Malaikottai in Newark does quite a few Biryani and quite well. They are in the traditional Tamil Style or in the Amber Style (a Special on some Weekends made with Sambar Rice instead of Basmati). They also do a Naatukozhi Biryani (? Farm Yard Chicken?) on the Weekend. Nice deep Flavor and good texture.
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Can you elaborate whatās terrible about it?
A couple decades ago at the late Mughal Room on Wyndham [?] in Hong Kong. the biryani came as a dome. The outer layer was rice, the next layer, chicken; the third layer rice; and in the middle . . . hard boiled egg. So, the chicken came first.
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Thanks for your post. I went to Hyderabad Dum Biryani after your post. Asked the waiter between the mutton and the chicken biryani and was recommended the chicken. Hyderabad version with fried onion, hard boiled egg, lime wedge, raw red onion. Rice was fluffy. Grains were separated and cooked with a optimal moisture level. The gravy added a layer of spice complexity to the biryani. I asked for mild and it was, for me, fairly spicy. So they were definitely not toning anything down.
It seems to me their rice is cooked better than Taste Budsā biryanis. Overall its fairly similar.
In their storage area on the way to the bathroom. They got two brands of basmatis. Not sure if they used one or both in the biryanis:
I love biryani but live in Sonoma county. Any recommendations for Indian north of the golden gate? Iāve tried Yeti in Glen Ellen and like it, donāt like Tasts of Himalayas in Sonoma and just had one meal at the new Dehli Belly which was pretty good
Has anyone tried the goat biryani at the Chennai Club in San Mateo? I had it there a couple weeks ago on a Sunday at lunch. It was a special - Iām not sure if itās a weekend only thing. Since the restaurant specializes in Indian Chinese and south Indian, itās definitely not what I should have ordered, but Iām a sucker for goat and biryani both - it was an impulse order. I thought it was pretty good. The rice was tasty, lots of goat, whole spices - cloves and cardamon. While they had fresh herbs on top - I donāt remember any fried onions or nuts. Not the very best Iāve ever had, but I thought respectable.
Split idly with a friend to start and didnāt think it was that remarkable. Most people were ordering dosa which did look pretty wonderful.
I was happy I gave the biryani a try, but on my next visit would likely try some of the Indian Chinese dishes. Anyway curious to know of other opinions there. Also would be curious if anyone had tried that lamb biryani at Darbar in Palo Alto. Iāve always wanted to try it there - I love their food, but when Iāve gone in the past have stuck with the vegetarian thalis.
The Chennai Club 2299 S El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA 94403
Darbar Indian Cuisine 129 Lytton Ave Palo Alto, CA 94301
When I go to Darbar I get stuck with the Vindaloo. Itās the last refuge in the peninsula of a good vindaloo. Sour enough, rich enough, hot enough. Will see about a biryani sometime.
I had the Vijayawada chicken biryani today from Biryaniz in Milpitas. Came with a layer of basmati sitting on top of curry with battered chicken, and a hard boiled egg. The basmati was cooked fluffy and well. The chicken was odd because the batter turned soggy sitting in the curry. It came with a sauce. The biryani, or specifically, the curry, was spicy. I managed to finish only half of it because I was a wimp. Going to tackle the rest tomorrow.
Iām not OP but I also found the DUM truckās biryani to be not very good. The rice was mushy and clumped together and there was not much flavor or spice. I liked their dahi puri. Theyāre opening a B&M on 24th Street in the Mission in the former Local Mission Eatery/Knead Patisserie space.
Unfortunately Taste Buds is no more. The replacement is a South Indian place- Amaravathi Indian Pure Vegetarian Restaurant.
Has anyone had the biryanis at the newly opened Deccan Spice on Valencia?
I went to the brick and mortar version of Dum on 24th St. in the Mission to see if the chicken biryani there was any better than the truck version. It was a little better, but still not great. The rice was fluffier and less stuck together in the restaurant than what I remember from the truck. However it lacked flavor and maybe could have benefited from a little more fat or grease. Came with a nice yogurt based sauce but no egg. Chicken wasnāt dry which was a plus. Also had an order of dahi puri, which were pretty good, especially on a warm night. Paying was a little unorthodox because they bring an ipad over to swipe your card.
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Skip the vegetable biryani at Deccan Spice in the mission. It had vegetables in it when they opened, but my takeout order this last weekend had a bunch of rice grains that were dyed bright green and red, and in our entire takeout order I counted a single pea and a half a cashew. At $11, they didnāt even spring for the Birdās Eye frozen vegetables.
Gongura goat had a spicing that I was unfamiliar with, and it aromatic and good, even as takeout. Iāve eaten at the restaurant a few times and think Udupi Palace does a better job with dosasā Deccanās arenāt crisp enough.
Try the biryani at the newly opened August 1 Five (Van Ness & McAllister, SF). Also the crispy chicken (chicken lollipop style) and the lobster (served barely poached in a creamy curry), both of which exceeded expectations. looking forward to trying their other dishes.
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Green is a new one to meā¦
Interesting. I had the chicken biryani from Deccan this past weekend and it had a generous portion of nicely spiced chicken and no Christmas colored rice. Very good. With online delivery orders the biryani (chicken or veggie) is free with orders over $35.
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Did you get the Deccan Dosas take out or at eat in at the restaurant? Iāve only had them delivered and agree they were not crispy but assumed it was because of steaming in the delivery container.
Iāve had Deccanās Kara and another dosa in the restaurant and found them not crispy enough, but still okay. Iāve tempted the fates with a takeout dosa, and this was a bad move, but a fault of the medium (and my decision making) not the restaurant.
two comments:
a. my friends like the biryani from peacoks (multiple branches in the south bay). The curry sauce that they give on the side is quite spicy and you add as much as you want. I had the goat biryani from shalimar recently, the flavoring on the rice was quite good, not too spicy. The goat meat was a bit too chewy. Its a relatively decent biryani for the price.
If you love dosas, the indian stores sell the dosa batter and you can make it at home 
Its a bit hard (might need to dilute it a lot) to get it super thin and crispy, we typically have it in a slightly thicker style (more like a uttapam). Theyāve also started selling small frozen dosas which are not bad occasionally (though i suspect they have a fair bit of preservatives)
I used to like the Peacock Mountain View biryani, until they closed the shop. I donāt know how many branches they used to have in the South Bay, but all they have now is Santa Clara.
Years ago when I lived right next to Shalimar Sunnyvale, I had their biryanis frequently. While mostly delicious, their consistency, or lack thereof, was hilarious. The spice level could range from barely warm to Hyderabad/ couldnāt even finish half of them- spicy.
Now Taste Buds in Sunnyvale closed. I am wandering in the desert still searching for my biryani promised land.
Iām sour about trying out the Dum B&M because of awful biryani from the truck and the fact that the person taking orders at the truck was really surly. I donāt need that crap at lunchtime. How was the service at the restaurant? I mean, I really want to like it because itās not far from home.
