Bloogers meet on occassion of Awadhi Biryani Festival @ Oudh 1590, Desapriya Park

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What is the single food item we love the most? A dish that can be had on its own? A dish which doesn't require a starter, side dish or a dessert ? A dish which doesn't require even an introduction? Well, that has to be either a pizza or a biryani. Though to be honest both are best enjoyed with a glass of carbonated drinks, yet for me both are essentially a on dish meal & somehow the biryani gets a bit more preference when I am looking for a simple dinner.

Now we, the Kolkatan are accustomed to a specific type of biryani which we swear by. It's the modified version of hyderabadi biryani sans some typical southern spices & with the addition of the unmistakeable boiled potato. In fact the potato has become such an integral part of our biryani we can't even imagine biryanis without the potatoes. However as outlets of other cuisines opened up in Kolkata we got to taste the varieties of biryanis previously unheard of by the common people. The Awadhi Biryani, Daryabadi Biryani, Sindhi Biryani, Kachhi Biryani & even the authentic Hyderabadi Biryani were like revelations to our eyes regarding what biryani could be!

Among all these new tastes, one that was sure to attract our noses & tastebuds alike was surely the Awadhi styled Biryani. Originally from Lucknow, some of the outlets even went so far as to bring down specialist chefs to prepare this particular styled Biryani. One such outlet 'Oudh 1590' definitely deserves a special mention. Not only the chef, they even styled their restaurant after Awadhi style. As you enter the outlet the intricate woodworker ceilings & the paintings depicting 'baijees' will surely transport back you to the pre-british era when only the royals would get treated to such a magnificent spread. Not only the décor even the music played over the music system is specially curated to set the mood with all those ghajals & thumris which most of us haven't heard in our lifetime yet can connect with the mood instantly. However do note that although the dim ambient lighting perfectly complements the overall environment it's a nightmare for all the foodgraphers & selfie freaks out there. As if this is a silent word of caution to them, enjoy the excellent food, pictures are a secondary item.

Now as I already said, Oudh 1590 has earned a legendary tag for its awadhi cuisine, specifically for its gekawati kebabs & biryanis, it had been on my wishlist for quite a long time. My friends had been pestering me for quite a long time to pay them a visit. A dinner was definitely on the cards, however when the the management invited me over for a bloggers meet & a food tasting session on occasion of the 'Awadhi Biryani Festival' it came as quite a pleasant surprise. This wasn't to be missed at any cost.

As we entered the outlet we were quite impressed by the décor, as I have said earlier it perfectly matches that of a 'mahal' from Lucknow. The restaurant comfortably seats around sixty, however it's mostly filled to the brim during rush hours, so prior reservation is definitely recommended. As we took our seats we were served glasses of aam panna. To say the truth it was a tad bit too sweet & missed the real tang which is expected of the drink. & surely when you are serving water out from brass jugs, surely you can serve the welcome drink in a brass/stone tumbler instead of the standard glass.

Anyway that surely wasn't to be any important thing, as the star attraction of the evening was to be Awadhi Biryanis specially prepared by masterchefs flown down from Lucknow. We were eager to taste them. & as they arrived one by one, boy, weren't we impressed. We got try a number of varieties from the special menu, a brief review of which is given below. However a word of caution, each & every item was mind blowingly delicious, judgement given is comparing one item to another. To say the truth even the worst item I tried would surely win hands down when compared to the biryanis served by the so called biryani specialists of Kolkata. May be that has something to do with the 'awadhi' cuisine as a whole. Whatever that may be my review is as follows:

Yakhni Gosht Biryani:

Yakhni is simply a class of foods which contain the stock or broth as the base. Although sometimes erroneously considered a prominent Kashmiri variant its actually prevalent in wide parts of Southern Asia ranging from Balkans to Northern Indian areas including Arabic, Greek, Israeli, Turkish & even Bulgarian cuisines. This variety of the Biryani consisted of mostly white long grained rice with some coloured rice here & there & chunks of well cooked goat meat cooked in the broth itself. The smell of ghee was predominant; absence of dalda could be surely felt. This was the closest to the biryani we are used to. The meat was soft & flavourful & absence of the boiled potato couldn't be felt to be honest.

Subz Kofta Biryani:

Next to arrive at the tables was this. To be honest, vegetable biryanis aren't something one really looks forward to, & majority of the outlets make do with basically what one can mostly call a vegetable Pulao. But this one was different. A superb smelling rice with balls of mashed veggies popularly known as Kofta, this one can give even non-veg Biryanis a run for the taste. The koftas were expertly cooked with the mashed veggies encapsulating pieces of mewa & the rice although tasting a bit sweet from the Kofta yet being able to maintain the true flavours of biryani. Once again the smell of ghee was predominant, but who's complaining?

Gosht Bhuna Khichri:

Now who expects Khichri amidst a biryani spread? Moreover, who in his wildest dreams would imagine that a Khichri would trump biryani in terms of taste? I for one wasn't expecting that. To say the truth this one was a surprise to all of us. Although a bit too oily for many, this Khichri was something like no other. Bet you haven't had a Khichri this good. Served in a miniature kadhai, I actually mistook this for a side dish to go with the biryanis. However this one, when served just blew my mind. The aroma of the small diced goatmeat will surely remind of you a standard 'khashir mangsho', which wasn't a bit overpowered by the standard biryani spices. Having this was like having homemade mutton & rice only a thousand times better. Of course like I said, the preparation uses a lot of oil to bring out the exact taste, so health conscious foodies better avoid this one, however be warned you will be missing out on the best prepared dish of the whole spread.

Gomti Mahi Pulao:

Next up was this Pulao. Once again, the long grained rice were not excessively coloured, but had a consistent mix of white, yellow & saffron rice. The fish itself is traditionally supposed to be sole fish from the Gomti river. However considering the local availability well cooked bekti is used. The twist is with the taste of bekti itself, as it is cooked with gondhoraj lime imparting the unmistakeable sweet tangy fragrance to the rice as it is marinated with the fish. The dish as a whole smells & tastes superb. To be honest this would rank second after the Khichri among all the five dishes we tried.

Keema Biryani:

After all the Gosht , Kofta & Fish Biryanis & Pulao we tried, expectations were high from this dish. However as it happens most of the time, over expecting leads to disappointment, same happened with this one. Though I must admit the keema was cooked well, being juicy & the rice flavourful, somehow this one lacked the unique awadhi touch to it, ultimately being reduced to a standard fare overall. Maybe if we hadn't had the Khichri & Mahi Pulao, this could have enjoyed a better appreciation, but served at the end of such great items, this surely couldn't impress most of the foodies.

All the biryanis were accompanied by a house special pineapple raita which was good, nothing extraordinary. I for one like a glass of fizzy drink to gulp down the generally drier biryanis. These versions were however amply moist, oily to be precise & didn't pose a problem when gulping down.

Overall the experience was great. Right from the ambience to the aroma & taste of the biryanis. However I felt they could include some awadhi styled drinks & desserts as well to go with the theme of the whole festival. However as I said, biryanis are more of a one dish meal, & can be surely enjoyed without any accompaniments. I would surely recommend the Khichri & Mahi Pulao to anyone who are yet to taste them.

The festival runs from 3-06-2016 untill 3-07-2016. So book your tables & embark on a journey of mouth watering biryanis. I am going back for the Jhinga Pulao which I couldn't try during this visit.

Till then

Happy Eating

Cheers!