Genuine Food & Travel Review

Historical Context

Lets discuss one of the most iconic dish, Biryani. There are many theories behind the origin of Biryani. It is a mixed rice dish with options of different meat from chicken, goat, beef, lamb fish. Eggs or potatoes can also be added. The origin is speculated to be from Persia or South Asia. However many variations have developed since then and is a popular dish among South Asian. Biryani is one of the staple dish that is offered at Indian restaurant all over the world. Biryanis have so many variations and I found this website that offers a descriptive variations in India so I am sharing the link for those that are interested! The one that we will be trying at this restaurant is the Hyderabadi Biryani.

https://www.awesomecuisine.com/recipes/10197/top-biryani-varieties-must-try-types-of-biryani/

Value & Vibe

Value: Huge portion for the price. I would say great value for the price. Not a cheap eat but definitely well worth the cost. For reference, Biryanis were around 16-18 CAD.

Vibe: We appeared to be the only few non Indians there except my one friend. However, great vibe! Definitely a family style restaurant. I was told that it gets busier later in the night. We went there around 8 and it was relatively empty. By the time we left around 10, it gets much more full. However, still plenty of seats and space for everybody. Perfect for family or larger group gathering.

Taste

Lets dive in! We went with four people so I had an opportunity to tried quite a few dishes. Starting with appetizers.

Onion dosa was incredible. I am not sure what were all the sauces to be honest but it was such a pleasant surprise to try different ones. The dosa was light and crispy. Highly recommend as an appetizer. I personally love crepes so I really enjoyed this dish.

Pani Puri – Another classic Indian street food dish. I personally didnt enjoy the sauce as much. I tried it with just the mint and another with just the tamarind sauce, I didnt quite enjoy it. It was slightly better if combined together but still not the best Pani Puri I have had.

Chicken 555 – Funny enough in Thai 555 translates to hahaha. It was quite an interesting name for me but the taste was also absolutely delicious. It is fried chicken mixed in with heavily spiced sauce (Do not order if you do not eat spicy). Would have been a perfect dish alone over a white rice in my opinion. I really enjoy this dish.

Now on to the main entree. We ordered Gongura chicken along with garlic naan. I thought the curry was well spiced but a bit on the salty for me.

We ordered two Hyderabadi biryanis one chicken and one goat. They were pretty good. The chicken was on the milder taste and the goat has a bit more spice. The biryanis also go well with the yogurt based sauce that helps soothe down all the spices.

Overall I had a decent experience. The curry could be a little less salty but I think the chicken 555 was my favorite dish from this meal. The biryanis are also good, I dont think it stood out too much from my other experiences with Biryanis but they still tasted good.

Score

Atmosphere: 7/10 (Great service. Nothing to complain)
Price: 7.5/10 (Great price. Big portion)
Taste: 6/10 (Overall decent. Some dish better than another)

Scale:
Would not recommend: Below 2
Need some improvement: 3-5
Average: 5
Decent: 6
Great: 7
Excellent: 8
Outstanding 9+

Website: https://charminarindiancuisine.com/