Their first outlet was a very small one with a seating arrangement for about 40 people. The space wasn’t clean and especially their hand washing station and kitchen entrance were questionable in terms of hygiene. Regardless, for students affordability is more of a concern than hygiene (sadly). Their new location is now at Bashundhara Gate (right opposite to Jamuna Future Park) and is quite an upgrade from their previous one. The restaurant is quite furnished with oversized fancy chairs. Despite of having a rush since they were offering a 25% discount on their grand reopening, they didn’t increase the price of their prior items and the service provided to 7 of us was quite satisfying.
After having tried 2 or 3 of their biryanis, I am convinced that the Tandoori Chicken Biryani is the best in their menu. Here’s why: Firstly, the quantity is more than enough for one person. In fact, at times it gets way too much for me. Secondly, the piece of chicken that comes with it is quite huge. Finally, the unlimited eggplant chutney and salad compliment the dish really well. The only down of this dish is that the chicken tends to get dry at times which makes it difficult to swallow. It was an occasional scene at their previous outlet and it was disappointing to find the chicken dry at my visit to their new outlet as well.
How my experience was turned around though, was through ordering a Butter Chicken. Since there was a discount going on, I dared to try a new item from their menu and now this order is going to be a regular for me. The butter chicken can be easily shared by two people. It had a rich, creamy, and slightly sweet gravy with bite sized pieces of chicken. While it is quite unusual to pair biryanis with butter chicken, the dryness of the Tandoori biryanis was balanced out with the gravy of the butter chicken.
Jafran will remain a top pick for me as long as I am studying at North South University. It’s affordable, quick, and filling for days when you are not in the mood for cafeteria food.