NEW DELHI: Wrong day to be ordering food home. Two of our preferred restaurants had already declined our request, owing to heavy traffic and water clogging caused by the first batch of rains that hit Delhi last week. The entire city, despite its modern morphology and infrastructures overhauls, reduced its town planning to a rudimentary spectacle. Shrugging away the annoyance that had now begun to settle in, we glanced over the rest of the delivery option. There was one with the minimum wait time and we decided to go for it. The choice to order from Biryani By Kilo (BBK) was made out of sheer discouragement, but it turned out to be the delicious decision.
Our order consisted of Gosht Hyderabadi Biryani, Kolkata Mutton Biryani, Veg Lucknawi Biryani, Chicken 65, Veg Shami Kebab, Chicken Korma and Phirni. The biryanis and phirni came in earthen matkas sealed at the top. Because these pots are porous, they allow for moisture to disseminate uniformly, hence ensuring each grain cooks perfectly. Sandwiched between the fluffiness of the saffron rice, the meat of the Gosht Hyderabadi Biryani came out with a symphony of flavours created using roasted whole spices. The salan, however, lost our interest, so did the Chicken Korma. Chicken 65 was delicious with a generous mix of curry leaves, ginger, garlic and chillies.
Being voracious non-vegetarian eaters, we judged the vegetarian selections too soon much to our folly. Since one of us was a vegetarian, we had ordered Veg Shami Kebabs, rather condescendingly, and later, found ourselves eating the kebab and our words very quickly. The Veg Lucknawi Biryani turned out to be a well-prepared arrangement of vegetables, subtly cooked in spices that brought out the moistness of the rice beautifully.
The choices in biryanis available at Biryani By Kilo are as diverse as their individual flavouring. Murg Luknowi Biryani, Gosht Lucknowi Biryani, Prawns Biryani, Kathal Hyderabadi Biryani—each comes with a different regional identity. All biryanis come with angeethis to retain the smokiness. We were informed that for the Galouti Kebabs, the meat is pulverised many times to ensure its succulence and softness.
What sweetened our experience further was the Matka Phirni. We refrigerated it to enjoy it cold. It’s porridge like creamy consistency, with judicious amount of sugar, made it a happy ending. It comes with a sprinkling of nuts and saffron. And that’s how our dinner turned out to be a silver lining on an overcast day. Here’s to many more rainy days and ferocious hunger pangs that lead to great discoveries.
Rating: 4/5
Best bet: Gosht Hyderabadi Biryani, Veg Shami Kebabs, Chicken 65
Cost for two: Approx. Rs 800
Delivery timing: 10 am to 11 pm; Only for home deliveries
Wait time: Approx. 45 minutes