In search for the perfect Biryani

Ok, so last night, we went to try out the biryani joint in 'our part' of the town. Called 'BBC' by connoisseurs, the name of Borivali Biryani Centre does not, by itself, inspire confidence. But I was very pleasantly surprised. To begin with, the name doesn't do it justice; the place is huge. At any given time, at least 50-75 people can sit and eat together. And no offence meant, 'Borivali' may be famous for a lot of stuff, but it is not really Hyderabad or Lucknow; it hardly presents visions of biryani before one's eyes. Its extremely well known amongst the Mumbai foodies - food bloggers and reviewers have heaped a lot of praises on it; it  was what had made my mind to try out the place.

BBC offers 5-6 different kinds of biryanis including egg, chicken dum, mutton dum, and chicken tikka. Most of the biryanis, except the egg biryani, I think, are available in 3 sizes - small, medium, and large. The small size is enough for one person. Served in little handis, the biryani is very well made - well layered and flavourful, the long-grain basmati cooked to perfection. I had ordered a chicken dum biryani. The masala was just right, not too little, not too much. Garnished with chopped green coriander and caramelised onions, the biryani was neither too spicy nor too oily. The chicken was cooked to beautiful perfection, falling off the bones, but still tender. My husband had ordered an egg biryani and he was very happy with it. If you like lots of raita with your biryani, go ahead and order it separately. Otherwise, each biryani is accompanied by a small bowl of vegetable raita. Also, do order their fried papad with your biryani, it tastes splendid.

Chicken Dum Biryani

Close-up view

The service reminded me of one of the ubiquitous Udipi restaurants that abound in Mumbai. Super efficient looking wait staff in brown uniforms. I guess if you have to feed so many people all at the same time, the staff would have to be efficient. The seating is both A/C and non-A/C and the management has placed chairs outside the restaurant for those picking up their orders. This is not a fine dining place by any stretch of the imagination; the plates and glasses they use are plastic, unless you've ordered a fresh lime soda along with your order, which is when you are handed real glassware. Word of advice: Please remember to wipe the plates as well as the glasses with paper napkins before you use them.

All in all, the biryani at the Borivali Biryani Centre is definitely worth trying out. We, my husband and I, aim to return to BBC very soon.