I set off on my quest to taste the ever-so-popular Hyderabadi Biriyani from "Paradise" hotel in Secundarabad. The biriyani had what we would call, "larger than life image". Now please dont argue about the not-so-wise choice of analogy. I started off from my borrowed space in a cab - one hour package for Rs.300 within an hour or 20 kms, and every additional hour would be Rs.100 + Rs.18/km. Luckily I reached my destination within one hour and paid Rs.350 in all.
I found my way to the 2nd floor of "Paradise" :-)( there were many different mini-restaurants of Paradise in different floors ). There was another dude, who was waiting eagerly for his quota of hyderabadi cuisine and I took the table next to his. The menu had the usual non-veg fare, but I looked for the word "Biriyani" and they had a separate section for it. The "Paradise Special Biriyani" was listed for a whopping 660 rupees and another one was for some 550. I am assuming it would serve a group of 4 or so, else, dont see why would someone charge so much for a biriyani at a non-star restaurant. However, I scanned down for what would serve my needs - a chicken biriyani for Rs.165. I saw big servings of Biriyani in a copper vessel being taken to different tables and thought maybe it was the special biriyani. But to my surprise, I got mine too in a similar vessel and was horrified at huge the quantity of rice.
The chicken piece buried in the rice, was as tender and well-cooked as it can get. The offering had general doses of saffron for sure, which was very dominant among other spices used for the rice. It was more close to the kerala biriyani, where the masala is not fully mixed with rice, than to the traditional chettinad biriyani. The accompaniments included, a rather plain raitha, a very ordinary mild chicken gravy and some slices of onion and lemon.
A friend of mine had remarked that "Paradise Biriyani" is more hype than substance and unfortunately, that was the case. It was really good, but wasnt good enough to generate the "Aahaa" feeling. The biriyani my friend made in a typical mallu style and the one at Anjappar-Nungambakkam restaurant are the best I have tasted so far. Lucknowi biriyani is next on the list. However, for now my first big agenda of the visit was done and dusted, and I wondered if I will be able to eat or drink anything for the next 8 hours after this bountiful biriyani episode. I proved myself wrong- had a aaloo paratha to satiate the 4-hour delayed hunger pang. Long live spicy Indian food, and the wait for Irani chai continues....
