Biriyani is surely a strong life force for a Bengali Foodie. The Biriyani, a Bengali usually grows up with, all around town, is the Awadhi/Lucknawi variety. Rice and flavored meat slow cooked together,with a helping of boiled potatoes and boiled eggs. The rice grains are a mix of milky white and pale yellow. When you open a pot of Biriyani, the sweet aroma of Saffron whiffs to your noses. Its a complex note of flavors and fragrances which make for the perfect symphony on the taste buds.
With that somewhat elaborate introduction of what my ideal Biriyani is, am sure you are well aware that I could be a strong critic when someone mentions Biriyani.
Our first encounter with the Paradise Biriyani Point Franchisee was in December 2013, when we were visiting friends in Louisville,Kentucky. Our friends mentioned how this franchisee was creating storms in their neck of the woods. While driving back to our Hotel that night, Hubby tried to pitch in the idea of maybe trying to get a Franchisee of this Biriyani place. It was surely his love for good Biriyani which was speaking.
Almost a year later, Kansas City got its very own, PARADISE BIRIYANI POINT franchisee. They had opened at a location, where an old Indian restaurant called MASALAS,had had to shut its doors, under two different sets of owners.
No I don't believe in superstition about how ill fated the location was.
I was more interested in how they made their Biriyani.
No, I have never been to Hyderabad,so no chance of me Sampling the famous Biriyani from the eatery called PARADISE.
This franchisee had a play with words, in luring its customers. You could almost think it was a subsidiary of the famous Hyderabadi joint, but in fact it was an offshoot from New Jersey( or so I have heard). Correct me if I am wrong on this.
One of my first parameters of testing a Biriyani, is to check the rice grains. They should not be Soggy.And this mean Biriyani passed the first test. The grains were like little bits of pearl and each grain had almost kept its own identity,even in a complex rice and meat dish like Biriyani.
Although this Chain claimed to cook Hyderabadi Biriyani, but it surely wooed the Kolkattans with their addition of the Boiled Egg in the Biriyani. Now that's Biriayni which is surely influenced by more than 'School of Biriyani Making'.
As the Biriyani would take some time, we started off with a serving of Chicken 65 for us and Plain Dosa for our Toddler. The Dosa was really thin and crisp and it satisfied the taste buds of a picky Toddler. Much better than the Dosa being currently served the other Desi KC restaurants.
The Chicken 65 used to be a favorite at the older establishment. I am not aware if they have retained the same Chefs,but it was cooked to perfection for sure.
Coming back to the Hallowed discussion of our favorite Biriyani. The server had asked us for our Preferred Level of Heat. This was a first for us as Biriyani is never Hot. We settled for a Medium level of Heat. It had a nice kick to it, but although I love my share of spicy food,next time I would try out the Milder option and see if it alters the overall taste or not.
The Biriyani was served in small Stainless Steel Handis which was quite sweet in a way. Traditionally Biriyani used to be cooked in these huge Handis,so it was a great play on that. But I had to be careful in spooning it all out,without spilling much on the table,as the container was pretty small. Looking good is something and being practical is another.
We had ordered for a Goat Biriyani and Chicken Biriyani. Lets just say, we were not too lucky for two orders of Goat Biriyani as the eatery was in a crazy rush and had run out of the crowd favorite.
We tried the Goat Biriyani first. Our share had Goat Ribs which were beautifully cooked. Perfectly spiced and juicy tender. Even the portion of Goat had the signature touch of heat. They were served with a side of a cool Raita,which was good to wash everything down. It had also come with another side of a Gravy,which I didn't like much. The Meat to Rice Ratio per serving was good enough.
The Chicken Biriyani however was not as great as its Goat counterpart. It was a let down of sorts,at least for me. The Chicken was dry and it had been a victim of over cooking.
The Servers were trying their best to be over friendly . You could feel the tension in their body language. They were almost trying to not let the Jinx of the Location marr the current establishment. But having three different servers constantly coming to your table can be unnerving at times,even for a seasoned Food Blogger. So my only point to the Management would be let the Severs breathe a bit easy. Then the Patrons can enjoy their food better,rather than having to answer the same question over and over again. The Maitre'D looked clearly hassled. She was juggling phone calls and take out orders and seemed to be having a hard day. While she told us, there was no wait time at all, we had landed up waiting for more than half an hour, with an active toddler in tow.
And lest I forget, their High Chairs were in need of Repair. We tried all of their available High Chairs and All of them had their straps or locks defunct. My toddler would try to stand up all through the meal and thought it was a fun thing to do. Not every calming for any parent. So she landed on my lap after some time.
The Food is definitely good,but the Management surely needs to pull up their socks when it comes training their staff in handling a rush. And Maybe Cloth Napkins. Paper Napkins are no good,when it comes to heavy duty greasy Indian Food.
Whether or not will I go back there? Well, I will surely go back for the Biriyani. But maybe opt for a Take Out.
One of my first parameters of testing a Biriyani, is to check the rice grains. They should not be Soggy.And this mean Biriyani passed the first test. The grains were like little bits of pearl and each grain had almost kept its own identity,even in a complex rice and meat dish like Biriyani.
Although this Chain claimed to cook Hyderabadi Biriyani, but it surely wooed the Kolkattans with their addition of the Boiled Egg in the Biriyani. Now that's Biriayni which is surely influenced by more than 'School of Biriyani Making'.
As the Biriyani would take some time, we started off with a serving of Chicken 65 for us and Plain Dosa for our Toddler. The Dosa was really thin and crisp and it satisfied the taste buds of a picky Toddler. Much better than the Dosa being currently served the other Desi KC restaurants.
The Chicken 65 used to be a favorite at the older establishment. I am not aware if they have retained the same Chefs,but it was cooked to perfection for sure.
Coming back to the Hallowed discussion of our favorite Biriyani. The server had asked us for our Preferred Level of Heat. This was a first for us as Biriyani is never Hot. We settled for a Medium level of Heat. It had a nice kick to it, but although I love my share of spicy food,next time I would try out the Milder option and see if it alters the overall taste or not.
The Biriyani was served in small Stainless Steel Handis which was quite sweet in a way. Traditionally Biriyani used to be cooked in these huge Handis,so it was a great play on that. But I had to be careful in spooning it all out,without spilling much on the table,as the container was pretty small. Looking good is something and being practical is another.
We tried the Goat Biriyani first. Our share had Goat Ribs which were beautifully cooked. Perfectly spiced and juicy tender. Even the portion of Goat had the signature touch of heat. They were served with a side of a cool Raita,which was good to wash everything down. It had also come with another side of a Gravy,which I didn't like much. The Meat to Rice Ratio per serving was good enough.
The Chicken Biriyani however was not as great as its Goat counterpart. It was a let down of sorts,at least for me. The Chicken was dry and it had been a victim of over cooking.
The Servers were trying their best to be over friendly . You could feel the tension in their body language. They were almost trying to not let the Jinx of the Location marr the current establishment. But having three different servers constantly coming to your table can be unnerving at times,even for a seasoned Food Blogger. So my only point to the Management would be let the Severs breathe a bit easy. Then the Patrons can enjoy their food better,rather than having to answer the same question over and over again. The Maitre'D looked clearly hassled. She was juggling phone calls and take out orders and seemed to be having a hard day. While she told us, there was no wait time at all, we had landed up waiting for more than half an hour, with an active toddler in tow.
And lest I forget, their High Chairs were in need of Repair. We tried all of their available High Chairs and All of them had their straps or locks defunct. My toddler would try to stand up all through the meal and thought it was a fun thing to do. Not every calming for any parent. So she landed on my lap after some time.
The Food is definitely good,but the Management surely needs to pull up their socks when it comes training their staff in handling a rush. And Maybe Cloth Napkins. Paper Napkins are no good,when it comes to heavy duty greasy Indian Food.
Whether or not will I go back there? Well, I will surely go back for the Biriyani. But maybe opt for a Take Out.
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