I’ve loved nasi briyani ever since my late mom took me for my first taste of it when I was around 7 or 8 years old. Unfortunately, my better half does not share the same love for nasi briyani so I often go to eat it alone. I was talking about Fierce Curry House (which has really good Hyderabadi style nasi briyani) with Samantha and Michelle the other day when Sam told me about this awesome briyani place in Bangsar.
I’ve actually eaten at Mahbub Restaurant before but didn’t think much of it at the time. It serves briyani with ayam madu (honey chicken) – a distinctively Malaysian-Indian take on the dish. I do like the sweet taste of the honey chicken but I prefer my protein to be cooked *together* with the briyani ala Hyderabadi. However, I decided to pop over again after my Invisalign appointment to reacquaint my taste buds…after all, my last trip was over a decade ago.
No kidding, MAHBUB Restaurant has been around since 1974! They also have an air conditioned space where you have to pay a small premium to sit in. It’s attached to the main restaurant and has a different menu with slightly higher prices but I thought it was a small price to pay for the comfort. It’s so hot lately with the heat wave that I almost lost my appetite from heat stress so air conditioned dining is a must.
The main draw here is as mentioned the Nasi Briyani Ayam Madu (RM 13.50). The honey chicken is really quite good and the portions are generous too. I was quite surprised to get more than a regular portion. I was given 1/2 a wing in addition to the huge chicken breast. I usually don’t like chicken breast coz it can be dry if not cooked properly but there are no such issues here. The honey soaked chicken breast was tender and full of white meat. It was very satisfying to eat.
The honey cooked chicken is perfectly balanced too. It’s slightly on the sweet side but the nasi briyani is served with achar pickles on the side so the acidity cuts through the richness of the chicken. They give you curry dal on the side too and everything is nice and hot instead of the lukewarm stuff other places tend to have. The nasi briyani is decent too – lots of spices and herbs inside to give it that distinctive flavor.
I thought MAHBUB Restaurant is a satisfactory stop if you’re craving for nasi briyani. The meat portion is huge! They definitely don’t skimp on the protein here. The entire meal set me back just RM 16.65 with a drink. They also have Bukhara style nasi briyani on Fridays which adds more spice to the rice so that’s something to consider. I’ll definitely be back for more, especially when I’m hankering for a good ol’ chunk of white meat to go with my spiced rice!
