Sunday, April 18, 2010

Shabbirbhai Biryaniwala: Matheran

Matheran, the small hill station nestled in the Sahyadris, is famous for its "wala". The builder of the Matheran Hill Railway, Abdul Husein Adamjee Perbhoy, was famous as the Matheran Railwaywala. The Adamjees shifted to Pakistan with Jinnah, but left behind the famous Matheran Railway.

This weekend, I and my parents went to Matheran over the weekend. While we wee walking back from Sunset Point, my mother, being the ever enthusiastic and interested lady about local "specialties", asked a local shopkeeper about good restaurants in Matheran. And depending on the type of food you wanted, he reeled out a few names. And, being associated with engineers for quite a long time, my mother decided not to build a statistic from one observation. When we came back to the main market area, she asked a few more shopkeepers who reeled out the same names. Satisfied that we were on the right track, we decided to go to Shabbirbhai Biryaniwala, whose name was suggested to us by all shopkeepers.

Shabbirbhai's restaurant is situated a little away from the main dazzle of the markets. Hence, for tourists who are in Matheran for the first time, it might be difficult to spot it and they might completely give it a miss. The restaurant itself is small, can accomodate atmost 30 people at a time. But Shabbirbhai's biryani is too good. Infact, most of the restaurant's preparations were tasty. Actually, to be safe, we tried Chicken Masala, but I now regret that we could have been more adventurous. It would require a word stronger than "tasty" to describe that dish. We were licking our fingers and hoping for the taste to linger for longer. Ofcourse, we couldn't leave the restaurant without the biryani. We ordered for Chicken Biryani. The quantity was sufficient and again, the taste awesome!! This time we were licking the spoons!

The food was "reasonably" priced. You may find it expensive, compared to what that type of restaurant would charge in the city. But remember, it is Matheran, where goods are hauled up from Neral and then brought into the town on horse back. And, it is a tourist place, where people can earn only during the season time. But then, sometimes, the taste matters more than the price. Shabbirbhai's restaurant is on such place.

I couldn't take any pictures, as it was dark and the lighting in Matheran isn't like Mumbai, where we can't differentiate between day and night. But, next time, when in Matheran, try out Shabbirbhai's place.
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2 comments:

  1. Matheran is a marvelous hill station.Matheran Hotels makes it possible to offer facilities to the consumers.You can find a complete list of Restaurants in Matheran

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  2. Nice blog. Matheran is famous hill station in Maharashtra to spending holidays. If you are looking for resorts or hotels then A N Hotels and Cottages in Matheran is nice option for you. They provide good quality pleasant and comfortable rooms with testy food.

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