Dennis C.
Yelp
Biryani Hub is a new South Indian restaurant that opened on March 28th in a former Taco Bell located just outside of Military Circle Shopping Mall facing Virginia Beach Boulevard.
Judging from the high volume of customers I have seen during four visits to date, it has opened with a bang.
All of their serving staff and the vast majority of the customers I have seen so far have been of Indian descent, testifying to the authenticity of their food. Their servers have been exceptionally friendly and gracious.
According to a recent article in the Virginian-Pilot, it was opened by a family who owns a couple of restaurants in Pennsylvania under the name of Biryani City.
I traced these restaurants to locations in Allentown and Norristown. When I studied their online menus, the wordings of many of their menu descriptions were identical to those of the new Norfolk location.
Their cuisine is cooked in the regional Hyderbadi style. Known as the "Pearl City of India", Hyderbad is the capital of Andrha Pradesh, located in south India, and is historically known as a pearl and diamond trading center.
A one page lunch menu is offered during the weekdays and consists of a variety of six-course meals with both a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian section. They are served on an Indian style metal tray called a Thali.
During two weekday lunch visits, I ordered a meal from the non-vegetarian section, which consists of a starter dish, two gravy dishes, your choice of Chicken, Goat, Fish, or Shrimp Biryani, slices of Naan bread, and a dessert.
I chose the Chicken Biryani both times, priced at only $10. The chicken can be ordered boneless or bone-in, and I chose the boneless. The side dishes for their lunch meals change daily
The Chicken Biryani was incredibly delicious. One standout side dish was their Manchurian Chicken starter dish, which consists of chicken cooked in a delicious sauce made with ginger, garlic, chili sauce and vinegar. I also loved their Garlic and Mint Naan.
The trays were served with incredible proportions. I was unable to finish both times and took the rest home for a second meal. My Rating: 5 Stars.
Their servers always ask you for your preferred spice level, and I have requested "Indian hot" each time. They do not wimp out on the heat.
I have also made two weekend lunch visits, during which you choose from their richly descriptive 6-page dinner menu. I have tried the following so far:
CHICKEN BIRYANI: Their Biryani is their signature Hyderabadi style dish, and I couldn't resist trying it again in their dinner version.
It is described on their menu as "Made with the best basmati rice and a perfect blend of spices. Cooked in the original dum style..."
Dum style? I had to look that up.
The word "Dum" translates as "air cooked" or "internal pressure." The Biryani is cooked in an Indian version of a pressure cooker known as a Handi, which helps the Biryani retain its flavors by trapping the steam.
Their Chicken Biryani is without a doubt the best I've ever tasted. The combination of spices exhibited a flavor profile of incredible depth.The basmati rice was fluffy and flavorful. It was loaded with precious nuggets of their Indian hot chicken.
Their dinner version was also garnished with a hard boiled egg. Once again, I couldn't finish and took the rest home. My Rating: 5 Stars.
CHICKEN 65: This is a traditional Indian dish that was listed among their Appetizers. It consists of spicy and boneless deep fried chicken chunks garnished with onions and cilantro. The chicken chunks exhibit a fiery red tone from its hot chilies.
There are numerous rumors as to how this dish got its name. One account claims that it is made with 65 different varieties of chili peppers. Another claims that the dish can only be made from 65-day old chickens.
Whatever its origin, its flavors hit me like a Mack truck with a heat level that my made my hot tooth sing with ecstasy. My Rating: 5 Stars.
QUBANI-KA-MEETA: This is an Indian dessert that originated from the city of Hyderabad and is made from dried apricots. Their menu describes it as "Apricots boiled with syrup and chilled to consistency." It came topped with a few chunks of cashews.
The version served here was a bit of a miss for me, as it wasn't served chilled as described. Instead, it was served hot temperature wise.
Since I was one of their first customers that day, I may have caught them off guard without enough time to chill it. This also might explain why two of their servers came by and asked me if I wanted some vanilla ice cream to go with it.
It was still flavorful, and the taste of the boiled apricots came through nicely. Yet, I am certain that I would have enjoyed it more served chilled as described. My Rating: 3.5 Stars.
In spite of one glitch, my rating still rounds up to 5-stars. I look forward to my future visits, and I want to try their Goat Biryani next.
When it comes to Indian food, this place is definitely the real deal.