What started out as an influence of Arabic cuisine in Hyderabad has now populated all across the city. Once upon a time, Mandi was confined to the area of Barkas where the barracks (Geddit?) consisting of the Iranian and Yemeni soldiers of the Nizam’s army were stationed. But the popularity of the khabsa and mandi has soared in recent times. What I like about Mandi the most is that it promotes community eating with friends and family sharing food from a huge thali. Mataam al Arabi and Mandi@36 are some of the best places in town to tuck into Mandi.