[Parthasarathig]

Maybe we should have Food meets like the Hyderabad guys have. Should be great to sample some of the best biryani in town. Btw how come noone has spoken about lazeez? Although its over priced, but it tastes great. Now its on commercial street and just below it is another biryani shop called "Shaadi ki biryani".

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Maybe we should have Food meets like the Hyderabad guys have. Should be great to sample some of the best biryani in town. Btw how come noone has spoken about lazeez? Although its over priced, but it tastes great. Now its on commercial street and just below it is another biryani shop called "Shaadi ki biryani".

Partha - Is it a new branch at Commercial St. or has it moved from it's K'mangla outlet ? They specialize in Mughlai Biryanis, popularly known as Kolkata Style Biryani. I remember those bachelor days of mine when we bengali roommates turned into voracious gobblers of Lazeez's Mughlai Chicken and Mutton Biryani and Mutton Roghanjosh, followed by Firni !

P.S: I am afraid this Biryani won't suit most of the needs of Waseem sir and others. It's absolutely non-spicy.

[praful]

Biriyani talks ... I'm friggin in

Just this afternoon hogged on some delicious Mutton Biriyani and Chicken fry at Shivaji Military Hotel. One of the better biriyani's in town (at least in my books, since I prefer dum/non-spicy biriyani). I had posted about this a few pages back as well.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by praful

Biriyani talks ... I'm friggin in

Just this afternoon hogged on some delicious Mutton Biriyani and Chicken fry at Shivaji Military Hotel. One of the better biriyani's in town (at least in my books, since I prefer dum/non-spicy biriyani). I had posted about this a few pages back as well.

Oh wow. Where exactly is this hotel? I too prefer the dum biryani. Would love to try it.

Originally Posted by praful

Google Maps is your friend http://goo.gl/maps/qpyU2

Thanks for the directions. I may head to autoservice on a weekday to get some stuff. Maybe then i shall do some pet pooja too hehe.

[praful]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Oh wow. Where exactly is this hotel? I too prefer the dum biryani. Would love to try it.

Google Maps is your friend http://goo.gl/maps/qpyU2

I see that you are Duke owner, if you get your bike serviced @ AutoService then its the perfect excuse to head over there.

Warning: Go early if going on a Sunday. Early = 12.15 max 12.30!

Advice: As legendary as the Mutton Biriyani is, the chicken one is just about average.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by khoj

... Biryani in its original form & not to the heavily altered version ...

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

... Most places in bangalore serve spicy rubbish in the name of biriyani. The authentic stuff is flavorful but doesn't burn your gut. ...

Originally Posted by suhaas307

... As reignofchaos has rightly pointed out, spicy biryani is NOT biryani.

My, my, what prejudice! Guys, there is no Geographical Indication (Protected designation of origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG)) associated with "Biryani". One can at most say "Best Calcutta / Hyderabad / Lucknow / Delhi / Ajmer / wherever style biryani made outside that place", but nothing more. Don't look down upon the heavily-spiced variants from Bangalore, South Andhra, TN and KL - they have their own place in the world.

If you try the real original ones from Central Asia, Iran or the southern Arabian peninsula, you will be terribly dissatisfied. Any Indian Biryani is a regional adaptation of that.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

... another biryani shop called "Shaadi ki biryani".

If they serve anything like the Biryani served in Shaadis in Bangalore, I will be a fan! To know what I am saying - invite yourself to a marriage at the larger Shaadi Mahals in Shivaji Nagar / Comml Street areas - the aroma won't go away from your fingertips for days no matter how hard you scrub. I am sure Waseem-bhai would be able to relate to what I am saying, even if it is no relation to 'Hyderabadi' biryani. Biryani at Taj in Shivajinagar is a diluted version of the same.

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Partha - Is it a new branch at Commercial St. or has it moved from it's K'mangla outlet ? ...

The Lazeez at Comml Street is a branch of the Koramangala outfit, and has been there 15 years now.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

... I too prefer the dum biryani. ...

ALL biryanis are dum biryanis, even the gut-busting heavily spiced southern stuff. One can't make biryani any other way, like for example how paella or risotto is made. Visit the kitchen of any joint serving biryani - they will have large pateelas cooking biryani, covered with a heavy lid that has coal embers on top. (Sorry, any joint except Ammis - they just reheat stuff distributed late morning from their central kitchen, which doesn't use this method. They use industrial steam cookers)

Originally Posted by praful

... Warning: Go early if going on a Sunday. Early = 12.15 max 12.30! ...

They do serve Mutton Biryani even for breakfast at 0800 in the morning!

BTW, how many have tried the Chilly Chicken from Nandhini anywhere in Bangalore? No relation to the Chinese variety - this one is in a class of it's own. Caution: If you are from the tech sector, please take it only on a Friday or Saturday evening!

PS: Has anyone heard of Murtabak being served anywhere in Bangalore?

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

If they serve anything like the Biryani served in Shaadis in Bangalore, I will be a fan! To know what I am saying - invite yourself to a marriage at the larger Shaadi Mahals in Shivaji Nagar / Comml Street areas - the aroma won't go away from your fingertips for days no matter how hard you scrub. I am sure Waseem-bhai would be able to relate to what I am saying, even if it is no relation to 'Hyderabadi' biryani. Biryani at Taj in Shivajinagar is a diluted version of the same.

Any food chat with you, sir ( even in the past )makes me hungry. You and Mr. Shankar Balan. If only your descriptive powers would make the food appear magically in front of me. Yumm yumm. Biryani for breakfast now thats a first.

So this Shaadi biryani stuff seems good well thank god Ive so many friends who are gonna have biryani in their weddings

Speaking of wedding food, its been far too long Ive enjoyed the Bengali wedding food. Need to get back to my place during the next wedding season and taste some "ilish macher paturi" and other delicacies.

Have tried biryani at most of the joints in Bangalore by now. Need to try this Shivaji hotel and Shaadi ki biryani. Even thoug Ammis biryani is cooked industrilly, but i never felt it was bad. It was actually quite good. Even Al Bek makes very good biryani and tandoori chicken kebabs. Last 2 months Ive been growing fat on that.

@Soumyajit yes its the same lazeez. Lazeez has reduced the quantities of rice and chicken and if you pack from them, be sure to check for the potato cause twice it has happened with me - no potato. Only time I would suggest eating at lazeez is during Durga puja at Koramangala grounds.

I had tried Savouries too as i had asked about it last time. Its actually just 2-3 kmz from my place. The shawarma was excellent and even their keema roll. The two shawarma rolls I found worth eating in BLR are Savouries and Kabab Magic R.T.Nagar. Rest all not worth it.

Btw, I wanted to know any decent places for Bengali type egg rolls and chicken rolls in Bangalore at reasonable prices? The one at Phoenix mall and Pik & wrap RT Nagar are good but wanted to try some other places. Had tried one at HAL area too but not so great. I think the place was called Kolkata kitchen.

Thanks for the recommendations

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[khoj]

LOL, no prejudice and no one is looking down upon anything, infact any looking from me is up to the day that I land in Bangy and try the stuff there.

Originally Posted by DerAlte

My, my, what prejudice! Guys, ..... Don't look down upon the heavily-spiced variants from Bangalore, South Andhra, TN and KL - they have their own place in the world.

True that.

Originally Posted by DerAlte

If you try the real original ones from Central Asia, Iran or the southern Arabian peninsula, you will be terribly dissatisfied. Any Indian Biryani is a regional adaptation of that.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

PS: Has anyone heard of Murtabak being served anywhere in Bangalore?

Check Ali Baba in frazer town. They have murtabak and a very good one at that.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

... Biryani for breakfast now thats a first. ...

I kid you not!

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

... Even thoug Ammis biryani is cooked industrilly, but i never felt it was bad. It was actually quite good. Even Al Bek makes very good biryani and tandoori chicken kebabs. ...

Ammi's and Al Bek is a bit too dry for my taste, especially the meat and kababs. Biryani is best in places where it comes from cooking pot to plate in one go. Ditto for kababs - from raw marinated meat to tandoor / kadhai to the plate in a single non-stop process. Unfortunately, to reduce turnover time, most restaurants / cooks fry or roast it once and keep it aside partly cooked till an order comes along. This results in parts of the meat becoming dry and overcooked. Try Chicken Kabab cooked in one go - at the Imperial Hotel (Impy's to most) on Residency Road. Now that's what the Bangalore-style fried Kabab should be - delectably melt-in-the-mouth cooked just right.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

... Kabab Magic R.T.Nagar. ...
Btw, I wanted to know any decent places for Bengali type egg rolls and chicken rolls in Bangalore at reasonable prices? ...

Try Emirates near RT Nagar for biryani, kabab and shawarma. Pretty decent. Not sure where the place is exactly - my colleague used to get take-away from there.

For rolls, if you are heading out on Mysore Road, there is a small joint opposite RV College of Engineering. Pretty good rolls made in front of you - light and not so greasy. And reasonably priced - since the primary consumers are 'ishtudants' from RVCE and the management college nearby.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

I kid you not!

For rolls, if you are heading out on Mysore Road, there is a small joint opposite RV College of Engineering. Pretty good rolls made in front of you - light and not so greasy. And reasonably priced - since the primary consumers are 'ishtudants' from RVCE and the management college nearby.

Oh ive seen this emirates hotel. Its near to Shell petrol bunk on Bellary road. I thought it was an ordinary hotel. Definitely need to try this as my friends were also telling its a good hotel.

Al Bek i guess you can try during rush hour on weekdays at Malleshwaram. I found it to be somewhat close to your description of the good stuff. The kababs were ok ok though.

Rolls - I shall try that out once I get free amd head onto mysore road. Earlier there used to be one shop in college who used to make excellent rolls and paranthas. But 2 years back that guy had to move back to his native. Now theres one in Sultanpalya who makes rolls only during Durga Puja.

And I definitely need to try out this Impys biryani.

Thanks for the recommendations. Looking forward to a pet pooja week hehe.

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Thanks, RoC - must do that sometime.

Eh? Rush hour at a non-veg joint in Malleshwaram? Must see this. Malleshwaram is an area of die-hard 'piyoooooor-veg' herbivores addicted to Halli Mane, CTR and Veena Stores, I thought.

Chicken Kababs at Impy's. And mutton pepper dry/fry. Their biryani is rather pedestrian.

Yes it was a shocker really to see al bek open up at Malleshwaram. But their service is good and so was the food.

Whats the best time to visit Impys then? Evenings for the kababs?

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Check Ali Baba in frazer town. They have murtabak and a very good one at that.

Thanks, RoC - must do that sometime.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

... rush hour on weekdays at Malleshwaram. ... Impys biryani. ...

Eh? Rush hour at a non-veg joint in Malleshwaram? Must see this. Malleshwaram is an area of die-hard 'piyoooooor-veg' herbivores addicted to Halli Mane, CTR and Veena Stores, I thought.

Chicken Kababs at Impy's. And mutton pepper dry/fry. Their biryani is rather pedestrian.

[reignofchaos]

^^Hallimane is overrated. Never had a good experience there.

However both the benne masala at CTR is the best dosa I've had anywhere - hands down.

[SILVERWOOD]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

That's a great idea Waseem.
Meanwhile, we could make a list of the best Biryani joints in the city

I will make a list very soon.

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Maybe we should have Food meets like the Hyderabad guys have.

+1 on this.We will start very soon.

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

Partha - Is it a new branch at Commercial St. or has it moved from it's K'mangla outlet ? They specialize in Mughlai Biryanis, popularly known as Kolkata Style Biryani.

P.S: I am afraid this Biryani won't suit most of the needs of Waseem sir and others. It's absolutely non-spicy.

At the first instance,Kolkata Biryani is not Mughlai.It is an adaptation of Lucknowi Biryani. (Awadh to be precise).You will find similarity when you taste Biryani from Idris or Wahid in Lucknow and Arsalan and Zeeshan in Kolkata.

Originally Posted by praful

Biriyani talks ... I'm friggin in

Just this afternoon hogged on some delicious Mutton Biriyani and Chicken fry at Shivaji Military Hotel. One of the better biriyani's in town (at least in my books, since I prefer dum/non-spicy biriyani).

Thanks for the lead. Will add Shivaji to my list.

Originally Posted by DerAlte

If they serve anything like the Biryani served in Shaadis in Bangalore, I will be a fan! To know what I am saying - invite yourself to a marriage at the larger Shaadi Mahals in Shivaji Nagar / Comml Street areas - the aroma won't go away from your fingertips for days no matter how hard you scrub. I am sure Waseem-bhai would be able to relate to what I am saying, even if it is no relation to 'Hyderabadi' biryani. Biryani at Taj in Shivajinagar is a diluted version of the same.

ALL biryanis are dum biryanis,

PS: Has anyone heard of Murtabak being served anywhere in Bangalore?

I am not a staunch supporter of Hyderabadi biryani although i would prefer Hyderabadi biryani over others.I have had Biryani in most of the places in India.

All Dum Biryanis are cooked by two methods.The Kacchi and Pakki biryani.

Kacchi Biryani:This is the most challenging Biryani to be made and i always prepare Biryani the Kacchi Way.The meat is marinated for 6-8 hours & all ingredients are added to the marination except fried onions which are added at the end.The marinated meat in then spread on a wide heavy bottom utensil and parboiled rice is added on the top and cooked on Dum.

Pakki Biryani:The meat is pre-cooked and marination time is shorter.

Biryanis in Bangalore and in all parts in India other than Hyderabad and surroundings are cooked the pakki way as meat is pre-cooked.In Hyderabad, there is one more version of Biryani called, the Kalyani Biryani (Beef Biryani) which is cooked the Pakki way with addition of tomatoes.

Tahari is one more adaption of Biryani predominantly made in Hyderabad-Karnataka region made in pakki way & is generally made of Beef. One great place to have Tahari is Gulbarga where Tahari is available from 6am.

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Check Ali Baba in frazer town. They have murtabak and a very good one at that.

Ali Baba has one more branch in Jaymahal extention and i am not sure if the branch at MM road is functional.

Originally Posted by DerAlte

I kid you not!

Try Emirates near RT Nagar for biryani, kabab and shawarma.

Thanks for this lead.Will add this in my list.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by SILVERWOOD

... It is an adaptation of Lucknowi Biryani. (Awadh to be precise). ...

Wonder when and why they started adding a whole potato! Probably the reason could have been recession, with potato substituting meat. Even the mutton gravy dishes from the eastern region have huge pieces of potato.

Originally Posted by praful

... delicious Mutton Biriyani and Chicken fry at Shivaji Military Hotel. ... I prefer dum/non-spicy biriyani

And Shivaji biryani was non-spicy? Most people remember it the next morning too!!!

Originally Posted by SILVERWOOD

... All Dum Biryanis are cooked by two methods.The Kacchi and Pakki biryani. ... i always prepare Biryani the Kacchi Way. ...

And probably done only in Hyderabad and at home. It is commercially unviable in other places.

Originally Posted by SILVERWOOD

... Biryanis in Bangalore and in all parts in India other than Hyderabad and surroundings are cooked the pakki way as meat is pre-cooked. ...
Tahari is one more adaption of Biryani predominantly made in Hyderabad-Karnataka region made in pakki way ...

Correct. Even the "Hindu Military Hotels" (Shivaji is one of those) make it the same way.

Tahari / Teheri (तहरी / तेहरी) is north Indian actually - believe it or not, it is Avadhi (one can find references in older Devanagari text, not English). There are plenty of veg variants in UP and Rajasthan, like with Mangodi or Cauliflower. It evolved from the traditional Khichdi (the dry style from UP/Bihar, not the fluid ones of western India). This is the form that migrated across the Vindhyas over a couple of centuries. This style is common in Kashmir and Bangladesh too. Tahari is synonymous with Pakki (no one refers to it as Pakki).