We've enjoyed Royal Biriyani quite a few times. They're full of meat, packed with flavour, offered as hefty portions and don't do a number on your wallet. In fact, their chicken biriyani was listed as one of the most iconic chicken biriyanis in Colombo.
Royal Biriyani has been a hole-in-the-wall kinda establishment for the past decade or so, but now, they've got a better place, with a bigger dining space.
But is the food still good? We investigated.
Biriyani & Other Things
The menu is pretty much the same. On the food side, they've got biriyani, BBQ, rotis and curries, and a range of milkshakes, juices, soft drinks and lassi to wash them down.
This Chicken Biriyani (Rs. 480) surprised us, but unfortunately, not in a good way. From the presentation to quality to flavour, it didn't resemble any of the chicken biriyanis we've had at Royal Biriyani in the past couple of years.
Let us show you a picture from just 3 months ago.
See the difference?
The previous version had this lovely flavour mingle of sweet, sour and spicy, which is not something we could taste in this rendition. It was quite mild in flavour due to the lack of spices, while the rice itself was quite dry.
The Mutton Biriyani wasn't exciting either. While the mutton itself seemed to have a good curry kick, but it was all bones and skins. There was no meat in sight.
We had to drown our biriyani plates in the gravy and raita-like curd-onion combo to bring out some flavour.
Despite the oily texture, the Beef Keema (Rs. 450) tasted good. With an intense curry flavour, which didn't overpower the fresh beefy taste, it also featured a few pieces of potatoes.
This one would pair up well with some naan, which, unfortunately, was not available as it wasn't past 6.00 PM.
Royal Biriyani does a good Sweet Lassi (Rs. 360). Quite rich, thick in texture and very refreshing. 
The Passion & Mint (Rs. 360) was a delicious drink. While the mint part seems to have lost in the making, it still is a very good passion fruit juice.
Ambience & Service
Remember the Yaal Restaurant down Marine Drive? Royal Biriyani occupies that building now. There's a counter downstairs for your takeaway orders, and the upstairs is for dine-in. It's nothing fancy, but quite spacious than their old place.
The service wasn't warm nor welcoming but was fast. They made sure to keep their masks on, and maintained their distance as they take our orders and deliver them to the table.
Conclusion
We expected better things from the new Royal Biriyani. It still offers comparatively competitive rates for biriyani, but we sincerely hope that they'd get back on the right track soon.
