Ali Nachia Briyani Dam - Singapore

Recently my ex-colleague recommended a nice Biryani place in Singapore. Since my colleague is a known foodie, I had no reason to disbelieve his recommendation. At Ali Nachia Biryani Dam shop, he recommended that we take mutton biryani with ribs. The mutton biryani that we bought tasted amazingly good.

The quantity was sufficient enough not to feel too full or too less. Mutton was perfectly cooked and most importantly without the usual after smell of the meat. Rice grains were long, not sticking to each other and less oily.

The biryani is of Malay style and not Hyderabadi style. It is called Nasi Briyani (spelling is correct!), where Nasi refers to rice and briyani refers to Basmati rice.

During the lunch, he told me the story about Ali Nachia Biryani Dam shop. Originally it was located in Tanjong Pagar railway station for more than 3 decades with reasonably roaring business. When the railway station was closed, they were asked to relocate to Tanjong Pagar Plaza.

In the process, unfortunately, the owner Mohd. Ali Latif lost most of his loyal clientele. Added to that the shop has a locational disadvantage being at a corner behind a pillar on second floor. The going has not been that good for Latif after the relocation.

Ali Nachia Biryani Dam sells mutton, chicken and fish biryani. As on date of this post, it costs SGD 7. They are closed on Sundays. Generally, Mohd. Ali Latif and his wife will be there at the shop. Mild, friendly and humble Malay couple.

Though I was introduced to this shop only two weeks ago, I have already gone thrice to this shop, once along with a friend.

The shop is situated at:

Level 2, Tanjong Pagar Plaza (the end nearer to Tanjong Pagar Market), clean with B grade certificate. My rating for the food here is 4 stars out of 5.

Running a restaurant business is tough in Singapore and it will be a shame if popular biryani shops like Ali's are folded.

If you are reading this post from Singapore, please visit this shop and try out the mutton biryani with ribs. If you like it, please ask your friends also to patronise Ali Latif's shop.

If you are reading this post from out side of Singapore, please share this with your Singapore based friends and ask them to try out.

Btw, hailing from Biryanibad, i.e., Hyderabad, known for the world famous dum-biryani, I quite liked this variation.


Poor imitations of 'Hyderabadi dum-biryani' is sold in a number of restaurants in Singapore. But, I am yet to get the satisfaction that I get when I devour chicken biryani from Paradise restaurant on MG Road or Cafe Bahar in Hyderguda.

Btw, my global hunt for a perfect match for Hyderabadi dum-biryani is still on... :)

Daanam दान దానం தானம் re-defined...

I would like to redefine the word Daanam दान దానం தானம் more as 'sharing' than as 'donation'.

Agree, all of us get disgusted, upset, agitated or angry in varying degrees when we see a US$ 2 billion (Approximately Rupees 11,000 Crores) building obscenely standing adjacent to thousands of people  living (mostly on footpath) on a US$ 2 (approximately Rupees 110) or under.

During my recent visit to Hyderabad, around 10 pm in my old huge apartment complex where my parents stay, I was waiting near the security post, for the car to brought by my nephew. It was slightly drizzling. I stepped inside a semi-permanent construction with a fiber-glass roof, with the lone security guard sitting on a chair. Lighting was not too great for him to have an opportunity to figure out about me or my stature (actually, there is no need to, since we are all humans) or whether I am resident or not of the apartment complex. There was only one chair. He suddenly got up and moved the chair near me for me to sit. It was an unexpected humane gesture.

Here is a simple man trying to share his comfort with another human sacrificing his own, without any expectations. I sat in the chair but was feeling guilty as my 'sharer' was standing.

Our car came quickly and while leaving I handed him a 50 rupee note impulsively and saw a brilliant expression on his face.

In the above incident the security guard shared his comfort and I shared with him some money. Both unexpected. I did not donate or give him alms nor was he begging for money.

It is impossible to make ours a class less society. However, I am moving with a strong conviction that it is possible for us to share our happiness whether in cash or kind directly for all those under privileged when they expect the least.

Rainbow

Raibow seen faintly:

Brighter rainbow:

Double Rainbow:

All the above pictures shot with Samsung Galaxy Note 8 megapixel camera

Btw, all the above pictures were taken in Hyderabad.

Thieves Conniving On Obituaries

This is a true story and I will keep it short.

Early August we had a major tragedy in our family with my father departing this world. A simple, affectionate man, even on his hospital ICCU bed, with an oxygen mask on, was respectfully folding his hands whenever he saw a visitor in his last days. Even now a tear wells up in my eye when I think of him looking at me from behind the mask, after I softly massaged his hand to give him warmth, with his folded hands.

We came to grips with our sorrow and started planning for the next steps. One of such steps was to publish the sad news in Deccan Chronicle, a local paper in Hyderabad, which got published under 'Obituaries' the very next day, with the mobile numbers of my two sisters.

Unexpectedly, next day we got few strange calls on the mobile phones  - one from an Ashram for destitute women for annadan (donation of food) and many others from various people offering a van or a purohit or flowers etc.

As we were planning for the 11th day ceremonies, a call was received from an 'agent' for placing advertisement in Deccan Chronicle. My sister met him at her office and asked him to go to our house to collect the write up. When he arrived, all of us had gone out on errands, with only my mom being at home. The fellow, who mentioned his name was Srinivas, conned my mom in preparing a bearer cheque for an amount of Rupees Thirteen thousand plus, with a receipt which does not have an address or a phone number.

Within ten minutes of my mom narrating the story over phone, we called up our friends in Corporation Bank and asked them stop payment of the cheque. Even before that this thief had already en-cashed the cheque and scooted.

The advertisement never appeared on the 11th day in Deccan Chronicle.

I am posting this story as a - be aware of - such tactics by the low life cheats in India who live off obituaries.

Crazy Kid In Hyderabad

On the way from Hyderabad Airport to my home on 7th June around 9.45 pm, I saw this kid, should be around 14-16 years of age, dangling precariously behind a APSRTC (Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation) city bus. The bus is not full and not sure why this kid had to take this step. My heart went out for his parents. 

(Video captured with iPhone4)

The kid in the video was not doing a stunt. On the contrary he was doing a dangerous act. When he saw me recording  his action, he first showed me a 'V' sign. He was thinking that he is doing a daring stunt and a camera is following him? A small slip and he would have fallen and directly come under my car.

As we were on a two-lane flyover, we waited for an opportunity to go adjacent to the bus. By that time the bus driver sensed some thing was amiss and slowed down. My car driver shouted to the bus driver that a kid was hanging behind his bus. When the bus stopped, the kid abruptly got off the bus and disappeared. Presume he must have realised the seriousness of his foolish act. I couldn't find him around.

Anyway, felt relieved and we continued our journey.

Deccan Chronicle newspaper e-paper app for iPhone, iPod and iPads

Thanks once again to Sathish Kumar Pasupunuri for providing another newspaper e-paper. This time it is a famour newspaper from Hyderabad - Deccan Chronicle. Deccan Chronicle e-paper is available as an app on AppStore. This advertisements supported app is also available for iPad. Interesting part is - you can choose city-wise editions e.g., Hyderabad, Chennai etc.,

Please go ahead grab this app as it is a free app at this point in time (though supported by ads).

Happy reading!

Please share any such Indian e-papers for the readers of this blog.

Thanks.