Visakhapatnam’s love for biryani knows no boundaries. From the traditional biryani cooked over firewood to the fiery combination of crab and prawn biryani, the flavoured rice is the king of food items in the city. Taking our love for biryani several notches up is Athidhi Devo Bhava, a restaurant that launched a special gold biryani that is served in a large silver bowl and adorned with edible 23-carat gold leaves. The dish costs ₹1,500 and consists of two kilograms of rice and meat that are covered in edible gold leaves. It comes with two pieces of dum chicken, boneless chicken fry and a fried egg. The concept is taken after a popular Dubai-based restaurant’s initiative of introducing gold biryani in its menu, which is reportedly the world’s most expensive biryani. “We wanted to recreate a similar flavour here. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare the biryani. So we are currently taking pre-orders for the gold biryani. Orders need to be placed a day before,” says V Raja Sekhar Reddy, the restaurant’s owner . The idea came about when his wife K Bhagyarka Sinha visited Dubai and got a chance to experience the famous gold biryani. “It took us quite a while to perfect the making and presentation,” says Rajashekhar. Edible gold, a particular variety that is approved for consumption, comes in the form of gold foil, gold dust and gold flake. The process involves hammering or pounding of gold. “We procure the gold leaf from a merchant in Mumbai. It has food safety certification,” adds Raja Sekhar.
Biryani garnished with 23-carat edible gold at Athidhi Devo Bhava in Visakhapatnam | Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak
The experience of relishing the gold biryani is no less royal at Athidhi Devo Bhava. True to the name of the restaurant, the hospitality exudes a warmth and comfort. The restaurant has an enclosed space called Rajbhogam, where food is served in pure silver crockery. The interiors reflect the royal feel of the middle-eastern regions. While the use of edible gold dates back to as early as 2500 BC, the therapeutic benefits have been reported in ancient Indian, Arabic and Chinese literature.
In the recent past, edible gold was used by international chefs to add a tinge of royalty to the dish. At Athidhi Devo Bhava, the gold biryani is served by their 25-year-old chef Satyanarayana, who became popular for serving Rayalaseema cuisine to the late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, former Chief Minister of united Andhra Pradesh. The young chef takes his time to carefully garnish the biryani with the gold leaf. “The presentation has to be immaculate,” he says. The portion of the gold biryani is enough for three people. To enjoy the real flavours of the biryani, savour it without the raita. “We don’t serve the biryani with raita or curry that normally accompanies a biryani, but if a customer requests then we offer,” says Raja Sekhar. The restaurant is known for its authentic Andhra cuisine. Among its popular dishes is the signature mutton dupudu biryani which is available on Sunday.