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Weekend Grub: The biryani at the new House of Bombay tastes just like home — for a reason

Weekend Grub: The biryani at the new House of Bombay tastes just like home — for a reason

Chef/entrepreneur Nida uses her mother's recipe and reveals the secret behind its great taste
25 Nov, 2016

It was back in 1922 that a small shop by the name of Bombay Cloth House was established at Bank Road, downtown Rawalpindi. Today, after more than 90 years of its establishment, the offsprings of the family spread its wings, diversifying the family fortunes by making an entry into the culinary business.

The eatery, originally named House of Bombay at the time of its opening in 2010, has gone through a makeover. Along with a change in premises and a revised menu, the House of Bombay is now known as HOB.

HOB stands for Hot Out of the Bowl, and appropriately enough, most of the fare at HOB is served in a bowl, not a plate.

Where to go

HOB is located opposite Islamabad's famous Chaaye Khana on the first floor of the United Bakery building in F-6 Markaz.

HOB's got a funky interior at the new premises
HOB's got a funky interior at the new premises

When to go

The eatery is open from 11:30 am to 11:30 pm.

What to order

It's difficult to choose just one or two items off of the menu at HOB.

The multi-cuisine menu offers Burmese, Chinese, Arabic and Thai mains, but what dominates and deserve mention are the desi items.

Ignoring the dim sum, crispy chicken pillows and sea food basket and finding no desi substitutes in the appetizers, we went straight to the main course. Chicken achari qeema, HOB special daal, Bombay biryani and tandoori chicken curry were a few items that we mutually agreed to order.

The Bombay biryani was authentic and delicious
The Bombay biryani was authentic and delicious

The Bombay biryani arrived on a silver platter. It looked and smelled every bit of the Shahi delicacy that it is. A biryani's authenticity is judged by the use of spices, ingredients and the quality of rice and meat. Bombay biryani at HOB passed with flying colors.

“It’s my mother's recipe," revealed Nida, the entrepreneur and chef behind HOB. "The curd and smell of saffron is what sets the biryani apart from the rest. I try to keep everything balanced, even the meat portion.” And sure enough, we were served a well-marinated piece of chicken accompanied by a large portion of spiced potato.

Tandoori Chicken Curry is a hit at HOB
Tandoori Chicken Curry is a hit at HOB

Tandoori chicken curry is one such item that is very popular in all Indian restaurants in Dubai and India, so I added that in our menu," continued Nida. The creamy curry was rich in butter but not very spicy, but we were appeased by the spice level of the chicken.

The secret to HOB’s cuisine is its homemade recipes and infusion of ingredients, tells Nida's husband Amir, who runs the operations of the restaurant.

“I buy vegetables from the big sabzi mandi every morning, dairy products from the farm and raw ingredients are delivered to the crushing machines on a weekly basis, so there is no powder or packet masala used in our desi menu," he told us.

The qeema had just the right amount of tang to it
The qeema had just the right amount of tang to it

Chicken *qeema achari* was served with piping hot wholewheat tandoor roti, thus confirming Amir’s claim of going organic.

“I don’t use achar from the market, it is all homemade which I have infused in the chicken masala,” informed Nida. The minced chicken, herbs and a hint of achar made the not-so-popular dish succulent and the source of much heartburn after dinner. But it was worth it.

The morsels of pickle and lemon brought the achari taste alive soon after the first bite. The achari whiff revealed the richness and spices that this concoction is known for. A savory must try, indeed.

The beef coupled with that pasta was a clear winner
The beef coupled with that pasta was a clear winner

Damage on the pocket

Given the fact that HOB is located in a more high-end part of Islamabad, the restaurant's prices are surprisingly reasonable and that is their USP (unique selling point), according to Amir.

The most expensive dish at HOB desi section is Bombay biryani, priced at Rs600, which feeds two hungry mouths! Fried qeema, chicken achari qeema, tandoori chicken curry are priced at Rs400 and daal at Rs300.

Comments

hassan Nov 25, 2016 05:04pm
Looks good.....
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Jawad Nov 25, 2016 06:19pm
Beef yummy
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christo-tj Nov 25, 2016 09:38pm
lol for me HOB sounds House Of Bombay.
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Saira kalim mirza Nov 25, 2016 10:45pm
Why Bombay? Why not Lahore house?
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Zak Nov 25, 2016 11:08pm
Bombay Biryani failed because of its name. People could not relate a foreign country, city name for eateries. Now with changed name, it will succeed. Good luck.
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JODH Nov 26, 2016 12:14am
Open up a shop in New york and we could enjoy there. The whol thing is very enticing and fills our mouth with water. Prices are very reasonable, Last time I was in pakistan was 1961 and before that 1947 march. immediately after Direct din of Mr. JInnah, we rushed and trained from Haripur to Sirhind. Biryani is seldom available in NY at home if our Muslim cook is available, otherwise no restaurant has like the one you described. Last time I visited Delhi was for a marriage, one week visit and it was all Punjabi khana mostly vegetarian s Mr. Modi id vegetarian.
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Princess_of_DHUMP Nov 26, 2016 12:32am
Nothing new. Not been there but "Ate that". Pakistani eateries need to 'invent' new dishes or fusions
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MJS Nov 26, 2016 01:09am
Now I am hungry!
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Chris Roberts Nov 26, 2016 02:25am
Chicken biryani was always a real delight at home. It's an elegant dish that requires some skill in order to get right. Good to see that real home-made biryani is actually being prepared in a commercial kitchen. I have tried biryani in restaurants in many places, but most were just so-so, being too greasy, lacking flavour, too spicy, not having enough chicken, overcooked rice, etc. Which restaurant in Karachi would get rave reviews for its delicious, flavourful home style biryani that could match the one so appetizingly described in this article? Would definitely check it out when in Karachi.
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ak4pk Nov 26, 2016 02:32am
The mention of Bombay Biryani invokes memories of my childhood and the 'Cutchi Biryani'. I am a Cutchi Memon from Kolkata. We moved to the then East Pakistan more precisely Chittagong in 1952 and one of the Chefs that used to cook Cutchi Biryani at weddings in Kolkata followed us to Chittagong. We then moved onto Karachi in 1971. We have no idea as to what happened to the Chef who I can remember was called 'Dabbu Mia'. I have lived abroad for 35 years now. I visit Karachi fairly regularly. Never once have I been able to taste that Cutchi Biryani, appears no one knows the recepie of that great tasting Biryani though Karachi has a healthy population of Cutchi Memons. Meanwhile. the taste lingers on!
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Jalaluddin s. hussain Nov 26, 2016 02:56am
Good write-up about an Islamabad eatery. As a Rawalpindi native (and one in whose time the Sahakarparian Hills was only a barren land - before 1962 that is), I enjoyed the description very much !
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George Pierce Nov 26, 2016 09:51am
Yum, Pakistani food is always my favorite. I miss it!
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Syed Ali Nov 27, 2016 08:06am
The wsy the Bombay Biryani is made cannot be called Biryani, it at best is clise to chat with rice and chicken, Biryani is a Persian dish and is cooked with delicate spicies with s pinch of saffron and no CHICKEN.
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Krishna Nov 27, 2016 08:50am
How I wish, I can visit Pakistan and taste all this good stuff.
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