Hot Pot Biriyani

Hot Pot Biriyani is a small place on Millers Road in Vasanth Nagar. We are located at number 19, which is quite close to the Empire Restaurant. Everyone in Bangalore knows Empire, so we just tell people we are near them. Our shop is much smaller and a lot less flashy. I spend most of my time standing over the big metal pots where the biryani sits. The steam makes my face sweat and the smell stays in my clothes all day. Vasanth Nagar is a busy area with a lot of offices and students from the nearby colleges. We get a big rush around 1 PM. It can be hard to find a place to stand, let alone sit, during that time. We use basic plastic plates and the spoons are the heavy metal kind. The floor is just plain cement and we have to mop it several times a day because things get spilled. I don't use a computer for the bills; I just write them down in a small notebook I keep in my pocket. Sometimes we run out of rice before the sun goes down, and then we just close up early. It’s a simple business. We don't try to compete with the big guys. We just cook our rice and meat and hope people like it enough to come back the next day. Sometimes the meat is a bit tougher than other days, but that's just how it goes with fresh supplies.