Sep 24, 2015 03:48 PM
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(Updated Sep 24, 2015 09:01 PM)
Are you a connoiseur of Mughlai dishes? Are you in a quest for mouth watering Awadhi delicacies? Then your destination must be Arsalan in Kolkata. Arsalan, located in the prime location of Park Circus crossing is the home to authentic Biriyani, Kababs, Chaanp and other dishes cooked to perfection.
The restaurant has a non-AC sitting section in the ground floor and an air conditioned one on the first floor. I chose to have food in the AC section. The ambience is nice up there and seats are comfortable.
The menu has a wide range of delicacies, starting from Biriyanis, to Kababs, Nihaaris, assorted bread platter, such as Naan, Paratha, Tandori Roti etc. This is not typical Kolkata Biriyani, but has a signature Awadhi flavor to it. It is not at all spicy. The biriyani comes with good portion of rice, nice round boiled potato and boiled egg. It's a wholesome meal really and you can complement it with Raita or Cola. Also, you can try out the Hyderabadi Biriyani, which is a bit sour to suit the senses, but is almost authentic in taste and aroma. A Lucknow style biriyani is also available, which can remind you of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah! Royally delicious!
Among Kababs, I recommend Cheese Kababs, Mutton Kakori Kabab and Chicken Malai Kabab, which are signature dishes cooked to perfection.You can also try out tandoori kabab, if you are a fan! If you are fond of fish, go for Fish Tikka Kabab or Pomfret fish. Vegetarians can try Paneer Hariyali Kabab and Veg Seekh Kabab. Worth the price!
If you go for bread, try out Butter Nan and Chicken Achari Masala. It's a perfect combination of crisp bread and twangy chicken. You can also try Chicken Reshmi Butter Masala with Tandori Roti.
What do my vegeterian friends have here? Please go for Vegetable Biriyani, Dal Makhani and Palak Paneer. You can also try Navratan Korma or Lahori Aloo.
Apart from Biriyani, there are other varieties of rice, such as Jeera Rice, Ghee Rice, Kashmiri Polao, Navratan Polao and Peas Polao. Among bread, you can experiment with Cheese Nan, Kima nan or Pudina Nan.
Among deserts, its better to go for Firni or Shahi Tukda, rather than common icecreams, if you like it add a dash of Sewai on it. Prices are pretty reasonable and suits the pocket of middle class food hunters who experience joy in eating out.
Another interesting feature of Arsalan is that it makes Halim during the festive season, and people queue up to buy this. It's really very tasty, just a bit high on heat. So maybe you need to add a bit of sugar at home, if you can't handle it. Goes well with both rotis and rice.
There are drawbacks. Since this is a busy restaturant for almost all the evenings, there is some amount of wait time.You need to wait in queues, sometimes for around half an hour. The service is not bad, but not quite professional. Waiters are mainly locals, who are a bit unruly at times. However, I have not experienced any misbehaviour till date.
Go for Arsalan. It's worth all the hype and myth. Feel the Nawabi aura of erstwhile India through the taste and aroma!
