All Things Rice

Located off the busy Tilak Road,near SP College,SP Biryani has been one of the city's favourite hang-outs. After having been shut for renovation for seven months,the eatery has re-opened its doors recently.

The recently renovated SP Biryani has retained its old flavours,spices and masalas

Located off the busy Tilak Road,near SP College,SP Biryani has been one of the city’s favourite hang-outs. After having been shut for renovation for seven months,the eatery has re-opened its doors recently. The result – a much more modern-looking,three-storeyed complex that retains the tastes and flavours of the old. The two-tone beige and brown interiors remind one of the simplicity of the eatery. Owner Jawahar Chorge says,On a visit to Hyderabad a few years back,I saw the Paradise Biryani House and immediately thought of renovating SP Biryani on those lines. I wanted it to be a place where customers could come and relax and also experience the same tastes of the old SP. That’s why we chose a simple look.

The new layout has over four times the seating space as compared to the old one – around 250 can be seated at one time. Chorge mentions that they have maintained the old tradition of cooking a fixed number of dishes daily. The dishes are cooked twice a day. Once we’re sold out,we call it a day. Serving fresh food is our USP, he says.

We soon got down to ordering our meal and our pick of the day was Sajuk Mutton Biryani (Rs 220). Incidentally,this dish is a favourite with kids as it is a very mildly spiced Lucknowi biryani. Made in pure ghee,the rice was cooked with a variety of dry spices. For those with a taste for spicy food,the Prawns Pulao (Rs 210) is a good choice. Cooked in a Kolhapuri masala,the pulao made up for the missing spiciness in the previous dish. The prawns were medium-sized and well-cooked.

All the masalas for the dishes are home-made. We also tried the Kheema Masala (Rs 160),the Gavran Chicken Handi (Rs 220 for half a plate) and the Bombil Chatni (Rs 100). The Kheema was very spicy and dripping with oil,much like the Chicken Handi. The latter had a base of goda masala and dry coconut. The Bombil (Bombay Duck) Chatni,a tangy fish chutney,with lime and green chillies,was a perfect side dish.

Chorge mentions that new dishes will be introduced soon. The restaurant has just re-opened and we would like to re-acquaint our customers with our taste before offering them too much too soon, he says.

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