For Delicious Biryani, Beat It Out Of A Bamboo Stem
8 Days|July 06, 2017

The lamb shank biryani at 99 BISTRO comes with a show: it’s cooked in a bamboo trunk, brought to your table, then whacked lustily with a stick till its tasty contents tumble onto your plate.

Florence Fong
For Delicious Biryani, Beat It Out Of A Bamboo Stem

We are sceptical. Biryani cooked in a bamboo stem sounds like a cheap gimmick. Since when did pots go out of fashion? This comfy cafeteria-style halal eatery in a nondescript “adult-learning campus building” in Eunos claims to be the first in Singapore serving bamboo biryani. It says the method has roots in Indian tribal cooking, where the bamboo was used for its “health benefits and aroma”.

We are interrupted from our cynical train of thought when the waiter comes bearing a stout brown pole. Tick! Tack! Tock! He uses a thin wooden stick to hit the bamboo with short, sharp taps. A coriander leaf-studded hard boiled egg plops out clumsily onto our plate, followed by an urgent tumble of golden and orange-hued basmati rice. Then, a brief pause. The waiter thwacks the bamboo more vigorously in a strangely mesmerising sort of percussion rhythm, coaxing a large hunk of bone-in Australian lamb shank to hurtle out of its bamboo prison. That was fun — and it smells wonderful, too. But how does it taste?

Bamboo Biryani, $24 (feeds one hungry person, or two pax) 

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM 8 DAYSView all
What a G.E.M.!
8 Days

What a G.E.M.!

Hongkong singer and new Tag Heuer global ambassador G.E.M. TANG, in town recently for F1, has a “guilty indulgence” that will just make you feel more guilty about yours.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 06, 2016
The Twins Effect
8 Days

The Twins Effect

Is the local showbiz scene big enough for both JAYLEY and HAYLEY WOO to twin and win? We compare and contrast.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October 06, 2016
Wake-Up Call
8 Days

Wake-Up Call

Following SHINee frontman JONGHYUN's suicide after a long struggle with depression, fans and celebs are urging the K-pop industry to pay more attention to the well-being of their artistes.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 04, 2018
Coming Clean
8 Days

Coming Clean

Chart-topping British band CLEAN BANDIT, in town on Jan 22 for a gig, may be famous for using classical music in their hits, but that won’t stop them from collaborating with Beyoncé, as bassist Jack Patterson tells us over the phone.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 11, 2018
Wong Time Right Target
8 Days

Wong Time Right Target

The always-glam FANN WONG goes glum for her first major movie role in three years.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 22, 2016
Star Ship Troopers
8 Days

Star Ship Troopers

Space Travel is about to get more exciting. Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence, two actors already in Hollywood’s Stratosphere, take off this week for the Sci-Fi Romance Passengers.

time-read
10 mins  |
December 22, 2016
Sandra Riley Tang, 25
8 Days

Sandra Riley Tang, 25

The Sam Willo ws singer works out because “I really love to eat”. Yes, The Yoga Cofounder’s fad diet days are definitely over.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 29, 2016
Comme What May
8 Days

Comme What May

The man behind the Comme des F***down streetwear, Rusland Karablin, is so Zen (check out the mantra emblazoned on his swag), he doesn’t mind that everyone from Bugis to Bangkok is bootlegging his stuff.

time-read
5 mins  |
September 29, 2016
“My Parents Told Me: You're On Your Own Now”
8 Days

“My Parents Told Me: You're On Your Own Now”

Getting cut off financially by her folks turned Asia’s Next Top Model alum AIMEE CHENG- BRADSHAW into a “super frugal” model. Except when it comes to yoga and shoes.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 09, 2017
A Slice Of New York In Singapore
8 Days

A Slice Of New York In Singapore

WOLFGANG’S STEAKHOUSE at the new Intercontinental Singapore Robertson Quay offers an authentic NYC steakhouse dining experience. But be prepared to leave with a much emptier wallet and smelling of beef fat.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 09, 2017