Amazing indian food
I noticed that there weren't many recent reviews of Biriyani House (the one on Hayden Street – just south of Yonge/Bloor, east of the Pizzaiolo) so I thought I’d do one myself.
The first time I went there was with a few friends to try the Thali. Absolutely amazing. For those who don’t know – Thali is a traditional Indian dish that consists of rice, dhal (lentils), a variety of veggie dishes, papadum, and in this case a meat dish as well along with a small salad and a desert (some sort of rice pudding).
I had the butter chicken, cauliflower, and peas w/cottage cheese. Absolutely loved it. So much so that for the past month or so I’ve been going there for lunch atleast 3 times a week since I work nearby.
The choices in terms of vegetables/meat dishes at Biriyani house are usually:
Non-meat: Cauliflower, Peas with Cottage Cheese, Kidney Beans, a sort of potato curry (never tried it), and on Wednesdays they have an Egg curry as well (boiled egg curry really)
Meat: Butter chicken, Lamb curry, and chicken tikka (they sometimes, although rarely, do a masala chicken which is amazing as well)
Stay away from ordering the “Daily Special” as most newcomers do. You have the choice of mixing and matching any way you want. You can have a Thali that’s all veggie, you can get just a meat dish with Naan or Paratha… the choices are endless (I also highly recommend the Mango Lassi which I’ve had only once but is amazing as well)
I do have two gripes however.
When I first started going there it was run by two guys – a short gentleman who had a shaved head and another taller one who, from what I hear, was named “Suski” (I think he owns the place and does most of the cooking). Anyway, over the past few weeks I haven’t seen Suski around, and instead there are these other two gentlemen operating the place with the shorter gentleman. As a result, I’ve noticed a noticeable difference in the way the food tastes and is prepared.
Now, this is not to say that the quality has deteriorated, it’s just that I had gotten used to the way the food was cooked before.
The other gripe I have is that the place is quite hot and small. The place has about 6 or 7 small tables and there’s no air-conditioning. That being said, I still eat in because eating their food in a Styrofoam take-out container is not the same as eating it in one of their steel thali plates – a true Indian experience.
As a closing note – I have to say that the food is quite addictive for me – mainly because I’m Indian myself and it reminds me so much of the food my parents make whenever I go over to their place. Comfort food at its finest! Also – be sure to get there early… they prepare the food at around 11 or 11:30 and this is when it’s at it’s best – hot and fresh (it’s also a good idea to get there early if you plan on eating in)
Enjoy!
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Suksi Biryani House
15 Hayden St, Toronto, ON M4Y2P2, CA
