The Quest For Briyani Part 8: Khan Saab Restaurant

Mutton Briyani Dum ($8.00)

This place is actually within walking distance from my workplace so we do drop by for lunch once in awhile. It's actually at the corner where the old Bedok ITE used to be if you're familiar with the Chai Chee area.

They have Briyani every day but please keep in mind that they have Briyani Dum only on Fridays!

I figured I'd start with the rice for this post because... well.. it's different.
Most Briyanis that I have tried, especially if it's the Dum version' have very fragrant rice which is normally moist but quite 'clean' in the sense that it's just the rice. The masala and meat are piled on separately if you know what I mean.

Well it's a little different here at Khan Saab. The rice was - for lack of a better word - wet.
It's as if the masala spices were mixed up together with the whole batch of rice and this made it really thick and wet with the masala. This also means that every mouthful of rice is packo with spicy flavour which does tend to be quite overpowering sometimes.

Nonetheless, it is quite tasty but it's just that I guess I'm not used to that texture for my Briyani rice.

The mutton was expected was nice and tender. It had better be since it was a Dum Briyani. Maybe this was the clearest indication that the meat and masala were all cooked together with the rice Dum style. Maybe that's why the rice was so wet?

Yep that's the Acar that comes with the Briyani.
Kind of putting things into overdrive especially since the rice was already so packo full of such a strong flavour. I didn't really find much need for the Acar or even the Dalcha that came along because the rice was really really spicy full of flavour.

But they do include a small side serving of Raita as well. The onion, cucumber and yoghurt mix do try their best to cool your mouth down.

Maybe they know that your tastebuds are going to be overwhelmed that's why they give you a dessert of Sugee to cool you down. And thankfully the Sugee was actually pretty nice. A sweet finish to a meal which was definitely strong on taste.

Adam's Verdict:
Mutton Dum Briyani 2.5/5

I used to quite enjoy this Briyani the first few times I had it but the more I did, the more I realized it was really something I was not used to. In fact, after my last visit, I reckon I might give it a miss for awhile and probably only have it much much later when I've given my mouth some time to forget the onslaught. But if you are the fan of the really spicy type of Briyani, this is definitely for you!

And please remember - Dum Briyani is only available on Fridays and very often sells out early too.

Khan Saab Restaurant

Blk 55 Chai Chee Drive
#01-186

Tel: 6244 4430

Operating Hours:
24 hours Daily

The Quest For Briyani Part 6: Saffrons Cafeteria

Here we at at stop number 6 in our Quest for Briyani series and this time we are visiting a place that we normally visit for something else (not the Briyani) but quite a few readers have been egging us to try the Briyani here. WE HEARD YOU!!! :)

Mutton Briyani Dum ($6.00)

When someone says Saffrons to me, the first things that comes to my mind are Mee Goreng and Prata because that's basically what I almost always have when I go there. I've always seen lots of people ordering the Briyani there but never really thought much about it. Well it seems that a lot of people knew something I dind't and I'm here to find out what it is.

The first thing that hit us as soon as they brought the Briyani to the table was the aroma. Now here was a plate of Briyani which had the strong aroma you'd expect from a power serving of Briyani! We've had Briyani where there was surprisingly no smell at all but this was definitely something else!

Maybe it had something to do with the banana leaf? Well I'm not sure about if it made a difference but it definitely made a good impression.

At first I thought the rice looked kinda dry but boy was I wrong.
The rice was nice and fluffy and full of flavour. The rice was so tasty that I could have gone on eating it without any meat or anything else.

But thankfully, I remembered the meat!

The mutton was absolutely the bomb! The masala gives you a nice strong kick but it doesn't overwhelm you so when you have it with the rice, you can still taste the rice and the masala compliments it. The mutton was tender and easily torn apart with just my fork. Add all that into one satisfying mouthful.

I'm quite confident in saying that this is one place that calls it 'Briyani Dum' and really means it!

The acar and the dalcha only add to a dish that is already delicious on its own.

The acar has a nice tang and spice to it. Don't be afraid of those chillies you see, it's not that spicy.
And the dalcha was simply sublime. I guess one of the reasons it was so good was that they add in some of the lamb fat (tetelan) when they cook it (similar to some of the other places we reviewed) and it seems to make a world of difference. You don't have to eat the fats though! It's already done its job :)

As you can see, I really enjoyed my meal!!!

And of course, finish off with a nice cup of Teh Tarik!

Adam's Verdict:
Mutton Briyani Dum 4.5/5

I know I still have hundreds more places to have Briyani. Half of which have been recommended by you - our beloved readers. Don't worry, I'll try my best to cover as many as I can. But for now, Saffron's is one of the best Briyani's I've had so far.

Just an extra note, we normally eat at the Tampines Saffrons because it's so close but they also have a new outlet at Swan Lake in Opera Estate. And so far, the high standards are upheld at both venues!

Saffrons Cafeteria

23 Swan Lake Avenue

Tel: 9185 0954
www.facebook.com/SaffronsCafeteria

Operating Hours:
8.00am til 10.00pm Daily