Restaurant Review: Hyderabad Xpress, Andheri West

 I like exploring new food joints but don't like to travel far for food. Being in Navi Mumbai, I prefer exploring places near me or in Navi Mumbai only. After all, new joints are opening every day here too. The review of Hyderabad Xpress is one such case where the food traveled to me. Don't believe me! But this is true, it happened when one fine day I received a mail from Mr. Aamer introducing me to Hyderabad Xpress and expressed his interest in sending some Biryani for tasting and feedback. I thought this is one such place where things can't work out as I will not travel and Biryani getting delivered from Andheri to Kharghar is a rare event which is not gonna happen ( bulk order being an exception of course). But, these guys are so passionate towards the idea of making Authentic Hyderabadi Biryani reach all over Mumbai that they made this delivery of food possible.

So, the food got delivered to my place and to my surprise it was hot.  Nicely packed and sealed these packets contained Chicken Dum Biryani and Chicken Tawa Biryani. The boxes contained Mirch ka Salan and the dessert Double ka Meetha.

Chicken Dum Biryani: Trust me, when I say the moment we opened the packet the aroma of spices was heavenly and made us gorge over the food. The long grains of rice were perfectly cooked and amazingly blended with spices and flavors. The texture of the rice was exactly as I like and believe it should be. I have had Biryani at various places before also but this one was really awesome. I had Biryani in Hyderabad at the very famous "Paradise restaurant"(who claim to be one of the best) but  it failed to make any impression. But, this was an absolute delight. Accompanied with Mirch ka salan which makes it more finger licking. The chicken pieces were nicely cooked and well coated with spices. The quantity is more than sufficient for two people. If you want your Biryani to be more masala laden ask for 'double masala'. The cost of full Biryani is Rs 210 which is a complete value for money.

Chicken Tawa Biryani: This is another Biryani variant which is available at Hyderabad Xpress. The boneless pieces of chicken were very well coated with spices and the masala. Me being a lover of spicy food found this little less appealing than the Authentic Dum Biryani may be because of the slight sweetness that the masala had. But, no worries as the mirch ka salan balanced it and gave the spicy punch. The quantity was again more than sufficient for two people. The cost of Rs 210 which is value for money.

Mirch Ka Salan: I have to say I have tasted salan previously at one or two places only and never liked it. But the salan they serve with the Biryani was absolute savory and flavorful. Most of the places in Mumbai serve raita with Biryani but this is actually something which enhances the taste of the biryani and makes it spicy and yummy. So, for me, this was a complete hit.

Double ka Meetha: Well, I am also one of those who believe that the meal is not complete without sweet dish at last. And this part of the meal always makes me happy so it made me happy today again the moment I took the first bite of this heavenly Double ka Meetha. Perfectly sweet, orange colored was a complete "melt in mouth". This is something not to be missed which compliment the Biryani as dessert very well. So, this was another star of the meal.

Overall Rating : 4.5/5

Hyderabadi Xpress is in Andheri(W) and a complete Biryani place which is more of a home-delivery and takeaway place. The thing I like about them is that they are sticking to complete Biryani menu in which they are really good. If you are looking out for Authentic Hyderabadi Biryani I would like to recommend this place as apart from the food, they are truly dedicated towards the idea to making the Biryani reach everywhere in Mumbai. The Chief Mr. Rajesh was very courteous and so was the delivery person.

You can visit their website: http://www.hyderabadxpress.co.in/  or call them at 022 30151829 for more details. And can also follow them on Twitter, Zomato, Facebook and Instagram.

This review wouldn't have been possible without the coordination of Mr. Aamer and Mr. Rajesh. 



My opinion and words are not biased and the review is totally based on my experience at the restaurant. But rightly said, “Food is subjective and everyone has own taste” so kindly exercise your own discretion, with the understanding that this is reviewer’s personal opinion.

Review: Biryani Guru, CBD Belapur

Weekends are mostly eat out day and a happy day for me as it mostly becomes a " no cooking day". I love exploring new restaurants in or near my area. This time, I was in search of some authentic Mughlai cuisines. So, my search began on Zomato, after checking out few outlets the name"Biryani Guru" caught my attention. After reading the reviews and checking out the menu, we decided to visit the place and give them a try. As they name was very catchy so my expectation from the place was already heightened. Well... "Biryani Guru" justifies the name or not will check out...

Ambiance: We reached this place around 8:30 pm. As expected, it was moderately crowded so we found a table for us easily. The outlet is of decent size with almost 8-9 tables. ( I guess) The decor of the place is retro style with Beatles and Harley Davidson logos. Lots of photo frames of musicians and artists. Overall, the it is decently placed but for me frankly speaking, this was a kind of mismatch. Call it old-fashioned styling sense but for me somehow a place serving Biryani and muglai dishes must be designed with some antique theme. But, anyways the food quality can overrule this easily.

Service: Service was quick and good after the staff attending us was replaced by another knowledgeable staff. The first person attending us was not very updated about the menu and the description of the items stated on the menu. As they have clearly stated that tandoori items take time to get cooked so be patient, so the wait for of 15 minutes approx.

Food: My main focus is always on food because I strongly believe that if food wins your heart you can ignore all the other drawbacks if you find any. So, below are the things we ordered for our meal:

Masala Chass: They have both the option of glass masala chass and bottle also. I had this bottle masala chass at Bhagat Tarachand for the first time and liked it and the design of the bottle too. At Biryani Guru, this was a complete hit. Perfectly thick and not too thin exactly as I like the. So, I would list it under "must have" category.

Chicken Lasooni Tikka: I love tikkas and I am a big fan of Chicken and Paneer tikka. So it, has to be on my order list. We ordered this Chicken Lasooni Tikka. The looks of the tikka were tempting. It was mildly spicy and flavorful. I like the fried garlic pieces which were sprinkled and gave the tikka extra garlicky punch which I liked. There was three variety of chutney provided so I enjoyed this with the green chutney and would recommend to trying this one.

Tandoori Chicken: Tandoori chicken is my another favorite. At most places I order this dish so how can I miss ordering it at "Biryani Guru". Tandoori chicken was not up to my expectations. I had better and delicious Tandoori at many places than this one. Somehow the tandoori masala used lacked that "waooo" factor.

Chicken Tikka Dum Biryani: Okay, so this was the time for the "hero's entry".. as Biryani has to steal the show, after all, it's the "Biryani Guru". We ordered Chicken Tikka Dum Biryani which comes in a beautiful and eye-catching pot( I missed clicking the picture). Well, Biryani is something which I had at numerous places. But the first bite itself was a complete disappointment. The rice was over cooked and lacked that richness that the authentic biryani rice have. The goodness of the biryani is greatly decided by the quality and the perfectness with which the rice is cooked which lacked completely here. The masala in which the chicken pieces were cooked was decent nothing much to talk about. So, this actually spoiled the show.

I was totally in love with this mango chutney which was placed on my table and I was not able to stop myself from licking it :P

So, this was my dinner experience at Biryani Guru. Some good some bad, overall a decent place.
I will not call this place a value for money as I felt the place is slightly overpriced.

 Will I go Again: Maybe Not.


Total Rating: 3.5/5

Enjoy !!

My opinion and words are not biased and the review is totally based on my experience at the restaurant. But rightly said, “Food is subjective and everyone has own taste” so kindly exercise your own discretion, with the understanding that this is reviewer’s personal opinion. 

Recipe: Instant Khaman Dhokla- The Healthy Snack or Breakfast

Khaman Dhokla is one of my favorite comfort food. I enjoy it in breakfast and evening snacks as well. The soft, fluffy and spongy texture wins my heart every time I have it. If you are looking out for some healthy options to have you can definitely add it to the list as it is steamed, therefore, it is healthy and you can eliminate or modify the tempering as per your need. By not adding the oil or sugar water you can still enjoy it.

Khaman Dhokla
Serves 2
Takes 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Cup Besan (Gram Flour)
1 Green chilli
3 Tsp Yogurt
1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
3/4 Tsp Eno ( Fruit Salt)
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
Salt as per taste


For Toppings:
Coriander leaves
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Tsp Sugar
5-6 Curry Leaves
1 Tsp Oil


Method:

Add yogurt, crushed chillies, salt, turmeric powder, lemon juice to the besan.
Leave for 10-15 Minutes
Meanwhile, add some water to the cooker and bring it to the boil.
Grease the tin/container with some oil.
Add fruit salt to the above mixture and mix well and immediately pour the batter into the container.
Place the container inside the pressure cooker and place the lid without the whistle.
Steam it for 15 minutes on low flame.
Check in between to see that the water is not evaporated completely, else add more water.
Check by inserting the knife.
Once done, allow it to cool for sometime and then carefully remove from the container.
For tempering, add oil in the pan, add  mustard seeds, curry leaves.
After 2 minutes add water and sugar. pour this sweet water along with the mustard seeds and curry leaves over the cooked Dhokla.
Leave it for 8-10 minutes so that it gets soaked completely into it and reaches the corner.
Garnish with some coriander leaves.
And Taadddaaaa... its ready to be served.

Enjoy it with green chutney or tamarind chutney as you like to have it.

ENJOY !!

Feel free to share your feedback/suggestions and comments.