Interestingly, Bokhara is named after a village in Uzbekistan along the Silk Route and the style of cooking originates from there. Just how good is the food here? As they say, the proof is in the pudding (or in the Biryani in this case), so bring it on!!
Mutton Dum Biryani
I ordered the Mutton Dum Biryani as usual. Here's a look at their rendition:
A large piece of bone-in mutton masked by yellow basmati rice arrives on a white plate. What I noticed immediately is that the portion of rice is smaller than that served at the other Dum Biryani places I tried and detailed in the past on this blog. You wouldn't go hungry but it is definitely not as filling. Portions aside, the taste lived up to expectations! The bone-in Mutton was quite tender and it takes little effort to get the nicely spiced up meat off the bone. It isn't as tender as the Mutton served at Bismillah but is more tender than the version served in Anjappar. The meat is quite tasty and goes very well with the rice which is slightly salty, this is quite similar to the rice served at Anjappar. Price wise, this is the cheapest of the lot, weighing in at a more wallet friendly S$6.50 (its competitors cost more than S$8) but then again you could argue that the competition serves up larger portions. My take is that if you prefer to eat less carbohydrates, then this is a great option.
They also serve you raita and dalcha which go quite well with the Biryani:
Reshmi Kebab
Bokhara also serves Kebabs so we were recommended the Reshmi Kebab by our servers.
As seen above, the plate comes with 5 pieces of flavoured barbecued chicken. The chicken meat was moist and tender except for the bits that were charred. Taste wise, think slightly salty with a nice smoked flavour and slightly sour undertones. Apparently the meat is marinated with cream and egg before grilling in the Tandoor. A great accompaniment to the Biryani but some may find it a little expensive at S$10 per plate.
Taste Verdict: The Mutton Dum Biryani did live up to expectations! The Bone-in Mutton was very tender and flavourful. Paired with the equally flavourful rice is an excellent rendition of Dum Biryani.
I give it 4 and a half out of 5 stars. This ties it with Bismillah's version and deservedly so. Taste-wise, it is a slightly different style but both are equally good. It is the cheapest of the lot but some may say it's because the portion is the smallest. The Reshmi Kebab was a tasty revelation. I will definitely try one of the many Kebabs there the next time I drop by. One tip I have is to avoid going at friday lunchtimes (unless you order and eat fast enough) as the staff do go for mosque prayers.
That good that my ex-colleague was seen doing a Biryani takeaway for the wife. :)
Where:
UPDATED 04/02/2014: (they have moved to a new location, see below)
2 Owen Road, Opp Serangoon Plaza, Fortuna Hotel Building, Singapore 218842
Email: order@bokharabiryani.com
Phone: 83997795
*Great news for those who find it inconvenient to go to the restaurant. They also do delivery. Depending on the area you are in, the delivery charges ( range from S$5 to S$7) and the minimum order amount (S$30 to S$100) vary. Do note they do charge 10% service charge on top of the total amount too. For more information on delivery, check it out here
Mutton Dum Biryani Shootout (in order of preference):
*For purposes of keeping the variables constant, I have only concentrated on Mutton Dum Biryani.
I have not been extensively tasting other types of Dum Biryanis (Chicken, Fish etc) that the restaurants serve due to the fact that I can only have one at a time. I may do updates at a later stage when I try out the Chicken Biryanis the next time I go to these places. I did return to Anjappar once after posting about it and tried the Country Chicken (aka Kampong Chicken) Biryani which I found to be excellent and much better than their Mutton Biryani. May post an update in future when I have time.
That kind of sums up the Dum Biryani quest for now. Hope you have enjoyed reading the related articles and had a chance to taste for yourselves. When I get wind of more popular options, I will definitely sniff them out to try. Till the next post, Enjoy your food!
2 comments:
Bokhara Biryani and Kebab has shifted to a new location at Serangoon Road. It is at main Serangoon Road, postal address is 2 Owen Road, Opp Serangoon Plaza, Fortuna Hotel Building, Singapore 218842.
Thanks for the update, I am aware of the new address, In fact, I have ordered through delivery twice in the last few months. Still love the taste of the Mutton Dum Biryani :)
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