Fanoosh – Burgers & Biryani review

I don't see the hype. I happened to be in the area so I dropped by and ordered two chicken biryani's to-go. The menu selection that's offered here is quite minimal. Not that many choices. You have the option to choose between biryani or burgers. I'm not much of a burger person so I ordered the 'whole chicken bone-in biryani'. The vegetarian biryani didnt seem appealing and I love vegetarian food. Chicken seemed to be the right choice. But I was wrong. So let me just say that I have high standards in judging any kind of biryani. I have great access to some of the best biryani through my aunty and mother. So its an item that I normally don't order at restaurants. Fanoosh so to speak specializes in biryani.. but it was a complete let down. The chicken biryani was bitter, dark and the chicken was completely dry. I had a tough time cutting through the poor dry chicken. Biryani is a speciality item within Pakistani/Indian cuisine that is known for its fragrance, color and flavor. The biryani here was lacking any of these qualities. It didn't hit the mark and tasted like a simple chicken curry that was baked with rice. I don't even know if the cooks behind the counter are aware of this. The flavor was under salted and it wasnt spicy. I'm not sure what a few of the reviewers mentioned in terms of spicy food. It was probably their first time trying biryani. What can they say? The raita was strangely sweet. When is raita ever sweet? Granted, i've tried tangy raita through the addition of buttermilk. But this raita only made the basic meal worse. I wouldn't mind giving this place a second chance and trying their burgers. But then again, I saw a picture that made me feel sick. A beef burger that was completely raw in the middle. A reviewer mentioned how he was sick in the gut afterwards. No bueno. Guys.. get it together and work on your biryani and burgers.