Matunga’s meaty secret is out

Tucked away in a street off Kings Circle Aadeshwari Biryani Centre ABC is an eatery that has been delighting patrons with its authentic fare for over a year now Few might be aware but Aadeshwari Biryani Centre and Ram Ashraya are owned and managed by the same Shetty family The idea we learned later while chatting with the owners was inspired by founder Ashvij Shettyrsquos many trips from Bengaluru to Coimbatore The family wanted to redefine the stereotype associated with South Indian cuisine of serving just idli vada and vegetarian dishes Noticing the lack of nonvegetarian options in Matunga they decided to introduce a menu that complemented the robust flavours across Andhra and Tamilian cuisinesMutton curry dosaThere is an unpretentious and businesslike air about the eatery similar to its Udipi counterparts in the locality The orders are shouted out through a window from the kitchen For those with steady hands food is served on a banana leaf the rest can stick to plates We started our feast with Aadeshwari Fried Chicken AFC R230 This chefrsquos special chicken is marinated for 24 hours with a house blend of organic South Indian spices and is fried to perfection The prolonged marination process allows the chicken to soak up the spices resulting in a dish that is soft juicy and dripping with flavour and spiceChicken kothu parottaFor mains we tried the Naati mutton biryani R360 This biryani was a standout it included succulent pieces of mutton marinated with green spices and herbs itrsquos how we like to consume our greens It came served with several accompaniments including salan a spicy nutty and tangy gravy and raita to balance the spicy salan dalcha which is a hearty lentilbased stew and double ka meetha a decadent dessert where fried bread soaked in sugar syrup and topped with rich rabri The biryani is on the drier side with slightly less masala than its Mughlai counterparts but the salan complements it well creating a complete satisfying meal What makes their biryani different from others is that instead of using the long grain basmati rice which has its own aroma and flavour they use short grain jeera samba which they source from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka This rice is rich in fibre and absorbs the aroma and spices of the masala making the biryani specialAadeshwari fried chickenAnother favourite was the mutton curry dosa Rs 200 Tender pieces of cooked mutton in a housemade masala are stuffed into a thin and crispy dosa Itrsquos a flavour fest for the palate For us the chicken kothu parotta Rs 170 was a pleasant delicious surprise Here the shredded paratha is cooked with spicy salan and kurma This dish is a medley of different textures with chicken egg and fried onion working together to create an explosion of flavours While we had visited ABC on a Thursday we are happy to report that the eatery offers Sunday specials like chicken Kshatriya on Tuesdays the Nellore dry chicken is on offer that pairs well with the Ceylon parotta Vegetarians need not fret as the menu also serves a delicious vegetarian biryani Rs 180 as well as bun parotta with korma R90 The service is fast and friendly with knowledgeable servers recommending dishes based on the patronrsquos preferencesDuring a chat with coowner Jagdish Shetty he added that extensive research had gone into creating each recipe He involved his friends in the tasting process of every potential new dish ensuring each recipe was nearperfect for patrons Turns out his friends did us foodies a big meaty favourAadeshwari Biryani CentreAt Brahmanwadi shop no 4amp5 ground floor Modi Manor KA Subramanyam Marg Kings Circle Matunga CentralTime 1230 pm to 1130 pmCall 8928780498Log on to aadeshwari_biryani_center