What: Launched early this month by former national soccer player Syed Mutalib in memory of legendary coach Choo Seng Quee, House of Briyani is a 100-seater air-conditioned set-up in the Farrer Park area, just a few doors down from French-Japanese café Le Etoile.
What’s hot: If you’re looking for someplace spacious and air-conditioned to host a large family lunch or dinner, House of Briyani is it. It’s quite a walk from the nearest bustling civilisation — in this case, Mustafa Centre — so the place doesn’t get much organic human traffic… at least not yet. At $7-8 a plate it’s not the cheapest briyani dish in town, but the portion is predictably generous. Their achar side was some of the best we’ve ever tasted — you’ll like it too, if you prefer the cucumber sliced in chunks, not slivers — and the saffron rice wasn’t doused in oil like someplace famous we know. It helps if you’re a fan of Singapore soccer — framed black-and-white photographs of Mutalib, Seng Quee, Fandi Ahmad and other sports greats from the ‘80s — ‘90s adorn the walls.
What’s not: We get why Mutalib opened House of Briyani on Owen Road — after all, this place brings back fond memories of Choo Seng Quee, whose house used to be just a short walk away from where the restaurant is now, but we can’t think why anyone would come all the way here for a plate of briyani. The Mustafa Centre area is closer to public transport, has many more options for briyani if that’s really what you’re after and is less forgiving if you’re cashless — there doesn’t seem to be a single ATM in sight within a 1km radius of House of Briyani.
Verdict: Lukewarm. As we said, only if you’re taking the entire family out for briyani.
House of Briyani is located at 96 Owen Rd., +65 6392 5800. Open Tues-Sun 11am-9pm.
