I was in Chinnaswamy Naidu Biriyani on the occasion of Bloggers Meet hosted by Food Bloggers Association, Bangalore (FBAB). It is a newly opened restaurant and has added the much needed variety of Biriyani available in Bangalore. Heritage of this place dates back to 1920’s. Chinnaswamy’s (Founder of this Biriyani house) family lived in Dindigul area of Tamil Nadu and migrated to Hosur after Independence. He gathered a lot of recipes that were unique in taste and preparation and has passed on through the generations. Currently, it is Mr Suresh Babu Naidu who is carrying forward the forgotten recipes for our generation in the form of this restaurant.

Biriyani, meat, lentils, curries and dessert are all served on traditional banana leaf. It is a custom that dates back to thousands of years. They use containers made of Arecanut leaves which are eco-friendly for takeaway and parcel.

LOCATION: It is situated in HSR Layout, 7th Sector, very close to BDA Complex. When travelling from Outer Ring Road, you need to take a right at McDonald’s Signal (towards Calvin’s). 200m down that road and you can spot Vasan Eye Care on your left. Chinnaswamy Naidu Biriyani is opposite to it, on your right. There is ample parking space as the road is wide enough to accommodate parked vehicles. If you are lucky, there are chances of finding a parking space right in-front of the building.

AMBIANCE: It has got a typical restaurant type of feel once you enter. The huge glass door at the front doesn’t keep you isolated from the happenings on the road 😀 Comfortable sofa and tables placed ideally keeping functionality in mind.

Lets start of with Food and Beverages which the restaurant got to offer.

We started off with Kozhi and Aattu Soup. Kozhi is synonymous to Chicken and Aattu to Mutton. Kozhi soup was on spicier side when compared to Aattu. This was a great way to kick start our meet. Soups here are distinct in nature, probably because of the fact that it was so lite and easy on stomach. I have seen few restaurants serving thick soup which kills half the appetite in the beginning. I prefer the type which was served here.

Starters are classified based on Aattu, Kozhi, Meen, Eral and Vegetarian . We had generous servings of almost all of their signature preparations.

Aattu Nenju Chops is a dish with tasty mix of ginger, garlic, pepper and cumin. It is strong in pepper flavors making it an instant hit among spicy mutton lovers.

Aattu Kari Kola is basically minced Mutton balls. Perfectly cooked meat in a melange of spices. It is a fried item and you get 2 pieces per portion.

Aattu Nalli Fry is another unique preparation in their menu which is a must try. Nalli means bone marrow. The dish is all about traditional grandma’s spices and is pan fried.

Aattu Kari Sukka is a boneless mutton starter. It has palatable flavors of garlic and pepper. Tasted brilliantly as the tender pieces were not rubbery and easy to chew on. For some reason felt this to be the best of the lot among the Mutton starters.

Eral Masala is a prawns starter cooked in traditional style. First flavor that hits you is that of turmeric followed by juicy tender prawns.

Sura Puttu is a very distinctive dish as the English synonym of the same is Shark in scrambled form. Originality lost is compensated by the unique taste associated with it. Absolutely scrumptious. Fish is cooked, then scrambled and then tossed in flavorful spices making it a dry item.

Vegetarian folks out there had a jolly time as they were treated with totally different set of options- Raw banana fry and Yam fry. It is good to see a restaurant famous for Dindigul cuisine serving their specialty dishes rather than going for the same old options of Paneer/Gobi as starters.

Karandi Omelet is chefs special. It is not flat, instead made to fluff out like a bun. Every bite indicates that the egg is not just inflated, instead prepared in a way so that the yolk is spread all across and the omelet retains the shape.

MAIN COURSE: While the non vegetarian folks enjoyed their flavorful Biriyani, Vegetarians were treated with Plain Rice, Brinjal curry and Paddu.

BIRIYANI: This is what the restaurant is named about! I was eager to taste what’s on the menu. Manager was kind enough to let us taste the 4 main varieties- Aattu (Mutton), Grama Kozhi (Chicken), Nattu Kozhi (Country Chicken) and Vegetarian biriyani. It was pretty evident that this is not the usual Biriyani we are used to. We have our tried and tested varieties which are Hyderabadi, Ambur, Donne etc etc. But if you need to enjoy something which is different then Chinnaswamay Naidu Biriyani is your go-to option.

Rice base among all biriyani is same apart from the pieces offered and taste associated because of meat in them. Dindigul Biriyani uses Seeraga Samba Rice which is a short grain rice. Another uniqueness about this cuisine is that Biriyani at the end is pressed with fresh coconut milk. These are less spicy and that is what it is famous for.

DESSERT: The traditional trail did not end and we were served with Panai Paagu Thair (Curd in mud pot with a sweetish taste), I could relate it to the famous misty doi. Next we had Jil Jil Jigathanda, which is a Madurai specialty. Translates to ‘Heart’ and ‘Cool’ and it does the job of cooling the body because of rising temperatures. Served in a tall glass with lot of jelly like tiny beads in them.

VERDICT: Chinnaswamy Naidu Biriyani is a restaurant which caters to the traditional flavors of Tamil Nadu cuisine. The names of preparations on their menu can defiantly confuse first timers but the staff is helpful in explaining each and every dish in detail. Starters and dessert options are so much different than what you get outside in a normal restaurant. Less spicy Biriyani is their USP and we need to adjust our taste buds in line with it to fully enjoy their offerings.