It began as a small café in Secunderabad in 1953. Paradise gradually acquired fans for its delicious Hyderabadi biryani. After 15 branches in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Visakhapatnam, the biryani brand is all set to test the waters in the city — its 16th outlet was launched in Chennai on Monday.
Many of us have grown up eating the fragrant dish cooked and sold out of large aluminium vessels across the city. Judging by the crowded streets at noon and dinnertime in Triplicane, Chennai’s biryani headquarters, it’s clear we love our biryani.
How will Paradise’s Hyderabadi version fare in the city? “Everyone loves a good biryani,” says Gautam Gupta, the CEO of Paradise. He feels that Chennai will take to their fare since Hyderabadi biryani has always had a huge appeal here.
“Every city has its own flavour of biryani,” says Gupta. “Travel 200 km from your city and you will find a different version.” The technique of ‘dum’ is the defining aspect of Hyderabadi biryani, explains Gupta. “The dum process ensures that every grain of rice and the meat are cooked well and spices absorbed.”
Gupta says he was excited to see crowds throng the restaurant on the first day. “The doors were thrown open around noon, and we had a full house in half-an-hour,” he says. “People queued up outside.” With biryani and kebabs being their USP, Gupta says that they have plans of expanding into breakfast and snacks, such as puffs.
Paradise Biryani is located at Perungudi, OMR. For details, call 4556 6713/ 4958 8211.
