Feast of Hyderabadi Dum Biriyani : Paradise, Virginia Mall, Whitefield

Biriyani!!! The word itself makes people rolicking and mouth watering. India has several diversified culture and so do Biriyani… There are numerous kind of Biriyanis differentiated by many factors like; its region of origin, cooking method, main ingredients and even by history. However, the discussion on “Which Biriyani is best” will never end as there are equal number of people who love their kind of Biriyani and there are equal number of facts to justify how every Biriyani is unique in its own way. So, instead of getting into the comparison I would like to write about Hydrabadi Dum Biriyani…

And when it comes to Hyderabadi Biriyani, Paradise Biriyani is considered as ultimate choice for it. Why not! They have such a history of serving tasty Biriyani’s from late 1953. I have witnessed many hardcore patrones of this restaurant and I came to know the reason behind such patronage very recently after tasting their Biriyani in it’s JP Nagar outlet. And when they invited me for a tasting session on their newly opened outlet at Whitefield I just couldn’t able to resist and despite of heavy traffic I reached the venue on time!

This particular outlet is their 6th establishment in Bengaluru after the tremendous success in other parts of the city. This restaurant is located on the Ground Floor of Virginia Mall, Whitefield. Google Maps still needs to be tuned so you can search for Virgina Mall to reach there.

AMBIANCE

It is no different to the other outlets, they have successfully implemented their signature ambience here. They have designed their architecture so well that any kind of crowd will feel comfortable at any corner of the restaurant. Beautiful wall arts gives a royal look where as some black and white photos of old Hyderabad and about Paradise Biriyani’s history will give you a nostalgia feel. They have one more small dining area setup in the cellar which is suitable for corporate meet or private events.  Ultimately it is the most comfortable place to spend couple of hours having the best Hyderabadi Biriyani.

SERVICE

They are stealthy… Yes! You will notice them only when you require something or else they will serve you under your nose and you won’t even know it. I liked the service but it was quite opposite to service culture I experienced in JP Nagar. They served according to our priority and mainly they remembered clearly to serve only vegetarian food to me. Stewards were quick and reliable with their good knowledge about the food they serve. 

FOOD

JP Nagar outlet offered lavish dishes to us vegetarians but here we had very less number of vegetarian dishes compared to non veg dishes. It felt like we vegetarians are minority community. Apart from that fact, whatever they served were satisfactory.

We were welcomed with the Lime Juice and Sweet Lime Soda which were good. And after a short while we were presented with the starters;

Paneer Tikka: Paneer felt nice as it was soft but the masala over that didn’t compensated well. It appeared like we are having just well marinated paneer. They should work little harder on blending the Masala well with paneer.

Achaari Paneer Tikka: This starter also followed the same legacy of Paneer Tikka but luckily the Achaari flavour was there. Usually achaari masala will be the blend of sour, sweet, tangy and spicy taste. But here all I could taste was only mild spiciness. But compared to Paneer Tikka it compensated paneer taste upto a mark.

Subz Aur Moongphali Seekh: By the looks it appeared to be crunchy, but it was soft and floury. It tasted brilliant with the green chutney and the right amount of  peanut peanut topping gave a lovely texture.

Vegetable Biriyani: Just moments before Biriyani made up to our table, we were briefed about the Hyderabadi Biriyani by Mr. Vijay with a spectacular Visuals. Their description about delicate cooking method, fresh ingredients and aromatic spices made our tummies to crave for some Biriyani. Well, stewards served the Biriyani right on time before our mouth started to water listening their elaborate presentation. 

I got chance to have only Vegetable Biriyani and it was really good. Vegetables used in it felt fresh, choices of spices were really awesome. But, the level of spiciness was very very mild which was kind of let down for the spice lover like me. But yeah! It was tasty. 

Double ka Meetha: Paradise has always pampered me with their delicious dessert collection and this time also it didn’t disappointed me. Double ka Meetha was wonderful with the right amount of sweetness and by its unique texture. 

Qubani ka Meetha: If you are in Paradise, you must try this dessert. Made of apricot, this dessert will surely win everyone's heart. It's juicy but at the same time has a wide taste range as and when you taste it with different proportion of apricot. Truly a paradise feel.

EVERYTHING ELSE: The whole place is spotless and hygiene. They do have a their iconic take-away counter at the ground floor which opens towards the road. Their value biriyani packs are really value for money as it comes with an enormous portion of Biriyani. Parking wouldn’t be a headache. 

FINAL VERDICT: Paradise is the best possible option if you want to taste Hyderabadi Dum Biriyani in an elegant environment.

BAKASURA RATING

3 / 5

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Event organised by;

MEETUP - 51

This even was part of 51st Bloggers Meetup organised by Food Bloggers Association of Bangalore in collaboration with Heartworks; lead by Mr. Vijay Marur & Mr. Ranjith Sinha.

There was a brief session held by Mr. Vijay about content styling of the blog. And Mr. Ranjith Sinha conducted a crash course to all food bloggers about Food Photography. It was an educative meetup indeed.

GALLERY

AMBIENCE

FOOD

Beer, Breakfast & Bak Bak : Bak Bak Bar, Koramangala Bengaluru

Though it is 2016, Beer hasn't considered as mainstream drink in Bangalore. Some of the pubs like Bak Bak Bar is really pushing all limits by offering some unique kind of services which rarely someone might have heard in Bangalore. Yes! Beer along with Breakfast! I know it might sound odd to a small number of people, but it definitely makes ears and senses to pop up for beer lovers. What could be the better way to start your weekend than a beer served with breakfast!

About Bak Bak Bar

Initially Bak Bak Bar was situated in Forum Koramangala, its catchy name is hard to forget even when you are high! However, now the Bak Bak Bar is located above Bakasura Restaurant near Sony Signal Koramangala. Finding this Bar is quite easy as its branding is huge on outside. It has a decent parking facility for both two & four wheelers.

Ambiance

It's kind of raw and basic. It has a large bar area which is capable of serving a huge crowd, they have both outdoor and indoor seating option. I loved the outdoor seating but as its situated near sony signal junction pollution is little concern. Their in-house branding is simple and straight. Cartoon decals will definitely seek your attention and some showcased vintage articles will tempt you to take photographs with it. They have managed to place some wacky statements and articles around but most of them will remain invisible unless you explore. They do have some indoor games like table tennis and mini soccer table. In my opinion they could have utilised the available space more efficiently.

Service

They make you feel comfortable! All stewards are very attentive and oblige very well for your requirement. In my whole breakfast session they never gave me a chance to remind them about the orders. Every steward knows the menu very well, they never attempted to suggest us or interfere in between our discussion about the order. They are well trained in deed.

Beer-Breakfast Experience

Its a popular trend in many countries and Bak Bak Bar has beautifully adopted this trend to give a great desi experience to the Bengaluru customers. We were cordially welcomed with the Fresh Watermelon Juice, I didn’t liked it much as it tasted too diluted.
Our breakfast begin with Kingfisher Beer and bunch of diversified menu;

Just say Cheese Omelette: One of the best version of Omelet I ever had in my life. It was so soft and delicate. It tasted wonderful and it really made my day. Along with this dish they serve Potato wedges and fresh bread, cheese & true strawberry jam.

Baked Eggs in Cloud: The name says it all. It really appeared like they have placed the baked egg on a piece of cloud. It was as fluffy as cloud. Its presentation was so good that I worried a bit to pierce it with fork. It tasted as good as it appeared. One of the finest egg delicacy I had in recent times. It was served along with Bread, cheese and tomato jam.

Akuri: It’s a parsi version of scrambled egg, moderately spiced and served with Pav (Soft Bread) and cheese. It tasted great and the masala used in it was just perfect.

Shakshuka: Another Parsi Egg delicacy which had unique blend of sourness with light spiciness. The half boiled egg was placed on the salsa like gravy. It tasted different than any other dish and I didn’t like it that much. But Yes! It can go well with a beer.

Surat Eggless Masala Burji: One among the few pure vegetarian option, At first glance it appeared like scrambled egg, but upon close observation and tasting we discovered that its in fact scrambled paneer. Bravo! To the chef, he perfectly managed the spice level in this dish and it tasted heavenly. They served it with plain soft Roti and believe me it was a great combination indeed!

Aloo Paratha: Another dish which I liked to the core. Being a veggie lover I have tried stuffed Paratha all over the country and I know how a stuffed Paratha should be. And in Bak Bak Bar they have crafted a perfect art of making Aloo Paratha. Usually, many places in Bangalore which serve Aloo Paratha will stuff aloo more into the paratha. In order to make a perfect aloo paratha, one must mix the equal amount of peas, onion & required amount of chilli puree to it. After my breakfast session in Bak Bak Bar, it gained a permanent place in my “Best Paratha places in Bangalore” list. Just lovely!!!

Kuzhi Paniyaram: How could a breakfast event can end without having southindian dish! Kuzhi Paniyaram or as we call Paddu / Gundu-Pongalu in our local language was an absolute surprise. The chutney supplied with it was not that great but however the overall taste was manageable.

Classic Pancakes: American standard breakfast, it was served with vanilla ice cream and maple syrup. Though it was above average, it tasted great when I tried it with Vanilla Ice Cream. In my opinion slight improvement can be done by providing more options of syrups.

Classic Waffles: I was bit disappointed with this as the crispiness was totally absent. Chef has to work a lot on making this dish better.

Herb Waffles: This was served with mustard sauce, there was not much of a difference between classic and herb, but yeah I liked herb Waffles as it tasted wacky to me!

EVERYTHING ELSE

In my views for the concept of beer and breakfast the current menu is just perfect! If they concentrate on the factors like improving some dishes & choices of beers they can pioneer in hosting this trend. I’m really please and felt thankful to them for inviting me to experience such an unique concept.

FINAL VERDICT: There can’t be any better reason than “Beer with Breakfast” in order to recommend this place. But, yes! They do justify the theme & provide a great experience!

BAKASURA RATING:

3.5 / 5

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GALLERY

AMBIENCE:

FOOD:

Full English Breakfast (Non-Veg)

      Idiyappam with Pandi Curry