Biryanis in Bangalore: Donne, Thalassery and Kolkata Biryanis

Biryani, a dish of Persian origin, has come a long away from its actual source and has evolved with the local palate giving rise to the various forms and types. Growing up in Hyderabad, working in Delhi and having my roots in Kolkata has created a natural affinity in me towards the dish. The distinct flavours of Hyderabad, Awadhi and Kolkata biryani have always amazed me, so, after relocating to Bangalore I promptly started looking around for biryani joints in the garden city.

Chicken Biryani and Raita at Gundappa Donne Biryani 

The biryani scene in Bangalore is quite different from Hyderabad. Hyderabad has hundreds of large, medium and small outlets selling Hyderabadi biryani. Andhra biryani, which is a pulav comes a distinct second and is sold in local messes or outlets. Biryanis from other parts of the country are hardly recognized and often scoffed at. In contrast, in Bangalore, I found an openness towards the dish – at least a dozen varieties of biryani from different states are extremely popular here.

Shivaji Military Hotel

I was first directed to the Donne Biryani of Shivaji Military Hotel at Jayanagar, arguably the most popular biryani place in Bengaluru.  The biryani gets its name from the dried palm leaf cups (called "donne") in which they are served. The hotel is a no frills place where customers queue up to try this dish. This biryani is actually a pulav cooked on firewood which imparts a distinct taste to it and is served with onion raita and spicy gravy. It is quite similar to the Rayalseema version of Andhra Pulav with a hint of pudina in the rice. We also ordered a Chicken Fry to go with the biryani, and it was the right thing to do. The place is normally very crowded so one may have to wait quite a bit to get a seat. Service is fast and they expect you to vacate as soon as you complete the meal.

Gundappa Thali

Another place which serves some good Donne biryani is Gundappa Donne Biriyani. It has outlets located all over Bangalore but I visited the Koramangala one where the FBAB (Food Bloggers Association of Bangalore) meet was organised. The restaurant is small with limited seating but serves some delightfully spicy biryani. They also have the Gundappa Thali which comes with a biryani of choice along with sides like Mutton Vada, Chicken Kebab, Chilly Chicken, Pepper Chicken and Guntur Chicken. One thali is more than enough for one person and adds a new perspective to the dish which is often eaten standalone. However, this is not a place for veggies as the closest thing that will find in the menu is Khushka (biryani rice).

Kudil

Another style of biryani which is famous and available throughout Bangalore is the Thalassery Biryani from the Malabar region of Kerala. The biryani of the Moplahs of Calicut region had an influence of Arab traders who used to frequent this region for business. Kudil, a small establishment in Church Street serves Thalassery Biryani with papad, pickles and raita.  The biryani had the perfect blend of ghee rice and masala, but my only complaint is that the quantity is too less even for a single person.

The other place to enjoy Thalassery Biryani is Hotel Metropole near Shivajinagar Bus Stand.  The place is small and lacks ambience, but the biryani here is extremely flavourful. The quantity is also much more and the biryani is served with a boiled egg on top.

Hotel Metropole

My maternal family is from Kolkata, and when I used to travel there on annual vacations I fell in love with the biryani there.  In Bangalore, I located a couple of restaurants serving this aromatic biryani, the hallmark of which is the boiled potato in it apart from mutton and chicken. In Koramangala, Lazeez serves this form of biryani. The saffron coloured sweetish biryani at Lazeez is flavoured with kewra water has a largish chunk of soft meat which easily comes off the bones.  The place also prepares some delectable Kolkata style Mutton Chaap, which goes well with the biryani.

Lazeez

My biryani quest in Bangalore continues with trying out of more and more places. On the cards are the Ambur, Awadhi as well as Andhra biryanis. Even for the versions that I have tried, I am on the lookout for restaurants where the quality is even better.

Locations:

Shivaji Military Hotel
1st C Main 45 Cross
Jayanagar 8th Block, Bangalore
Telephone: 9845149217


Gundappa Donne Biryani
100 Feet Road, Near BDA Complex
Koramangala 5th Block,
Bangalore
Telephone: 9945340348

Kudil
52/2 Basement
Church Street
Bangalore
Telephone:  7259710033

Hotel Metropole
26, Central Street
Near Bus Stand,
Shivajinagar, Bangalore
Telephone: 9945190521

Lazeez
479 KHB Colony.
Near Jyothi Nivas College,
Koramangala 5th Block,
Bangalore
Telephone: 49653192

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A Persian Terrace at The Westin Hyderabad

People from Bangalore are well aware of Persian Terrace – the fine dine restaurant at Sheraton Brigade Gateway serving cuisine from Persia and Western Asia. One of the few Persian restaurants in the country, their Chello Kababs, Mezze platters and Pilafs have been a hit with the discerning food lovers of that city. Seasonal Tastes, the restaurant at the Westin Hyderabad, which is known for their niche promotions as part of their buffet, has invited Chef Subimon from Persian Terrace to curate a festival called Persian Paradigms.

Chicken Mosahab

Invited for a preview we had a long discussion with Chef Subimon and Chef Mukesh from Seasonal Tastes regarding Persian cuisine. As per Chef Subimon, Persian cuisine is very healthy using select spices and little oil. There are a lot of similarities with Arabic and Turkish cuisine, especially in the mezze items. For the promotion at The Westin, the Chef has prepared a special menu choosing the most appreciated dishes from the Bangalore restaurant, as well as a few new items. He was recounting how he learnt all about the cuisine during his stint in Saudi, where he worked for a long time with an Iranian Chef.

The Hot Mezze Counter

We went for a recce of the Persian dishes on the buffet menu. There was a hot mezze counter which had Sambusak, Falafel and Kibbeh kept ready for preparation. The Chicken Mosahab just next to it was looking very inviting too. A range of cold mezze like Hummus, Fattoush and Babaghanoush were displayed at the salad area.

Live Counter

 A Shawarma stand was placed near the seating area. As is customary with me here, I went to the end of the restaurant and peeped at the live counter to see what’s cooking – the day’s offering had two veg dishes – Batata Harra and Cottage Cheese Shashlik and two non-veg Sumac Fish and Chicken Shish Touk.

Chicken Shish Touk

I enquired about Persian Chelo Kabab with Chef Subimon and learnt that unfortunately it was not on the day’s menu. People from Kolkata have a special bond towards this dish, as it is a signature dish of an iconic restaurant there.

Mahalabia

After a visit to the dessert counters, we could not wait to sample the food. A friend started his lunch with Mahalabia, the coconut milk and nut pudding. The more traditional ones dug into the starters and there were a quite a handful of them.

Joojeh Kababs

Joojeh Kababs, Chicken Shish Taouk and Sumac Fish were the first three non-veg appetizers. The Joojeh Kababs were very different from the spicy ones we get here in Hyderabad, marinated in hung curd and flavourful saffron and select spices. I loved the flavours of the Sumac Fish too, but the basa fish did not add to the taste. Overall, the taste of the kababs was subtle and delicious, and much less oily than the Indian counterparts.

Labneh, Muhammara and Babaghanoush

Fried Kibbeh was soft and tasted how it should - with a strong flavour of lamb mince. For vegetarians, there were sambusak and falafel. An interesting appetizer was Sarma, a dish with a filling of pickled rice folded inside a vine leaf.

Cold Mezze with Iranian Bread

At this point, the cold mezze platter arrived with varieties of Iranian bread accompanying around half a dozen dips. All the dips were yummy – I could just have a complete meal with the bread and the dips. The pick of the dips to me was Muhammara, made of roasted bell peppers, walnut and chillies.  Kisir another one prepared from tomatoes was nice and tangy.  Among the other dips, there was Hummus Babaghanoush and Labneh, a yoghurt garlic dip.

Falafel

As I said the Chicken Mosahab was looking delicious, and we got ourselves a little bit of the preparation along with the Shawarma. The roasted chicken was again another pick of the buffet with the herb doused red coloured marinade. Arsh-A-Adus the Persian lentil soup tasted earthy and very much North Indian, a testament to the strong similarity of a few dishes with Indian food. Another dish which looked attractive was Mashi Tomato or tomatoes stuffed with flavoured rice.

Mashi Tomato

The main courses had Majboos – a rice, black gram and prawn dish which tasted quite different from the Dubai version. A coriander dip served alongside went well with it. Khorest Mahi, the Persian fish stew tasted delicious with a saffron and tomato based gravy. The other main course was Chicken Salona, a tomato based chicken preparation.

Main Courses

The dessert spread was quite elaborate. Apart from Mahalabia, the Baklava with sugar and nut and Basbousa, the suji based sweet were decent. Although I did not try the Om Ali (bread and milk pudding) or Sholleh Zard (saffron rice based dessert), these were recommended by my friends.

Basbousa and Baklava

I did not have much exposure to Persian food earlier, and the discussion with the chefs educated me a lot. As said earlier, one can find a lot of similarities of some dishes with other Western Asian countries, and others to Afghan and Indian food.  The Chefs have carefully curated the menu for the festival and given a glimpse of almost all types of dishes available in the cuisine. I would love to see more such festivals in Hyderabad.

Persian Paradigms is on till 30th March. The promotion is part of the Seasonal Tastes buffet for lunch and dinner at the regular buffet rates.

Location:
Seasonal Tastes
The Westin Mindspace
Hitech City, Hyderabad
Telephone: 67676888

Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant. However, the opinion expressed in the post are honest and unbiased.

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Quick Bytes: InAzia hosts a Festival of Chinese Yum Cha

Yum Cha is perhaps to China what Tapas is to Spain or Mexico – short eats which are enjoyed over long conversations in the morning or evening. A range of delicacies in bite-sized quantities are served as part of yum cha often with Chinese tea. InAzia, the Pan-Asian restaurant at The Sheraton, Hyderabad is organizing a promotion to bring delicacies like bok choy rolls, dimsums and baos, which typically form part of Yum Cha offerings.

Bok Choy in Oyster Sauce

The special menu for the festival has a dozen varieties of Yum Cha – six in the vegetarian and six in the non-vegetarian category. The guest has the option of ordering a platter of three, five or seven varieties. Apart from this, there is a set menu at Rs 1600 plus taxes which has a range of yum cha delicacies along with a choice of soup, main courses and desserts. An attractive proposition indeed.

Veg Spring Rolls

At the preview organized for bloggers, we were first served a range of starters. We started with crispy Spring Rolls (Chun Guen) stuffed with vegetables and served with fried noodles. The sweet chilli dip served with it was just perfect for it. The best veggie item as per me was Bok Choy in Oyster Sauce. The sauce was prepared so well that I went for multiple numbers of this Yum Cha.  Aromatic Jasmine Tea was being continuously served to complete the Yum Cha experience.

Roast Duck

In the non-veg list, Siu Arp or Roast Duck was my favourite. Duck meat is normally a little chewy and not liked by many people. The roasted duck dunked in the soya sauce and red chilli sauce was comparatively soft and delicious.

Shu Mai

There were many varieties of steamed dimsums – the pick was Shui Jin Xia Jiao or shrimp crystal dumpling with a light wrap and generous shrimp chunks inside. For the vegetarians, the same dumpling had black fungus and asparagus fillings. The Shu Mai dim sums shaped as open dough pockets looked and spicy flavourful chicken ones tasted very good too.

Steamed Bao with custard Filling

The next variety of Yum Cha was the comparatively heavier bao – for non-vegetarians, we had a filling of BBQ pork (Cha Si Bow) whereas custard was the choice for vegetarians. I am not a huge fan of bao, so I only tried a bit of the pork fillings. The plum sauce served with the baos was really special.

Sticky Rice Parcel

Sticky Rice Parcel wrapped in Lotus Leaf was another item in the menu which was interesting.

The sumptuous spread of Yum Cha was followed by the set menu. We tried a little bit of both the soups. The Seaweed and Egg Drop Soup was a clear winner with all with its typical strong seafood flavour. The Hot and Sour Chicken Soup was par for the course.

Seaweed and Egg Drop Soup

In the main courses, one can get an idea of the subtle flavours for which InAzia is fast becoming popular in Hyderabad. I liked the vegetarian Di San Xian,  which had tofu and a lot of veggies in chilli bean sauce. The sauces at InAzia are just outstanding. The other main course of note was the Stir Fried Chicken in Sichuan Sauce. The main courses were served with both fried rice and noodles of which XO Chao Main or the shrimp fried rice was a class act.

Main Courses

There were two desserts – the standard Honey Noodles with Vanilla Ice Cream and Tub Tim Grob, the famed coconut milk based concoction.

A cute little promotion especially for people who like finger food. Also, if you have not yet experienced InAzia, this festival may be a good place to start. As hardcore lovers of oriental cuisine, you may be also interested in looking at the usual menu of InAzia, a review of which is here. The Yum Cha promotion is on till the 26th.

Location:
InAzia
10th Floor
Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel
ISB Road, Financial District
Gachibowli, Hyderabad
Telephone: 33165811

Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant. However, the opinion expressed in the post are honest and unbiased.

Honey Noodles

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Quick Bytes: The Return of Rivaayat at Kanak, The Trident

Rivaayat at the Oberoi Group of Hotels was perhaps one of the most successful food promotions of 2015. A collaboration between master chefs of various hotels of Oberoi group had resulted in the revival of many old recipes from the rakabdars and khansamas of yesteryears. Last year I had a great time exploring the food at The Trident Hyderabad, and you can read all about it here.

On popular demand, the festival is back again at Kanak. There were lots of requests for the same menu to be available again, and the culinary team also felt that the food lovers of Hyderabad should be rewarded with one more run of the festival.

Rampur Seekh Kabab

The preview for the promotion had a special set menu curated by Executive Chef Manik Magotra. I had tried some of the items last year, but quite a few were new to me.

Through the open kitchen, it was enthralling to see the kababs being prepared as we nursed our drinks. Soon the items moved to our table, and after the customary photo sessions, we were ready to go. The pick of the starters served was Rampur Seekh Kabab. The lamb mince kabab was thick and soft and had the fragrant spice blends from the Rampur kitchen, an erstwhile kingdom near Awadh, where many of the rakabdars had migrated in the post-Mughal era.  The menu also had the Rampuri Paneer Tikka, a dish I had tasted during my visit last year too.

Khumbh ki Galawat

Khumb ki Galavat must have been a vegetarian’s delight – a soft Awadhi kabab prepared from minced mushrooms. Standalone, I enjoyed the dish, but I should be excused for this mental block of associating the word galawat to melt in the mouth lamb.

Murgh Chandi Tikka

Murgh Chandi Tikka with a layer of varq had mild spices. I was once told that in some royal kitchens, varq or silver foil was placed on prepared food to ensure that the food is not tampered on its way to the table. This dish was a perfect foil to Patiala Peg, a brilliant cocktail at Kanak which has Scotch whisky with cardamom and cinnamon.

Aloo Gosht

Aloo Gosht would always appeal to the Bengali in me. A light mutton gravy in whole spices, the potato draws in the gravy and becomes equally attractive as the meat. The mutton was very soft. I tried the gravy with some naans, but felt it would be as great with steamed rice or a mild pulav.

Bharwan Amchur Bhindi

I have been singing paeans about the Bharwan Amchoori Bhindi at Kanak in my earlier posts. I was delighted to see it back on the menu. I loved the small pieces of raw mango in it, which I do not remember from my earlier visits. The Yellow Daal served was absolute soul food.

Pindi Chole

The menu also had some Lucknavi Murgh Biryani, as well as some well-prepared creamy Butter Chicken. I had tried out the Pindi Chole earlier, and this time, it was quite good too.

The dessert served was Dudhi Halwa which was rich in dry fruits. I remembered having a great phirni during the last festival, which must still be on the menu too.

This is one of the festivals which should not be missed by connoisseurs of Indian food. The recipes have been chosen after lot of research to provide a complete experience of North Indian cuisines. The festival is on till 30th March and Kanak is open only for dinner.

Location:

Kanak
The Trident
Hitech City (next to Shilpa Kala Vedika)
Hyderabad
Telephone: 66232323

Also Read: More about Rivaayat

Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant. However, the opinion expressed in the post are honest and unbiased.

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Quick Bytes: Mama Mia Italia Comes to The Street

I have been hearing a lot of good reports about Mama Mia Italia at Sainikpuri. It was good to see friends travelling all the way from Miyapur and Gachibowli to try out the wood-fired pizzas there. Somehow, the visit had been a long pending one for me and finally did not take place.

Wood-Fired Pizza Oven at Mama Mia

The Drive-in food court fever has finally caught up in Hyderabad, and almost every week, a new drive-in is opening its door especially in the Cyberabad area. One of the better ones is known as The Street, which also boasts of a mini football field. There are about ten restaurants here, notable among which are Wich Please, Bade Miyan and Godavari Ruchulu. Mamma Mia has also shifted their outlet from Sainikpuri to this new food court. On an invite from the owners of Mama Mia, a few bloggers attended a tasting session on a summer afternoon. I had missed the inauguration of The Street due to some other engagements, and was looking forward to this meet.

Cheese Garlic Bread

The food court in The Street has ample air cooled seating upstairs. A Watermelon Cooler helped me settle down, and soon the items for tasting started coming out of the kitchen. First to arrive were couple of versions of Garlic Breads – with and without cheese. The Cheese Garlic Bread tasted good, we sprinkled some chili flakes on top to make it spicier.  Italian Chicken Bruschetta, which had a topping of bite-sized boneless chicken pieces in melted cheese was next in, and was just as good. Mama Mia makes all their breads in-house.

Margherita

We left the choice of pizzas to the Mama Mia management so that they could showcase their best stuff. Among the three of us, one was a vegetarian, so an assortment of veg and non-veg pizzas were prepared. My pick of the lot was the plain vanilla Margherita Pizza, the pizza which lets you judge the quality of the base as well as the cheese toppings. We were not disappointed with the offering, especially the topping was ample and delicious. One must commend the place for the quality of their cheese varieties.

Mama Mia Special Veg

I was also impressed by the Mama Mia Special Veg Pizza. It again had a fairly thick topping of corns, black olives, tomato capsicum and lots of cheese. The ingredients were assembled in just the right quantities – no single taste overwhelmed the others to present a very balanced pizza.

Pepperoni

The Pepperoni Pizza made its arrival known by its unique aroma. However it was slightly more salty that it normally is. What I liked here was that unlike some other places, good quality pepperoni slices were used and in ample quantity.

Italian Chicken

The other non-vegetarian offering was Italian Chicken Pizza which had a rich topping of tomato, capsicum and olive among others. Nothing mind-blowing, though here again they did not go overboard with any ingredient. A fine balance seems to be the hallmark of the pizzas of this place.

I had a look at their menu. Apart from the regular stuff, they also have fusion pizzas with tikka and Szechuan toppings. There are also a few pastas and lasagna which I will try on my next visit. The pricing of the pizzas (7 to 12 inches) ranges from Rs 100 to 450 for veg and Rs 200 to 550 for non-veg. They have a couple of choices of panna cottas for dessert.

Mama Mia is open from 12 noon to 2 am at night. Apart from a quick lunch or dinner, this might be a good place to satisfy late night hunger pangs. The place has plans to introduce a complete English breakfast with sausages, ham, baked beans and organic coffee in the next couple of months.

Location:
Mama Mia Italia
The Street
Next to Meridian School,
100 Feet Road,
Madhapur, Hyderabad
Telephone: 33165046

Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant. However, the opinion expressed in the post are honest and unbiased.

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A Taste of Mughal Durbar at Ohri’s Tansen

The Ohri’s group is one of the prime restaurateurs in Hyderabad with a range of outlets serving diverse cuisines and theme based experiences. Ruci & Idoni and 100 Degrees, two restaurants from this group have been covered earlier in this blog. Ohri’s Tansen at Jalvihar, Necklace Road is another signature restaurant from this group offering Mughlai and Awadhi cuisines.

At Jalvihar, Ohri’s has a building which houses three outlets – 70mm themed after Bollywood, 1857 talking about the British times and Tansen. This Mughlai restaurant has been designed like a nawabi darbar with an alley with decorated pillars on both sides, a place for the musicians to perform ghazals, nice comfortable seating and specially designed cutlery. On entering the place, you are made to feel that you have been transported into a different age. The wait staff are also dressed like the khansamas of the yesteryears.

Dahi ke Kabab

The Ohri’s group organizes review sessions for food bloggers at their different restaurants from time to time to get a feedback on their menu. I have attended a few of these earlier, and the experience has so far been good. Tansen has always been the preferred Mughlai restaurant for me in the city, and on a Saturday evening, a group of bloggers met here to try out some signature dishes from the menu. Live ghazals and sufi music enhanced the experience of this darbar themed place.

Paneer Dum Rolls

We started with Yakhni Shorba, a shorba of lamb stock, fried onions and mint.  The rich soup tasted refreshing with a strong flavour of meat and one could also sense a dash of zaffran. For the vegetarians, Tamatar Shorba was served.

The starters had a lot of stuff for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The pick of these for me was Paneer Dum Roll, rolls stuffed with veggies and cheese which was then shallow fried. The stuffing was absolutely melting in the mouth and this surely is a dish to be ordered on the next visit. The traditional Dahi Ke Kabab was soft, but I would have liked a little bit more of hung curd in this dish. I was told that this is one of the most popular items on the menu. Rampur Ke Pyaazi was another off-beat dish, where the main ingredients were cashew nuts and onions.

Patrewali Machhi

Awadh Ke Galouti arrived with much expectations, as this is one of the most well-known dishes of Tansen. The kabab is famed to be a dish prepared by a rakabdar from Bhopal to satisfy the palates of the Nawab of Awadh who has lost his teeth. The kabab served here was soft and tender, and passed the litmus test (as told to me by an Awadhi Chef long back) of eating it just using the tongue.

Lasoon Dhania Murgh

Lasooni Dhania Murgh, a tandoori boneless dish with garlic flavor was a notable hit with most of us. The restaurant also has its own version of fish wrapped in banana leaves. Called Dum Ki Macchi Patrewali, the fish is prepared in a green marinade.

Jhinga Til Tinka

Jhinga Til Tinka had medium sized prawns crumb fried and served on bamboo skewers. I liked the presentation of the dish, and the prawns tasted good. The coating though was slightly thicker than necessary underwhelming the seafood taste a bit.

Assorted Indian Breads

It was time for the main courses and we were first served a Roti Ke Tokri with specialty breads from Lucknow such as Sheermal, Taftan, Bakarkhani and Burhani Paratha. These are must tries at Tansen with the main courses – my personal favorites were the red colored Burhani as well as the flaky Taftan.

Beghmati Murgh

To go with these Indian breads, we had two non-veg dishes. Begmathi Murgh was a typical Mughlai dish, a methi and onion based rich and fragrant chicken gravy. There was also Rara Gosht from Punjab, which had lamb and keema in a spicy masala. Both the dishes tasted good, though I personally felt that the Punjabi Rara Gosht is a bit out of sync with the theme of the restaurant.

A special mention has to be made of the Dal Makhani here, which is at par with the preparations of other acclaimed restaurants.

Gosht Dum Biryani

We also had Gosht Dum Biryani served with the food. The meat was succulent, the flavours were great but the rice was a tad dry. On enquiry, it was found that I was served the biryani from the upper part of the handi. This was promptly rectified and the second helping was moist and nice.

Sakora Phirni

The pick of the desserts, Sakora Phirni was served in a clay pot. The yellow coloured rice and milk preparation was infused with nuts and covered in silver foil. Matka Kulfi with saffron flavour and Mulayam Ras Malai, the other two desserts served passed the muster well. At the end of the meal, we were served Paan Shots, which was presented in a very inviting manner.

Paan Shots

Tansen is definitely a place to visit for an exclusive ambience and delectable cuisine. The courteous service and mellifluous ghazals (on Fridays) make your experience a memorable one.

Location:
Ohris’s Tansen
Jalvihar
Necklace Road
Hyderabad
Telephone: 9866693539

Disclaimer: The review is based on an invite from the restaurant. However, the opinion expressed in the post are honest and unbiased.

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