In a nutshell:A hidden wonder lost in a large metropolis – best Kolkata Biryani in Kolkata

Cuisine Type: Nonvegetarian

Address & other details: AAfreen, R-38, S.A. Farooqie Road, Akra Road, Kolkata

Meal for 2: Rs. 150 onwards

Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:

YUMMRAJ shifts the crown of ‘Best Biryani in Kolkata’ from Arsalan after eating for the second time at Aafreen. Arsalan is now ‘Best Mutton Biryani in Kolkata’. This shift is purely on the basis of taste – not anything else.

Crispy Layered laccha parathas, super tasty subtle rezala , fiery looking bhuna that is very tasty & yet not half as fiery as it looks, a grainy & robust tasting Chhap, a subtle burhani to cool all this & the showstopper – As I write, I am salivating just at the thought of the biryani, even a week after munching it……… soft, melt in the mouth rice, not dry but not very greasy as well & unbelievably tender & tasty meat.

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to enjoy reading:

We heard about this place a year back & went to eat here. We were bowled out by the biryani & some other dishes. Went back again this year – were pleasantly surprised to find that the goodness was consistent.

The restaurant is on the main road & has a general section & an airconditioned section. It wud b a good idea to opt for the airconditioned section & ask for bottled water. It wud also b highly recommended to b very nice, polite & humorous to the serving staff. They reciprocate the behavior they get. The guy serving us made us feel like we had been to his home & he was treating us with a grand lunch.

We were a bunch of 7 people with two kids & hence had the opportunity to order a large number of dishes & taste all.

Started with very tasty & crispy layered laccha parathas that were reddened while frying. They tasted very good on their own & had a great flavor to it – was most probably fried with dalda.

This was accompanied by a pale, visibly non impressive, super tasty subtle beef rezala. The meat was reasonably soft but I wud not call it melt in the mouth. The Gravy was the attraction of the dish – the cashew paste (that goes in the Rezala & makes it heavy) was not overbearing. We loved the gravy & finished it to the last drop. Unlike the gravy in Karim’s where u see a mass of oil floating, the oil & the rest of the ingredients of this gravy was uniformly mixed.

The red & fiery looking beef bhuna did not taste half as fiery as it looked. It had a mildly burnt effect, super soft pieces of meat & spices cooked to perfection. ‘Smooth’ was the word for the gravy.

The beef chaap had a mildly granular texture, a robust spicy taste & the meat was moderately soft in some pieces & not so soft in the others.

The chicken Chhap gravy had a similar taste & the chicken pieces were soft & very good in taste.

The showstopper beef Biryani had extra long strands of rice in original white color & also in saffron color. The strands of rice did not stick to each other but were very soft & melt in the mouth. The aroma of the rice was super good & the meat was unthinkably soft, supple & tender, needless to say it tasted outstanding. The aroma of the spices was excellent & there was a mildly hot (chilly) taste to the Biryani. The overall flavor & taste was excellent, out of the world, brilliant & ‘I can eat it again & again’ variety.

The taste is surely better in this than in the Arsalan Biryani. In terms of feel, the Arsalan one is comparatively dry – uses less ghee.

The subtle burhani that was served along with the food, was intended to cool all the spices & the hot food & also ‘help in digestion’.

As we finished our lunch, I went out to click pics of the shop from outside. I saw a guy fanning a little charcoal pit. I asked – what about this & he said – ‘oh u must try this – coming up in 15 mins’. The beef kabab that followed was very very nice – made out of chunks of meat, marinated in spices, thin strips of green chillies & slices of onions. Charred, robust, ‘makes a statement’ r all that come to mind while describing the kababs.

While we had the option to go for phirni for dessert, we chose lassi – thick sweet lassi with minimal water, a thick layer of malai & a lot of attitude…… a bit more on the sweeter side.

Overall – If u can brave going to this place, u will really enjoy & never regret. If u stop bothering about picking up weight, u will really enjoy the food. U can always work out later.

U will thank YUMMRAJ for recommending this to u.