Is this the ultimate biryani paradise? - Paradise Biryani, Chennai

What: Paradise

Where: Anjali Devi Towers, Kandanchavadi, Perungudi, Chennai

Cuisine: North Indian, Biryani

One place that had all the attention and buzz even before they were open. And the hype just got multiplied once they were open, with heaps and heaps of Chennai's human race attacking the place I was grateful that the place didn't open anywhere in the city limits (i.e. close to where I live). The travel time and not being a fan of Hyderabadi biryani were the major reason that made me wait until the hype settled down.

And it was a sudden plan to check out the biryani for Sunday lunch. It shouldn't be any difficult to spot the restaurant, with two storeys of dining area, huge parking space and takeaway area; and it's on the right side if you are travelling towards Shollinganallur. To my happiness, we got our table immediately (just two of us). After glimpsing through the menu, biryani was an obvious choice but the menu is quite vast with separate set of kebab choices. So coming to the taste of the food.

With Hyderabadi tag everywhere I wanted to taste Apollo Fish, definitely a must order if at all you visit the place. The essence of yogurt, chillies and spices used to marinate the fish and the juicy piece of fish is blissful; I wished it wasn't Basa Fish but that's the only fish they use for all their dishes.

Chicken Hara Bhara Kebab, you have a choice of half or full for all the kebabs and we choose half. (with four chicken pieces). The chicken was dry but the marinate that covered the chicken is a saviour. And the mint sauce was too watery for my liking.

Finally coming to the reason behind my visit, Mutton Biryani and we choose full portion as they prescribed that for two people. The portion is perfect for two (p.s. if you are planning to try more dishes than three people can share this). So three different layers, with mutton at the bottom, masala rice at middle and white-saffron rice at top, are cooked together and served. Coming to the taste, the long grains of white-saffron rice when mixed with masala rice tasted good. I prefer to mix together the layers perfectly so the masala flavour dominants and that's how I like to eat (you can request for extra masala and I did). The highlight was the mutton, the intense of flavours from the masala and the tender meat was bang-on. Aren't Hyderabadi biryani supposed to have fried onion? As my knowledge goes I believed so but there was no trace of that, anyways I prefer spicier biryani so I wasn't bother. So the verdict, I liked the biryani.

And coming to the sides, I was neither fond of their raitha nor mirchi-ka-salan. It was buttermilk and not raitha, also the salan wasn't spicy and too watery.

Finally, Qubani ka Meetha. After few spoons, the sourness from apricot overtakes the sweetness and I am quite not sure if the meetha is good or bad, but I didn't enjoy it much.

We paid Rs. 1048 INR (including tax) for the above items plus a fanta. It is affordable but overall that isn't a value for money meal.

Breaking Down Points

Location & Parking: For the love of biryani, yes you could travel all the way but until you reside nearby you can give this place a pass. Ample parking space.

Ambience: Maintained well, nothing much to talk about ambience.

Food Variety: Positive. Vegetarians do have options but this place is ideal for non-vegetarians.

Taste: I liked the food. But is it worthy to travel all the way for the biryani? No!

Quality & Quantity: Presentation and choice of ingredients/meat is Okay and doesn't justify the price they charge. You can choose the portion as per your sharing preferences (i.e. full or half).

Service: Negative. Not prompt and they seem lost, should fix the service part.

Price: Affordable. A meal for two would cost Rs.1000-1300 INR (plus taxes) approx.  

So my Verdict!

Paradise Biryani, they would meet the expectation if we dine without any expectation. The yesteryear Hyderabadi biryani queen now has more competitors so let's wait and see if paradise turns to be Chennai's biryani paradise.

P.S. Remember, no two person's palate can be same.