s what I crave, even today, when I am unwell.
What is one unusual food pairing you swear by?
Fruits tossed in kashundi.
How do you see your Local Food Club flourishing?
With activities that include the local community—market, farm, traditional bakery visits. Learning from the experienced, and teaching the young.