Biriyani, the single word invokes lot of emotions in mind of the gastronomic enthusiasts. During recent restaurant chain boom at every lane biryani outlets are cropping up like mushrooms. However in long run only few stay alive in the rat race. In Kolkata, the foodies eat pray and love biriyani. The special flavour will be very hard to find outside Kolkata; even for someone like me who traveled half of the world in this quest.
The Biriyani Company has introduced new set of dishes in their menu and they invited PanchPhoron gang for tasting their latest creation. To start with the proceedings we were introduced to Mutton Barra Kebab, Chicken Cheese Kebab and Fish Fry. Wait a minute, what is the fish fry doing in mughlai cuisine? This is where The Biriyani Company got their cards right to get those dishes that excites our taste bud. Succulent fresh bhetki wrapped with imported panko bread crumbs which makes it light, crispy and taste apart. I can proudly claim this is the best fish fry I tasted till date. Mutton Barra Kebab comes with chunks of mutton rightly seared inside tandoor. The smoky flavour with correct softness yet less spicy does the trick. The Chicken Cheese Kebab created a perfect balance of cheese flavour, not overdone like we tasted at some other places. Apt softness of chicken with gooey cheesy-ness bliss.
As we advanced towards main course, we were introduced to Mutton Biriyani, Lachha Paratha, Mutton Chaanp and Dal Makhni. Hmm, the main attraction biriyani was now in front of us. That smell just makes me go crazy and dive in the dish. But how does this taste? It was a sheer magic. The long grain basmati rice is not sticking to each other and oozing with flavours in every grain. The mutton was well cooked to compliment the dish. I know you are interested how much does it score in calorie meter. Well the good news is they don’t use dalda but have organic saffron and farm fresh ghee as part of the ingredients.
Lachha Paratha was crispy and flaky in each layer to disintegrate this to pieces. So nicely it goes with Mutton Chaanp and Dal Makhni. Mutton Chaanp had boneless mutton pieces with array of spices in this. Yet, not spicy to give you heart burn but the taste will make you fond of it. Dal Makhni is a subtle delicate dish with black lentil and red kidney beans slow cooked over night to present that creamy texture to will met in your mouth.
Wait…the restaurant wanted to surprise us with their special preparation Mutton Raan Biriyani. Oh my god, this was a monster of a dish. The concoction of both mutton raan and moti mutton made it a show stopper. This is also in their menu but has to be ordered in advance.
Mughal cuisine is always incomplete without Kesar Firni. But now the final twist in the tale was Nolen Gur Firni. They were neither though not too sweet. The perfect ending one can ask for. Do note the later is a seasonal dish of course as date palm jaggery is only available during winter months.
Each and every item was prepared from heart and chef has put all his experience and skills in the process. Only thing I found as a scope of improvement to have lean mutton in their menu rather those chewy fatty ones. Service was swift and they treated customers with lots of respect like their own family. They will be operating soon in full scale from all four branches serving connoisseur at all corners of the city. If the house can promote their biriyani brand and retain the quality will surely give those famous biriyani houses a run for their money.