"Overall, the staff was kind and willing to help, the food was delicious, the atmosphere was relaxing, and the price tag, which I used Rowan Bucks for, was not at all hefty for the amount of food I received." (Lucien Santoro / contributor)
In my travels around Rowan Boulevard, I’ve passed Fultoo Biryani House a number of times. The various choices displayed in the window piqued my interest long before I decided to write this review. I had walked in about 15 minutes after their posted opening at 5 p.m., so it was not during peak service hours.
The Biryani House, rather intelligently, is decked out in Rowan colors and paraphernalia. It is a welcoming atmosphere, with various Rowan jerseys adorning the walls.
I was greeted immediately by a friendly young woman working the front of the restaurant. I told her honestly that my experience with Indian food was lacking, but I would keep an open mind. I asked her what she would recommend, and she looked at me with a concerned gaze.
She told me she was a vegetarian, and promptly turned and pointed at a man peaking his head out from the curtains separating the front of house from the back. He smiled at me, and I smiled back. I asked him the same question I asked her, and he responded in a language I did not understand.
She asked me if I could handle spicy food. I looked at her with uncertainty, before consulting their spice chart they had hung up. I decided I could handle medium spice. I did not want to take any risks ordering something I couldn’t handle, considering my Irish, non-spice handling genetics.
The woman then asked if chicken was okay. I said yes, and she told me she could get me boneless chicken dum biryani. I told her it sounded great, and walked over to the drink fridge and picked out mango lassi. The name of that drink rang a bell, and I was pretty sure it was a mango-yogurt drink. My assumption was correct, and it was very fresh, with the mango flavor brightening my mood almost instantly. I paid for everything and sat down at a table.
I decided to do some research into what I had ordered in the meantime, and was pleased to learn that the phrase “dum,” which is in reference to “dum-cooking,” is a method of slow-cooking meat in its own juices and various spices. You can almost never go wrong with slow-cooked meat, and I felt I was in for a treat.
After less than 15 minutes, my food was ready. I was presented with a beautiful dish, with a base of yellow rice, purple onion slices, and a generous sprinkling of cilantro. It was also garnished with a slice of lime and half of a boiled egg. I was admittedly confused at first, as the chicken was not immediately visible. I dug around for a bit and was relieved to find the chicken buried beneath a layer of rice.
The vegetables, including the lime, were very fresh. The cilantro was flavorful and not wilted. The rice was well-cooked, held its structure, and wasn’t too sticky. There were two sauces I was presented with. Raita, which was a tangy, yogurt-based sauce that balanced the spice very effectively, and a curry sauce, which was spicy but not overwhelmingly so. It mixed well into the flavor profile of the dish without impeding the dish’s initial flavor.
The slow-cooked chicken was something serious. It made for a great centerpiece of the entire dish and was brought to the next level through liberal usage of the raita.
In all honesty, I ate like a pig. I came hungry, and the biryani really did hit the spot. I ate almost the entire dish and brought what little I had not ravaged back to my dorm to be heated up and eaten later in the evening.
Overall, the staff was kind and willing to help, the food was delicious, the atmosphere was relaxing, and the price tag, which I used Rowan Bucks for, was not at all hefty for the amount of food I received. The total price for a heaping bowl of slow-cooked chicken and rice was only $17.99. For what turned into two meals, I am happy with that price point. I will be returning, and I urge our readers to do the same.
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