It's yesterday once more

When a promising name that has satisfied generations of biryani fiends in Kolkata, opens a branch in Bangalore, it's time to find out if it lives up to its bliss

Right after the great debate over Ilish from the River Ganga versus River Padma in Bangladesh and the Mohan Bagan vs East Bengal football team tussle, comes the great divide regarding Kolkata's best biryani.
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There are those whose mouths water at the mere mention of Shiraz's mutton biryani (a biryani institution in Kolkata) and there are those who will think nothing of travelling huge distances only to eat at Arsalan, another Kolkata restaurant specialising in this famed dish.
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So when one of these two legendary biryani houses, Arsalan sets shop in Bangalore, then there is reason enough to rejoice.

The look and the feel as you step into this three-storey building is nothing fancy with an Indian touch and regular wooden tables and cushioned chairs. The ground floor is where crisp kathi-style rolls are made alongside kebabs, with no place to sit, so you head up and pick your floor. We sit on the first table and move straight to the food menu, not wasting any time and energy on any frills, because there aren't any.

Apparently, the menu has been culled from their age-old Arsalan kitchens back in Kolkata. The challenge now is to appease the palates of the globe trotting Bangaloreans as well as those who have tried and tested the high food standards of their original recipes.

Let's meat

Their Murgh Raan Tandoori (Rs 800) catches my eye, which needs a waiting time for nearly two hoursu00a0 and promises to satiate any carnivore's appetite, but I save that for another day, probably for celebration. We are told a few dishes like the Rezala and Mutton Chaap were not available on the day we dropped by.

I pick the Chicken Reshmi Kabab (Rs 125) and the Chicken Arsalan Kababs (Rs 150), which is a specialty here. The meat in both cases was cooked to perfection and melted in the mouth, but the extra coating of cheese on the chicken in the latter worked magic and added that extra zing.

Restraint in using any kind of adjectives to describe the piquant and flavourful taste here would be quite a sin I would like to refrain from committing.

Naan such
Arsalan's section of naans, rotis and paranthas is something we recommend you pick from too. Their Kheema Naan (Rs 40) has a wholesome stuffing and is quite a meal in itself. The Kabuli Naan (Rs 40) is also worth a try with an interesting flavour mixed with that of fresh saunf, some daal and spice, though a tad too sweet to the bite.

Arsalan's biryanis are something to swear by back in Kolkata, is what we hear from folks back there, but the Chicken Biryani (Rs 160) we tried here was plain average. The Mutton Biryani was a step higher with the rice grains long and flavourful and the meat cooked tender, retaining its subtle juicy flavours.
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The most interesting part, however, was a boiled egg and potato that had soaked in the heavenly flavours of the meat, a distinct feature of the Kolkata biryani. There was only Phirni for dessert on the day we stopped by.

The vegetarians might be sorry to have opted to dine here and might like to pick the Adyar Ananda Bhavan next door besides other dining options in the foodie paradise of Koramangala. The Dum Aloo Banarsi (Rs 65) that we had tasted was bland with added white sauce and creamy flavour and had no dum whatsoever.

At Arsalan, 158, 1st Main Road, 7th Block (near Saibaba temple), Koramangala. Call 2570 3366
Meal for two Rs 500
Arsalan didn't know we were there. The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for meals.