Dum Biryani House, Soho, London
Hey, Foodwalas..Have you ever been kept up at night pondoring what is the most royal of foods, maybe you have tossed and turned debating if it is the Persian caviar or Scottish Salmon or Foie gras from the Dordogne.
Well, the most royal of food is actually the amazing Biryani…yes the Biryani.
Legend has it that the Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan went on a royal visit to Persia and was on a hunting trip when he was served meat which was buried in the ground with hot coals so it could cook over several hours.
The Emperorwala loved the deep flavours and being a keen Foodwala came back to his palace and ordered the royal cooks to cook for him but include rice as well and the Biryani was born.
Now you must be wondering how the common man developed the taste for such a decadent and rich dish? Emperor Shah Jahan’s good lady Empress Mumtaz was inspecting the troops before the state banquet to commemorate the Persian king Shehanshah Abbas the first and she noticed that her soldiers we on the thin side compared to the strapping Persians.
Queen Mumtaz called her personal cook and told him to go and cook the sepoys meat and rice with ghee and that is where Hydrabadi Biryani was born.
So that leads us on to the deepest darkest Soho and the Dum Biryani House
As a fanboy of biryani, I decided to hunt down this elusive Biryani Den and try for my self
I was greeted by a pleasant smiling young man and led me into a small dining room, he recommended the house biryani and added that it will take a few minutes to cook so I took his advice and ordered the popadoms with an onion and chat masala topping, it was wee bit dry but still palatable.
While I was waiting I tried the Sichuan dried chili chicken wings (quite a mouthful) and I got a bowl of perfectly cooked chicken wings which were ready to fall off the bone and with a fiery kick it hit the spot.
Then the piece de resistance was royaly presented to me…the Lamb Shank Birayani accompanied with lentil sambar and dried okra raita.
I tentatively opened the dum of the biryani thus releasing the steamed aroma of saffron and ghee, it smelt delicious, I proceeded to dig into the layered biryani and found the lamb shank which fell of the bone with the slightest encouragement from my fork.
I was like a fat kid in a biryani joint…i got stuck in and….it…was….absolutely….delicious, each spoonful was a joy, my mouth was overwhelmed by the complex yet simple flavour profile, the spice was tempered by the dried okra raita.
Simply I really enjoyed…words cannot do justice… I will count the days when I can come again.
Halal – Yes
Food –9 out of 10
Atmosphere – 7 out of 10
service – 8 out of 10
Cleanliness – 8 out of 10
total score – 32 out of 40