UPDATE: We returned to this place yesterday (May 25th 2008) and found that it is NO MORE! Local pan-waala said they had closed down some time back. :( Too bad..hope they open it somewhere else soon...
We checked out this restaurant couple of weeks back after having read about it on the internet to satisfy our biryani cravings.
https://biryanimerchant.com
We arrived around 1pm for lunch on a saturday and were seating quickly. It is a small place so later visiters had a wait. There is a sit-as-you-find-a-place kind of seating downstairs and about 6-7 tables of "formal" seating upstairs with couple of compfortable futons for waiting. Ambience is not much and the view of the street windows is against the Futons and not for the diners.
Menu revolves around all kinds of Biryanis from Various places. However, each day they only serve a subset of the Biryanis on the Menu. There is an option for sampling 4types of Biryanis of your choice + 2 appetizers for 300rs or so. Separate biryani order costs about 125 rs. We chose to order 2 separate biryanis and a non-veg appetizer platter. This was quite sufficient for 2 adults and a child. Biryani was served in Brass buckets along with 2 different kinds of Yogurts, special type of picke and pappads.
Good things:
Things that can get better:
Service. Though the staff were friendly, they were not professional. Nobody was there to seat you when you came in and didnt seem to want to talk to people waiting for places. Downstairs, we noticied people standing around tables with dirty dishes yet to be cleaned. Even upstairs, a couple were seated and then the table was cleaned.
Drink choices were limited to just some soda and a ginger drink.
Meat for the chicken appetizer was a bit rubbery.
Ratings wise, I would give 3.5 stars but there is no such option. So, erring on the positive side..
Overall, a place worth checking out for its uniqueness.
Bon appetit!