CHENNAI: Biryani. Perhaps there is no better ubiquitous culinary delight that streets of Chennai offer. From small one-room outlets doling out plates of steaming hot biryani to posh, dimly lit restaurants serving tastefully arranged fare, the dish has rapidly become the most common and most popular rice dish that money can buy. Biryani and the shops serving it have become so mainstream that almost every locality has one — and the numbers have grown exponentially.
While no one knows exactly how many such biriyani shops exist in Chennai, one of Chennai’s most famous rags-to-riches entrepreneurs in the field ventures a guess. “I am certain that right now, there are a minimum of 30 biryani restaurants, from small to big, in every pin code in Chennai. Take 130 pin codes and multiply them by 30 and you get almost 4,000 biryani shops operating in the city,” calculates C Y Aasife Ahmed, MD, Aasife Biriyani Pvt Ltd.
The Aasife Biriyani story runs parallel to the rise of the biriyani revolution in Chennai. Started in 2000 as a small one-room shop near St Thomas Mount, Aasife Biriyani currently has nine outlets in the city — all of them now considered upscale establishments. And in the next three months, the chain is set to open eight more outlets across the city — one of which is a 20,000 sq ft behemoth on OMR.
It wasn’t always so. When Aasife Biriyani first began doling out its now famed plates of the dish, there were few such establishments in the city. There were established brands like E Sait in Chromepet, Buhari and a few others. The others were typically very small outlets, that didn’t pay much attention to family dining. “That was because the people who opted for biryani outside their homes were primarily men. We never saw women and children eating in our shops back then,” says N Narayanan, of Pandiyan Biriyani in Koyambedu, another entrepreneur who has done well. “I opened a restaurant that served South Indian food in 1996 and opened the biryani shop in 2001. But by the end of 2005, I saw that people preferred the biryani outlet, even families and children. Now, I just keep the South Indian restaurant open for sentimental value — 80% of my revenue comes from the biryani shop,” admits Narayanan.
The quick rise of the biryani dine out culture is attributed by both nutritionists and industry representatives to the change in eating habits. “There has been a rapid decline in people who want to eat the traditional South Indian fare. For a quick but filling meal, they opt for biryani even at home, because it is easy to make,” points out Rupika Khar, a dietician. “Why else would we come up with the concept of bucket biryani if people were not enamoured with the food,” asks Narayanan.
Bigwigs of the Trade Dindigul Thalappakatti
Arguably the most famous biryani brand in the State, the chain began in 1957, as the Anandha Vilas Biriyani Shop in Dindigul. The restaurant became known both its fare and headgear of its owner, Nagasamy Naidu
Ambur/Vaniyambadi
Also known as Arcot biriyani, it originated in Ambur and Vaniyambadi in Vellore district. Vaniyambadi uses basmati rice, while Ambur uses the traditional seeraga rice, which is said to make biryani tastier
Sukkubhai
This little one shop restaurant is a legend in itself. It’s specialty? It serves the tastiest beef biriyani in the city at an affordable rate. The outlet has remained the same size for over two decades
Aasife
The restaurant has quickly grown from a small 10 by 10 shop with no sitting space, to a nine-restaurant chain in 15 years — one of the fastest growth rates of growth for biriyani centres in the city
Hyderabadi
The city even has a series of authentic Hyderabadi biryani outlets. Nawab Sheikh Biryani, Hyderabadi Biryani Corner, Rasavid and Copper Kitchen hotels provide authentic Hyderabad biriyani
I am certain that right now, there are a minimum of 30 biryani restaurants in every pin code. Take 130 pin codes in the city and multiply them by 30 and you get almost 4,000 biryani shops operating in the city
— Aasife, biriyani chain owner