Just a stone's throw away (or just on the perimeter) from Cavendish Road High School, Balti Biriyani is simply this suburban area's local Indian takeaway (is it lore/law that every location needs one in walking distance?). Providing what is more or less expected in Indian fare, let's get onto the review.
It was a big weekend for the wrestling fan, as I am, and there was heaps to catch up on including a couple of pay-per-view events. As per usual this year, upcoming event meant booking in some delivery for lunch (or dinner, depending on my schedule). One of these was from WWE's little sister faction, NXT where they were taking over Dallas for the day. Off to Menulog, it was choosing the next one in line and something a bit smaller for a smaller event ended up having this little place chosen. Besides, they also tell you to try out what is in your local area, and I still had not tried this one.
Getting to service, the time getting here was quick and efficient. That was pretty good, and they were friendly. Adding on that, two times between placing the order and the time when it was planned to arrive (one being on the day), the place phoned up my number and went to check that the arrangements were correct. Most would not give that aspect much though, but to me it indicated that they had a high level of attention to detail and even liked to double check (which I can relate to).
Balti Biriyani's menu is notably smaller and more condensed than the usual Indian takeaway. Starting off, the selection of starters are mostly pakoras and different kinds of chicken. Next is their specialty, the biriyanis, which are all made over the course of several hours in house. The length of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries (only lamb and chicken) is about equal. Next, and finishing off respectively are some dosas and naan breads. Outside of the curries, the number of items in each seperate section can be counted on one hand. Overall, their focus is meant to be with Hyderbaadi spices having the rare regional focus.
Starting off, it was some starters. What I chose was the favourite starter, onion pakoras. These may not have been the most solid, falling apart a lot and oozed a fair bit more oil than usual. Still, it was really crunchy and the amount of onion they gave was a good amount and all of it was sweet and soft from the cooking. It was mixed in with all the delectable marsalas associated with Indian spices, and was a rounded starter. However, I might not recommend it as a sole snack to get here unlike many other places like this.
Another item that I got, which was counted as an entree, was called "chilli chicken". To be honest, I did not know what to expect, and I merely was getting some things to add up to a minimum price for delivery. This may have ended up being the most memorable of the lot for the reason of how unexpected it was. Think fried chicken, and plenty of small bits of it. These were tossed in a sticky, spicy sauce and sprinkled liberally with numerous spices including chili.
On the curries, I ordered a panner tikka marsala and a saag lamb. One of these I ordered hot, and the other I ordered medium spice. Both of these curries had thick, hot sauces that were tangy and quite spicy; it was not overbearing or anything and left quite the fire on the tongue. In both curries, the pieces of meats (and cheese) was plentiful. To add a positive to this place, an order each (per the curry) of rice was given and it was fantastic and flawless. The lamb was tender and soft, in a smooth, spicy sauce made of spinach, and with the paneer masala it was everything that is good about the classic curry "chicken tikka masala" but with tender, chewy bits of cheese instead. I might have found the perfect vegetarian curry because of this. Combined, they were a couple of more unusual entries and I liked both of them quite a bit.
I will reiterate in every review that is at an Indian restaurant until the end of my days that any meal from an Indian place is incomplete without getting a naan on the side. It is part of the experience. So, naturally I went to order one. This time around it was a garlic naan. They were quite good, giving two whole pieces of bread to the one order - that is value. The dough was soft, stretchy and very moreish. While the garlic was not overbearing or anything, there was still enough of an amount to give out the flavour and the butter in it softened it up all the more. Again, this was perfect in picking up bits of meat and wiping up the sauces. All of this rounded up to make another solid curry meal.
Balti Biriyani is definitely not among the best Indian places out there, but for a brief meal it did its job. The food was substantial, maybe not the best quality that money can buy, but it was spicy, the servings were good enough and it filled me up for quite the rest of the day. Presuming from what it looked like all the times going past here, I reckon it might be good enough to stay in for a meal and more or less be there for what it needs to be: wholesome, inexpensive fare for mid-week. And for that, I can't give it too many faults.
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