Biryani Palace — Restaurant in Victoria

I can not speak on the quality of their food, since I have never eaten here. The atmosphere is simple and nothing special, but I won't give it a rating (though, it would be a 1-2 to be honest. Nothing special). I am merely a courier driver, striving to hold companies/staff accountable.

With that said, I came in for an order, and was met by a man with his pulled back with a headband that I would wear as a little girl. He was shorter than me, and that should have given me a clue as to how the interaction would go. It started off okay, he said hello, and I said, "hello", and then I said I had an order for a very common Indian name. I've studied at school under someone with this name who I admire and was so grateful I got to study with him for a year. I have had friends with this name, and I'm not even Indian. It's actually a name I love because of how it rings off the tongue and into the ear. I said the name clearly (first name and the last name initial with it) and he said "okay" (I think he even repeated the name back to me 🤦🏽‍♀️), and he turned to grab an order that was sitting behind him. Then, he stops and asks me the name again, so I said it a bit louder (I was wearing a mask), & he asked me to show him my phone; but at this point, I was full on spelling out the 6 letter name, completely feeling taken back that he knew very well the name and the ONLY order there was mine. This was International Women's Day, and I'm a Black person; so honestly, I think he was just trying to flex machismo (because I'm a woman), and/or not believing me (because of the known truth about how we are looked at in some cultures, sadly, especially due to the caste system), even though he already went to grab the order after I told him the first time.

He then begins to try to lecture me after I said I repeated myself and I spelled it out, trying to reprimand me like I was not a grown, 41 year old woman; and instead, like someone who would take his bullying and ego-based notions. He berates me saying I was rude and that "i don't get to..." but by then, I tuned him out, finished picking up the order, and as I walked out the door I stated loudly, "thank you, have a nice day!"

I've won awards for my customer service and over 150 recognitions for the service I do. I maintain an average of 4.94 or higher on multiple platforms for my customer service since 2001. Part of customer service is being able to open our ears and hear people and not assume the worst (like someone is being dishonest about their order name, when you clearly reach for it after it is said the first time). Heckling, bullying and trying to be a big man for no reason, just shows how small some people are. Do better. Be kinder. You never know what someone is going through; and even though I have been having extremely hard days recently, I still gave him respect... even after he tried to raise him voice and make me small, acting like he was my father (or sadly, a husband).

Since I was raised by men, let me say that a man who thinks a woman is being "rude", when she isn't doing what he wants and he is feeling a loss of control when there is no need to feel threatened (and we were clearly on the same page from the start), then he may want to consider taking a moment to clean his ears, or reflect on why he would need to do unnecessary steps to do a simple task, especially when we are both speaking perfect English. Interactions like this are exactly why we need more International Women's Day celebrations because enough is enough. Women are tired of the few men who choose to try to belittle us, shame us publicly, or worse, when there's no reason to do so, except for maybe patriarchy, misogyny and misogynoir. Obviously, I don't know this man, and he doesn't know me; but, I'm old enough to know his type, and smart enough to know when someone is just being mean to be mean. I'm going to choose that misogynoir wasn't at play, but it smelled like it.

This world needs better humans. Find someone else to pick on; because I'm sure if I was a man, he...

Biryani Palace is a well-needed addition to the neighbourhood. Quadra Village is growing and has the potential to become a major cultural hub outside the downtown core. In my opinion, businesses like Biryani Palace show exactly how this should be done. From day one, it became clear that BP aims to offer a higher tier of quality and service than other perhaps less ambitious restaurants in the area (and sadly, those that occupied the same building). The food is consistently spectacular, generously portioned, very reasonably priced, and the menu is diverse without being overwhelming (sure wish the kulfi wasn’t always sold out though!). The owners are often present, welcoming and personable. Staff are very courteous, kind and attentive, always happy to answer questions about the menu items and engage in casual friendly conversation. The building (former home of the late San Remo and Pluto’s restaurants) is unique and has a pleasant and unpretentious feel, with various seating options depending on the size of your party and/or desire for privacy. Some of the Pluto’s decor remains but it is bright and cheerful and doesn’t seem too out of place. My experience at Biryani Palace has been consistently positive—it is quickly becoming my go-to spot and it’s clear that many others agree because it’s often packed, even in the middle of the week. It helps that it’s a 5 minute walk away, but it would be well-worth the effort even if it was a longer trip to get there. My favourite take-out in the neighbourhood remains Four Spice across the street, but since they don’t do dine-in, Biryani Palace serves a different niche. Personally I prefer to dine in at most restaurants because the food (in particular rice and flatbreads) is far better fresh, and I enjoy the atmosphere, music, aromas etc. I have ordered both take-out and dine-in at BP, but haven’t tried delivery yet as I live right around the corner. Both are great options but I suggest dining in at BP because the restaurant experience is wonderful, and the folks over at Four Spice are doing great work and put a huge amount of effort into their excellent take-out, if that’s what you’re after. Overall I’m very impressed with Biryani Palace and I think they deserve all the glory and success! It’s so nice to see the place full of happy customers—the surest sign that they are doing it right. See you again soon!

Favorite dishes: Lamb Kashmiri curry, goat curry, chicken lababdar, dal makhani, navratan korma, mint paratha (flatbread). Tandoori roti doesn’t seem to be on the menu, but I’ve ordered it several times; a lighter, more nutritious alternative to naan bread. The mango lassi is delicious (flavoured with fresh cardamom) but it is very sweet, more like a desert item. I suggest the cumin-flavoured salt lassi along with the meal as a...

At time of review, was told the restaurant was soft opening. Staff were nice but because most reviews prior to my visit were overhyped, there were way more customers pouring into this establishment than the crew can physically handle. The servers were clearly overwhelmed, the kitchen staff were working their caboose off competing with high volumes of takeout and a fully pack restaurant with fast turnover.

I brought a close work colleague with me with my visit and thank heavens I did because Pakistani cuisine is not my strong point and he helped me differentiate certain menu items that I am honestly less familiar with. Personally I ordered 3 items plus soup for myself while my buddy ordered one.

The food was overall good. The portions are okay, the taste is great. The food took quite a while to come so if you're here with company and not in a hurry, that's okay but not so much if you dine alone and are in time pinch. If I had any complaints, the tandoori fish was good in most parts but there are some parts that are too salty and I need water to help wash it down.

Drink menu was disappointing. After packing some heat, I wanted to order Mango Lassi for myself and my lovely colleague for accompanying me but they only had enough for one order so I reluctantly took it since I was less heat tolerant. Spicing was okay but if you're a native, the heat can pack more of a punch. Water refilling was slow to nonexistent which was not good for me since I needed lots of water with my meal. Perhaps a better idea is to leave a pitcher per table especially if the restaurant is too busy.

Upon leaving, there were POS issues with the machines or perhaps user error? They didn't separate the bill so my colleague gratuitously paid up front with tipping and I had to e-transfer afterwards but their machine kept on getting the thermal paper trapped so spent a very long time waiting for a printed receipt after paying.

Overall, the experience is okay but potentially it could be much better. Too much logistical hiccups caused the loss of stars but still would recommend this place. Come early for dine in because the restaurant went from 0 to 200 during our lengthy stay of nearly 2.5 hours (waiting to order, food arrival,...