Master & Master Biryani Centre

Our place is at No. 1 Toll Gate in Uttamarkovil, right on the Samayapuram Main Road in Trichy. It’s a busy spot because of all the people traveling through to the temple. Master & Master Biryani Centre has been around this part of Trichy for a bit. We use large aluminum pots that have seen better days, but they get the job done. The firewood smoke can get in your eyes sometimes if the wind blows the wrong way. We start very early, chopping heaps of onions and mint leaves. There’s a lot of heavy lifting involved with the rice bags and the water cans. The floor is concrete, and it gets stained with spices, so we’re always scrubbing it down. We don't have air conditioning, just a couple of ceiling fans that hum all day long. When the lunchtime rush hits, it’s a bit of a scramble to serve everyone. We don't really have a menu printed on fancy paper; usually, we just tell people what we have left. Sometimes the meat isn't exactly the cut someone wanted, but that's what was at the market that morning. We just try to get the food out hot. It’s a noisy, busy environment with a lot of clattering of spoons and loud talking. That’s just how it is at the Toll Gate area in Uttamarkovil. We close when the last pot is empty and the day is done.