DUBAI: Despite political discord, Pakistan and India share more than a few cultural commonalities. One of them is their love for food, which a restaurant Dubai has raised to a whole new level by serving biryani, the most favorite South Asian rice dish, with 23-karat gold.
The fragrant rice delicacy full of spices and sumptuous chunks of meat which are fit for royalty, is served at Bombay Borough in Dubai’s high-end International Financial Center district with edible gold and a price tag so high that even royals will think twice before consuming it.
“We wanted to create something unique and because it is served with love, it is quite popular among expats and we sell at least one to two of these biryani dishes in a day,” Robin Pinto, the restaurant manager, told Arab News earlier this week.
Pinto said most customers do not bother about the 1,000-dirham ($270) price tag since the restaurant’s Royal Golden Biryani is a unique form of the dish and most diners did not want to miss the experience.
Bombay Borough’s signature biryani was launched in February 2020, only a few days before the coronavirus pandemic hit the Gulf country and sealed restaurants for several months.
Garnished with 23-karat gold leaves, the dish takes about 45 minutes to prepare and is served with seekh kabab, chicken malai boti, chicken boti, delicious kofta and boiled eggs.
It is served in a platter with curries and raita that enhance the flavor and can be shared among four to six people.
“We believe that good food tastes better when shared with good friends,” Pinto said.
Despite the high price tag, the restaurant sells at least one to two biryanis a day.
Husain Mansur, a Dubai-based businessman who tried the dish, told Arab News he had heard about it and wanted to know its taste.
“I had read a lot about it and also learnt about it from social media, and so I wanted to try this out for myself,” he said.
“This is one of a kind of experience and people should come and try it.”
