The aroma of the spices

Easy on the pocket and tasty on the palette — that sums up Riyaan Foods, an eatery located in Shivajinagar, close to the bus terminal. Chances are that you might have missed this place with bustling traffic all around. But take a walk through the area and you will spot owner Mubarak and his small team preparing fresh kababs and serving them to customers right from the kadai.

The right mix of spices in the food will surely leave you craving for more.

There is limited selection here, with only three items on the menu.

The items that are available are chicken biryani, biryani rice and kababs. While the chicken biryani is priced at Rs 50, the biryani rice and kababs cost Rs 35.

“What makes our dishes different are the spices, which are home-made. We also ensure that we don’t compromise on the quality,” says Mubarak, who has been running the place for the last three years. Although, there are no desserts on the menu, Mubarak says that they are made on requests. The place, which is surrounded by offices, colleges and hostels, has many regular customers who queue up in the evenings.

“On a daily basis, we have at least 200 people coming in. Some of our customers prefer the items to be parcelled,” he says, adding, “In fact, majority of our customers come back after relishing the food here.”

With people becoming health-conscious, Mubarak says many are particular about the salt, spice and oil levels.

“It’s important that the customers like the taste. We modify it to suit their liking,” he explains, adding, “The oil lends the taste to the kababs. But we do try and curb using excessive amounts. We find that a lot of people don’t like the food to be too spicy.”
The regular customers, especially those who come every evening, say that it’s the taste of the food which brings them back.

“Generally, food you get outside is either too salty or spicy. But here, it’s the right mix. The kababs are really good. They are crisp and the flavour of masala comes out well. For the price, they are well worth a try. The kababs can be a good side dish along with dinner,” says Reema, a  customer, adding, “I work close by, so I come and pick up a plate or two of kababs twice a week.”

 Sridhar, who stays in KR Puram and frequents the place often, says, “I haven’t found any biryani as tasty as this one. Pointing to the dishes, Prema says that the filling-meal is value for money. “I relish the taste of the kababs,” she says. Riyaan Foods is located in Shivajinagar and is open between 11 am and 10 pm everyday.