Bhai Kadai Biryani – Karama

Bhai Kadai Biryani is a small restaurant in Karama which, as its name suggests, specialises in biriyanis. It proudly flaunts a “Good” Zomato Food Hygiene rating on its front door and a 4.1 reviewer rating on the app/site.

https://videopress.com/v/DVdNfHnD

But that’s where the fairy tale ended for me and my companions, because greeting us on the sidewalk immediately in front of this little eatery was the splatter of an awfully unhygienic looking liquid, reeking with a stink which made soured milk seem sweet. We side stepped this and the cigarette bin and the bags of food waiting on the floor for some biker to collect for delivery and said hello to the duo filling biriyani into take away containers from a giant pot. The ground floor of Bhai Kadai is their kitchen and take away area. A steep, narrow staircase takes you up to what look and feels like a loft which has been converted into a dining room.

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Two of us ordered Mutton Biriyani and the third, an Egg Biriyani. Their mutton biriyani is normally served with two pieces of meat and a hard-boiled egg. Greedy from hunger (it was nearing 14:30 when we sat down to eat) we ordered extra meat with our biriyanis (at an extra cost of course). One of the reasons I feel this restaurant has made a name for itself is that they serve copious amounts of rice with each portion (we did not know this at the time). The other is that it is perceived to be affordable – AED21 for a Mutton Biriyani. But I dare say, the food here is all quantity and not quality. I found the rice very oily and grossly over spiced; the mutton was well-cooked but gamey. None of us finished our food. Meeting the following day, we all complained of discomfort from the ‘heavy’ meal.

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A lone server covered the dining area while we were there. One could tell the poor man had been run ragged, yet he put on a smile for us and got food to our table very quickly. I couldn’t help noticing the plates of finished/half-finished meals which lay on a trolley from the time we entered till the time we left.

I left this restaurant disappointed in the food, disappointed in the Zomato Hygiene rating and the ridiculous 4.1 rating it has achieved on the Zomato app/site. This is NOT a 4.1 worthy restaurant by any stretch of the imagination. After what my companions and I witnessed there I seriously question its hygiene ratings too. And as to affordability, perhaps readers will be interested to know that Biryaniwalla & Co in Al Nahda offers a far superior mutton biriyani for just one Dirham more, AED22. I won’t be back to Bhai Kadai Biryani.

Hey! Now read this –
Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from, each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes or email me on xerxes@dellara.com.