When Noorani’s began a few years back, it was an unpretentious restaurant specialising in seekh kababs, relying on the clientele from the nearby colleges and mall. Today, the place may extend over two shops but every other aspect remains the same. With no aspirations to fashion or any decor, this is primarily a place for good food.
The menu is quite extensive and begins with the tandoori specials. In this section, the best deals are the Chicken Kadhai and Mutton Kadhai dishes. Well done, with just enough spice on them, they are delicious. The Chicken Noorani Special was also decent, with sizeable chunks of boneless chicken, but that was offset by the garnishing of beetroot on it.
The Tawa section offers mostly frankie-style rolls, like egg rolls and mutton kabab rolls. This should best be eaten as appetizers and not during the main course. Following this up with the seekh kababs is a good idea. The kababs are large and filling, just like most of the stuff on the menu.
In the chicken section, try the Chicken Afghani, which is a semi-dry, semi-spicy dish. Also try the Chicken Kashmiri. The mutton section has a winner in the Mutton Do Piasa and a good dish in Mutton Masala.
The rice segment has nothing unique to offer but believes in the normal biryani and pulav. However, this is their weak link, as the mutton biryani was mostly full of plain rice and a few bony pieces. Definitely avoidable, that. Instead go for their hot tandoori rotis and their good nans, joined by a vegetable dish.
Here, the variety is quite nice. The Bhendi Fry was quite good, while the Malai Kofta was superlative. Also good in this section is the Paneer Makhanwala. Avoid the Dal Fry if possible, because it is just about passable.
A huge section of the menu is devoted to the Chinese segment. Now, why a Mughlai restaurant should offer Chinese is beyond my understanding. Nevertheless, there it is. Some of the unique dishes offered are lamb dishes, which may be worth trying out. Apart from that, there are a huge number of rice, noodle and vegetable dishes on offer. However, I would suggest that instead of exploring that part, you should concentrate on what Noorani is famous for.
Noorani’s also offers a number of desserts which are well worth mentioning. The fried ice-cream is amazingly delicate, while the caramel custard delight and the chocolate sundae, is a sinfully blissful treat. There are also a number of fruit salad dishes on offer.
All the dishes are served hot and quite tidily. All dishes are below Rs. 75.00, except for the prawn dishes in the Chinese section. The staff is courteous and the service is prompt. There is a definite business-like atmosphere to the place, yet it also seems very homely. After a good day’s work or after a hectic round of shopping at the nearby Crossroads, drop in here for a meal or just some snacks.
This article was first published on 30 Aug 2000.