Bismillah Biryani

Not recommended to come here. Service is horrible. The Chinese lady is grumpy. She spoke to the other customers in a rude manner. Biryani was alright but the raita (yogurt) was so watery. What a disgrace to Indian food. For $17 for a large biryani, we could have gotten more value in a fine-dining Indian restaurant. The atmosphere was dingy and poor as well. We were the only Indians there, which should have been a clear indicator for the (lack of) quality of food. The only people eating there were Muslims, so it’s definitely not authentic. Even the staff was not Indian. Save your money, and go elsewhere for a more authentic Indian food experience. No idea why this place is still running, but it should most definitely not be.

Bismillah Biryani Restaurant -- this corner restaurant in Little India is a nine-time (and counting?) Michelin Bib Gourmand award winner for its excellent biryani; specifically, its dum biryani. I was here with my sister (who is a vegetarian) to enjoy its excellent vegetarian biryani (for my sister) and a chicken biryani (for me). We also shared a very good chickpea masala or channa masala. Service here was good - friendly and courteous. And the dining ambience here was nice enough and in air-conditioned comfort.

This was ordered in - 2 large mutton and 1 chicken biryani - to feed about 20 people. It was peppery, a little dry and the meats lacked flavor and the mutton pieces were very small, had very little meat and bones. So I went back to Dunlop street and ordered … thinking it would be better. Not the cleanest place in the world, and although it was waiving some fragrance, the biryani this time was worse that the packaged ones. How I have no idea. It was bland, still peppery, and the meats were totally dry. Dry and tasteless. At the shop. To me this basically means the person cooking the food for that day had no heart in it or couldn’t be bothered. Very disappointing. I gave it 2 shots and both times it failed.

A 9th time Michelin bib winner for their Biryani. A friend bought me to it's original outlet at dunlop street.. not knowing it was a Michelin bib winner, the setting of the resturant is not at all that you can think off. But yet it is truly the food. I ordered mutton biryani, the colourful basmati rice taste rich in flavour that is not over powering at all. The mutton is really super tender, i think ia definitely the quality of meat. The briyani is on a dry type, which the resturant claim this is how it is done. So we ordered a chicken masala, the gravy seved well with our briyani. So I recommend you should order a side dish that provide a little good wetness to the briyani. I am not implying the rice is dry, it was perfect but I wanted little more depth into the rice with a curry or masala base. The resturant definitely maintained it's standard looking at lunch crowd. The place can only sit 30 max, so better to go early or avoid peak hours. Their service was prompt ans pleasant even it is self service.

First time at this place, an eatery in the Michelin Bib Gourmand for many years. No greetings as we enter the rundown eatery. The furnishing was dated, plates left by previous diners were not cleared. Everything was self-service, from ordering to collecting our order. Not that we mind. Despite its plain appearance, the briyani was delish. We had the mutton and chicken versions. Both were equally good. Rice was moist. Meat was tender. There was no need for any gravy. Maybe that was why there were signs everywhere stating explicitly they do not provide it. Overall, it was a satisfying meal if you overlook the tatty surroundings.

Recently I’ve been crazy about biryani, so I searched online and found that Bismillah Biryani is often called the #1 biryani in Singapore, even with a Michelin Bib Gourmand award. Naturally, I had to try it for myself. But honestly, I was very disappointed. Firstly, the whole ordering experience felt cold. It’s self-service via machine — which I can accept — but the staff were also unhelpful and looked like they didn’t want to be there. No greeting, no smile, no explanation. Just a deadpan face and short replies. I ordered a regular biryani at $12.50, and when I received it, I was shocked at how small the portion was. It looked like a single takeaway packet, way smaller than the usual $8 biryani from other stalls that can feed two. I asked if I could add rice or get some curry, but was told everything is pre-packed and they don’t serve curry with it. I get that it’s “purist Dum style,” but honestly, it felt dry without any gravy. Still hopeful, I ordered a larger portion ($18) — but it was barely bigger. Then I added a curry chicken ($13) that came with just 2 small pieces and very little curry. Not worth the price at all. The worst was the mutton paya (pata soup) — I asked the staff if it was kambing soup and she said yes. When I opened it, it was just a thick layer of oil floating on top. The soup had no flavor or seasoning, and the meat was just bones with fat — no real meat. In total, I spent $75 for: • 2 small biryani packets • 1 “medium” biryani • 1 curry chicken • 1 mutton paya Taste-wise, it was very average, and portion-wise, definitely not worth the price. The whole experience — from the lack of warmth from staff, to the overpriced, underwhelming food — just didn’t live up to the Michelin hype at all. Definitely not coming back.

Food quality is very good for the shank biryani ($22.50) no strong smell and so tender with fragrant spiced rice. The chicken dum biryani ($7) was a little dry if compared to Chinese chicken rice style but was told it is still better than in other eateries. Prices already have included GST and there is no service charge because it is self service. No CDC voucher but if you leave a review you get a free drink. The restaurant is an old long house along Dunlop St and is clean and cooled by several ceiling fans and a aircon. I saw several tourists and many locals enjoying their meals.

I had this place saved for trying for the longest time and it seems I'm in my "biryani phase" recently. Decided to pop over for lunch and I got myself a lamb shank biryani while my colleagues got the boneless chicken dum biryani and a naan. The first thing we noticed was that the rice for the two biryanis differed, and indeed there was a difference in taste. The lamb shank's one reminded me of the biryani at Malay weddings that I had eaten in the past. The naan was a atypical from what we expected from the naan and it isn't worth trying on its own.