it’s well past midnight now and i have just finished off some very demanding work – it’s got me wanting something familiar and comforting, something with a little heart and heat that won’t scar my guts. i think my fondness for biryani is no secret. or is it? well, in any case, let me make amends. biryani, like my man mohamed amin didi declared, is the raanee of rice.

however, the hour does put limits on where you can eat a meal let alone the dish i am after. i decide on seahouse, an easy decision but it’s not a place i find myself at often. except on certain thursday nights when i’m dead beat and wanting some grub before turning myself off for most of the day.

i call them to preorder the meal. it’ll take 20 minutes, they say. not bad. i don’t know if you’ve noticed but calling just about any place ahead of time and preordering saves a LOT of waiting. for some strange reason, it doesn’t produce results as quickly if you’re already IN the restaurant and ordering – outside orders are given priority.

and call me a weirdo but i like eating alone from time to time, especially at these hours.

even at midnight the restaurant is packed.

i tell the servers by the counter, and my god are there many here, that i ordered a beef biryani.

‘it’s ready sir, sit down,’ says one and so i do.

so, a sea house biryani involves paaparu, raita, and rice. i take a bite from the fragrant basmati. it’s good. very good. i scoop some raita on it. even better! then i try some beef.

AAH!

THIS is where it goes south. the beef is sauteed for some reason, not just cooked. who the hell likes FRIED beef in their biryani? it’s an almost criminal deviancy.

but i eat up the rice which i honestly can’t find fault with. perhaps i should’ve had chicken but my soul was screaming for some red meat.

once it’s over, i sit back and look through the windows at the bobbing boats in orange-lit sea. and the taste of beef fades from my tongue. a melody runs through me, soft and uplifting – and for a brief moment me and my little world with all our faults feel justified.