The whistle of vehicles whizzing past Indira Colony, in Ashok Nagar, during rush hour, jolts me back to ‘work mode’ almost immediately. The Metro ride was rather long; or at least long enough to space me out. As my friend M and I walk along the bustling street — impatient honks and clouds of dust for company — the brightly-lit, small biryani outlet, enclosed in glass walls, greets us. Sulthan’s Biryani and Much More, it’s called. But, what’s ‘Much More’ is just the unnecessary Chinese dishes that occupy the otherwise biryani -only menu. We take one of the few tables available, with a clear view of the busy street outside.
Predominantly orange, and with a wall completely dedicated to Sivaji film posters, the outlet is primarily meant for take away. As we settle down, a few walk in from time to time, wait for 10 to 15 minutes, and walk away with a packet in hand. Very few decide to dine in. The menu does not boast of varied cuisines and innovative dishes — chicken and mutton biryani take the fore, while the ignored Chinese counterparts serve as back-up. A few bright-coloured starters that drip oil too make their appearances.
Served simply in steel plates covered with banana leaves, with little to no plating, it does not demand one’s immediate attention. But their idea is exactly this. “Simple, Muslim kalyana sapaadu ,” is apparently their signature. And, mind you, this is different from the Chennai-specific seeraga samba biryani — maybe not so much in taste, but in appearance. The crab lollipop, with its crunchy exterior and bland, juicy crab meat inside, is as simple as it looks. Garnished with a few onion rings and the occasional curry leaf, the starter is close to what can be called ‘comfort food’.
A household favourite, the chicken 65 tastes just fine — but the excess oil and the screaming red colour, is suspicious. Health, here, would definitely take a back seat. But, the next starter fails to keep me interested altogether: chicken pakoda . Halfway through the bite, one starts to hope that it would magically transform into a regular, crunchy onion pakoda .
- 1st Avenue, Indira Colony, New no 71/1&3, Old no 12/1&3, 1st Floor, Ashok Nagar, Chennai
- Hits: Mutton biryani , crab lollipop
- Misses: Bread halwa , chicken pakoda
- Cost for two: ₹600
- 48685585
We now get to the main event: the biryanis . They come complete with onion raita, ennai kathirikai and bread halwa . If you were to compare the two, the mutton biryani would undoubtedly take the cake. The chicken biryani , prepared with basmati rice (both are), has an overpowering flavour — a mix of all Indian masalas . At certain points, one would suspect if each grain of rice is separately coated with the mix. The blend is missing.
The mutton biryani , on the other hand, outdid its brother to being very easy on the tongue. The texture of the latter too, paired with tender mutton that could easily be cut into, seems good. But neither tastes exceptional, though the portions are generous and could easily satisfy two moderately hungry people. With coriander leaves, tomato slices and a boiled egg peeping out of the flurry of mildly-brown rice, the biryanis do not disappoint entirely.
By the time, I finish scrutinising the main dish, M has already dug into the tiny bowl of bread halwa . Before long, I hear her mutter and sigh in succession: “This is probably the first time I am not finishing my dessert, despite the quantity being this small.” The only dessert, thus, also paints an uninspiring picture. The halwa , tasting predominantly of sugar and less of the other ingredients, was slightly grainy, and excessively brown — contrary to the comforting, melt-in-the-mouth texture that it usually has.
