11 Finger-Licking-Good Biryanis That You Will Love

In Indian culture, eating with your hands is a mark of respect to the host as it shows that you are enjoying a tasty Indian meal. Besides the added health benefits, some people also believe that eating with your hands enhances the flavor of the food. While I’m not sure if eating with your hands will enhance your gastronomical experience, I do know that eating biryani with utensils still makes for a hearty and satisfying meal. Besides the famous Zam Zam Restaurant at North Bridge Road, here are 11 more biryani eateries that you might like to visit. 

Bismallah Biryani

Bismallah Biryani has been around for about 17 years, and for good reason. If you like authentic spicy Indian food, then this is one place that you have to check out. They cook the curry together with the rice, hence, the rice is significantly more flavorful. I tried their Kid Goat Biryani ($15) and was impressed. I liked the generous serving of rice, and robust flavors. They served the mutton in small chunks, making it easy to enjoy your biryani. The mutton was rather tender and the gamey taste was not prevalent. You can also opt for other biryani dishes like the Chicken Biryani ($8.50) or Fish Biryani ($12), if you’re not into mutton. Oh, and Bismallah Biryani was featured in the 2016 AND 2017 Michelin Guide.

Islamic Restaurant

Founded by Mr. M. Abdul Rahiman, Islamic Restaurant is dedicated to serving great and authentic Indian cuisine. Besides biryani dishes, they also serve a plethora of curries, kebabs, Naan, Nasi Goreng and even seafood dishes. Somehow, the menu resembles that of a typical Chinese tze char stall so you’ll never run out of things to try. Despite the gloomy ambience, the biryani did not disappoint. The rice was soft and well cooked, but lacked the fragrance from the absence of spices. The dish tasted better once you add in the curry. The chicken was a tad dry but well-seasoned. Once again, it gets better when you add in the curry. Although a little greasy, the curry wasn’t spicy and even had a large chunk of potato in it! Eaten altogether, the biryani appealed to me because it wasn’t overly spicy. 

Allauddin’s Biryani

If you’re looking for more affordable options, the biryani served at Tekka Centre is a great one. Having been in the business for about 50 years, Allauddin’s Biryani Pte Ltd offers great value. To make it simple, all their biryani dishes are priced affordably at 5 bucks. Since mutton biryanis are generally more expensive than the rest, I went for the mutton version. Even though the rice was slightly mushy and not as dry as I would have liked it to be, the mutton and the curry certainly made up for it. The mutton was rather chewy but I liked that it did not have the gamey taste. The curry was only slightly spicy with a dominating masala flavor. While it cannot compare to those from restaurants,  it is a bang for the buck. 

Mami Midah Biryani

Eating biryani isn’t very good for health but we still love a hearty plate of biryani. Fortunately, Mami Midah Biryani has tweaked the traditional biryani recipe to bring to you a tasty, yet healthy (relatively), plate of biryani. Instead of coconut milk and ghee, Mami Midah Biryani uses evaporated milk and vegetable oil. For $5.50, there really isn’t anything to not like about the biryani. I’m particular about the rice but I was delighted to find that the rice was well cooked. Although watered down, the curry was pleasantly sweet and mellow. The chicken was considerably juicy and very generous for the price. On a whole, I think this biryani isn’t as heavy as one would expect because it is less greasy due to the healthier ingredients used.

Leeds Restaurant

Once known as Blue Diamond Restaurant, this popular restaurant was renamed 2 years ago to Leeds restaurant. Similar to other restaurants, they offer a huge variety of dishes such as naan, prata, fried rice, fried noodles and other Northern and Southern Indian dishes that you might be craving for. Their biryani stood out, for me, because it comes with dessert and crispy papadum. For $12, you’re getting an entire set meal to accompany your biryani. Served on a banana leaf, the rice is fluffy and fragrant and went really well with the curry. The one thing that they serve that NONE of the other biryanis listed here serve is payasam, a south Indian desert that consists of vermicelli boiled in milk, with cardamom and other nuts. I have to admit that it is not my kind of dessert but it certainly added a nice touch to the meal.

Taj

Situated just 5 minutes away from Chinatown MRT, Taj offers other kinds of Indian food such as tandoori chicken and samosas. The rice of the chicken biryani was very fragrant due to the numerous spices present. I felt that the curry was a little diluted and would have preferred to be thicker, and maybe a tad spicier. However, the chicken was well marinated and rather tender.  While this didn’t really stand out from the rest, it will satisfy your biryani fix if you have one.

Saffron’s cafeteria

Most of the restaurants listed here are situated rather far away, so if you’re lazy like me, you’ll probably love to find places situated within your neighborhood. Saffron’s cafeteria, located at Block 201 in Tampines, is a popular destination because of its 24-hour operating hours. Unlike some other biryani dishes, the rice wasn’t too heavily-spiced. The curry was watery but retained its rich flavor and fragrance. I liked that they were generous with the curry so you that the dish wouldn’t be too dry. 

Al-Alzhar Restaurant

Just a stone’s throw away from Saffron’s is Al-Azhar restaurant, also a 24-hour eatery. We ordered the Fish Dum Biryani ($8) which is served with a yellow rice instead of the multi-colored rice that we usually get. Other than a hard-boiled egg, the rice also comes with 8 pieces of fried fish topped with raisins and cashew nuts. I liked the robust flavors and lavish serving, and will definitely be back.

Victory Restaurant

Situated beside the ever-popular biryani restaurant Singapore Zam Zam, is Victory Restaurant. The service is fast and the food is well worth the money. We got the Chicken Biryani ($6.50) which comes with a large serving of chicken. The chicken was a litte dry but the large portion made up for it. They also interestingly garnish their rice with shallots which is not common in biryani dishes. The curry stood out because it was notably spicier than the others, but not overwhelmingly. I thought the flavors were rather well balanced.

Yakader Muslim Food

Residing within Tekka Centre, Yakader Muslim Food is yet another affordable alternative to Alluaddin’s. You have the option to enjoy your biryani with or without the dum. We ordered the Chicken Biryani ($5) but they also serve a Mutton Biryani ($5.50). I thought that the biryani was worth every penny. The curry is mild, but still rich. The chilli is separated so you can decide how spicy you like your biryani. The chicken was succulent and I liked how it peeled off easily. The pineapple used in the acar helps to balance out the heaviness of the biryani and it isn’t quite as sour as some others. For $5, Yakader Muslim Food really gives the other restaurants a good run for their money.

99 Bistro & Kitchen

Topping this list as the most expensive biryani, 99 Bistro & Kitchen’s 2-person biryani goes for $24! The only catch is that if you want the bamboo biryani, there’s only the lamb shank version available. They, however, do serve regular biryanis with chicken, fish and mutton. I got the bamboo biryani and loved it wholeheartedly. They cook the lamb shank together with the rice in an imported Indian bamboo trunk which locks the flavors in. I was also told that they choose to use Pakistani spices because they’re mellower in contrast to the fierier Indian spices, to cater to the local palate. The Australian lamb shank is cooked for 2.5 hours. Like the biryani served at Bismallah Biryani, this biryani doesn’t come with curry because they cook everything together in the bamboo to infuse the flavors evenly. You’ll also get a quick explanation of how they prepare the dish before they plate the biryani from the bamboo, right in front of your eyes! If you haven’t tried, you really, really should!

We hope that our list will be helpful to those in search of yummy biryanis! If you have other recommendations, please don’t hesitate to drop us an email!