Biryani is the kind of dish that can turn a simple meal into a treat and an average dinner into a feast. I am not a rice person, but biryani is a preparation I always look forward too. The recently launched Smoked Biryani House in the sector 18 market of Noida has come as a double blessing, as Noida hardly has any good eating joints. I must say, Dharmender Singh and his partners, after the success of TAB their barbecue style buffet restaurant, have moved to the next level with Smoked Biryani House.
Dedicated to Andhra style biryanis and curries, it has a convenient parking space right across from the restaurant — which in Sector 18 market is a tough challenge. Split into two levels, the décor is very simple with minimalistic interiors giving it a homely feel. Tweaking it a bit will make the place look more elegant.
The menu has a couple of Chinese options — rather inexplicably. I think the popularity of Chinese food is such that it has its patrons everywhere. Without further delay I ordered a couple of starters which included my favourites, such as chicken 65, Apollo fish, fried prawns and more. I must say their chicken 65 was pretty decent, cooked with the typical spices. The fish was good too. The prawn, if judged solely on its looks, merited summary rejection, but once I had a bite I just loved it. Small tender prawns with a crunchy crust seemed to be the perfect munchies.
But the real test was of the biryani and it appeared in style with a small charcoal bowl inside for the smoke.
As the chefs at Smoked Biryani House are from Hyderabad, having spent years mastering the art of a good Andhra biryani, my expectations were high and I must say they impressed me. Light and subtle biryani with good masalas at the bottom, served alongside a pasty mirchi ka salan was delicious. So were the curries like Andhra fish curry, dum ka mutton and golden fish masala.
In all, the quality of food was good but the service took some time. However, the dishes on offer are worth the wait. Khubani ka meetha or shahi tukda were delicious.
Meal for two: Rs.1000
