The Best Biryani in the World

Yet another memorable meal--I've just eaten the Best Biryani in the World at a little cafeteria in central Delhi. I say "little" because the space itself is not that big, though my friends have told me that this cafeteria serves about 3000 people a day. And I will say that, unlike everywhere else in India, this cafeteria serves like a well-oiled machine. 

Here's how it works. You push your way through a crowd at the door to the front counterman where you choose from a limited menu of options. Basically, you can get chicken Biryani (the Sunday special), all you can eat vegetarian thali or all you can eat meat thali. Once you've paid up (about $2.50 for the biryani), some other guy whisks you away to a long table where a server promptly slaps a plate of biryani in front of you. The place is loud, crowded, hot and not for the faint of heart. But the biryani is so god damn delicious I may be coming back every Sunday.

On the other hand, there's this little dessert/palate cleansing thing that you can buy on the way out called paan. It's basically spiced sugar wrapped in a leaf. Without further commentary, I'll let you, gentle reader, derive from the below pictures how I felt about paan.