Roppongi Hills : Enjoy Authentic Hyderabad Chicken Biryani in Tokyo

There are so many Indian restaurants in Tokyo run by Pakistani’s, Nepali’s and Indian’s and most have the staple menu of NAN and CURRY, with some restaurants also selling the locally popular saffron rice. to know who has got authentic items takes an Indian and I have been visiting many restaurants in the city and have my own recommendations for the popular Indian dish Hyderabad Biryani.

The Indian restaurant Diya in Roppongi Hills is one of the few places in Japan I know which serve authentic Hyderabad Biryani and usually visit once every month to taste the same. It brings back memories of my days in Hyderabad when I had joined as a engineer trainee at my first company back in 1996.Indian Restaurant Diya at Roppongi HillsThe restaurant set in the posh location of Roppongi Hils not only has good food but also good ambience and I love the lighting of this place giving an overall relaxed feel to the atmosphere while enjoying the food.Seats at the Roppongi Hills Diya restaurantGlancing over the menu, since February 2015, the restaurant has added this new starter dish “Chicken and Cashewnuts” and decided to try it before I go for the main dish Biryani Chicken at DiyaThe choice did not disappoint. The chicken with the right spice and the onion salad along with it was a great start to the dinner at Diya and I will certainly recommend trying out this dish at 880 yen..Chicken Starters at Diya RestaurantWe usually order Chicken Tikka, but since we already went for the Chicken and Cashewnuts, we decided to opt for Paneer Tikka as one more starter dish from the menu.Paneer at Diya RestaurantThe ” green sauce chutney” served along with it and the Cottage Cheese, “Paneer” shallow fried was equally delicious and we started to crave for the main dish now the Chicken Biryani. The restaurant serves Hyderabad Biryani in two forms, Chicken and Mutton, although we usually opt for the Chicken option.Paneer at Indian restaurant DiyaTHERE, THE BIRYANI ARRIVES. It comes in a very unusual ceramic pot along with the curd base salad served along with it. Now the Biryani in Japan is usually served with the Japanese rice which is a big let down since the main taste and aroma of the biryani revolves around the basmati variety of rice from North India. Diya’s preparation is based on this genre of rice and that is the main criteria if an Indian likes a biryani or not.Hyderabad Biryani at DiyaWe open the pot and the smell of the Basmati rice is just so empowering that, honestly, I did not waste any time with the camera and just proceeded to enjoy the meal. B..E..A..U..T..I..F..U..L.. and oishiiiiiHyderabad Biryani at DiyaThe decor at the restaurant is quite impressive too with this B&W wall art depicting all scenes from , no not Europe, but India. Yes the remnants of the British empire and the related architecture….Wall art at Diya restaurantAt the entrance sits the “sarugami” or Hanuman and the spread of the chillies…Entrance of restaurant DiyaFor all these 12 years I have been to Diya I always see the large pan at the entrance with beautiful flowers, fresh, floating in them. So Ivery India like…Flowers at entrance of DiyaThough the restaurant has reduced the number of idols placed inside, there are a few art work left and are a good view to give an Indian feel tothe interiors.Cultural footprint at DiyaIf coming in a car, use the valet parking P1 of Roppongi Hills, the restaurant is just outside the valet parking area. Get the stamp on the parking card for a discount in parking fees, usually you can get 2 hours worth off. Satisfied we return home with nostalgia of Hyderabad and the restaurant Paradise Corner there which serves the authentic Hyderabad Biryani and Diya in Tokyo does not disappoint on that front.Valet Parking at Roppongi Hills P1 near Diya

3 Comments

  1. Pingback: Nirvanam – Original South Indian, Kerala style food in Tokyo | Experience Tokyo – Travel, Discover and Explore

  2. Devesh Singh

    Reply

    Thanks for sharing. Have been there many times but didnt know they have good biriyani too, will try next visit.

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