Kairali Al Tanoor – a taste of the authentic tandoor restaurant

Kairali Al Tanoor – a taste of the authentic tandoor restaurant

By Mr & Mrs. Foody

The Midmac flyover is one of the busiest intersections in Doha under which runs one of the oldest roundabouts in town with a service road that leads to one of the finest tandoor restaurants in the city the Kairali Al-Tanoor

• Location: Get directions to reach Kairali
• Opening Hours: 8 am to 11.59 pm (All Days)
• Menu: Click here to get the full menu

It is a branch of the Kairali group of restaurants  – one the largest non-vegetarian chains in the city of Mangalore, Karnataka. It was founded in November 2000 offering authentic North/South Indian, Tandoor, Chinese and Mangalorean coastal cuisine.

One of the first things that catch our eyes as we enter the well-lit reception area is the open tandoor ovens placed strategically behind huge glass-paneled walls where bakers expertly dish out piping hot tandoori rotis from the oval pits.

Kairali literally means originating from Kerala and Tanoor means Tandoor in Arabic.

The restaurant as we experienced later stayed true to its name and fame of serving one of the best tandoori multi-cuisine meals in Qatar.

The aesthetically decorated upstairs dining area is a gentle blend of grey and brown with wooden matching furniture and a spacious yet intimate indoor seating blending seamlessly with perfect lighting and hygienically spotless interiors.

We are warmly greeted with the soft-spoken, affable youthful Rashad A Rehman, COO – Kairali Group of Restaurants who suggested we start with the cool complimentary melon fruit welcome drink.

As we scan through the elaborate menu, we are served with a lemon coriander soup that was mouth-wateringly delicious and something we had never tasted before. A perfect blend of lemon with a hint of coriander, not too tangy or lemony with succulent small pieces of chicken, set the right tone for starters to follow. The soup is also available in mutton and veg versions.

The starters were spicy but very succulent Angaraa Chicken Kebabs served with green mint chutney followed by grilled prawns that came in three different flavours of Haryali, Malai and Multani…all finger-licking good and served on sticks in a mini rectangular bar-bar-que container with a small chunk of simmering coal at the bottom to keep the grilled shrimps warm.

The main course was a creamy Punjabi Chicken Curry served in a silver coloured bowl tastefully plated with semi-circled cut tomatoes that lined the dish. Click here to get the full menu

The rotis accompanying the curry were traditional Kerala paratas and tandoori rotis but what stole the bread show and probably available only at Kairali was the typical soft but not oily or mushy Delhi nan that just melted the moment it touch the tongue – a specialty from the famous North Indian roti tavas of Kannilal and Munilal.

The chicken dish had spices cleverly toned down to compliment the earlier hot spicy Chicken Angaara.

The special Mutton Cholo rice flavoured in the biryani style had the right mix of masala and long rice and is one of their signature dishes. This rice version is also available in chicken and prawn versions. Beetroot pickle and Raita were complimentary sides that fitted perfected with the main course.

We washed these delicacies down with a delicious super cool signature mock-tail named Cinderella – a unique mixture of strawberry, litchi, orange, and pineapple.

The crème de la crème in the desserts was the homemade style cashew ice cream – not too sweet but cool and creamy topped with a cashew nut… if only they had 31 more other flavours! And a must was the traditional popular dessert  – the Hyderbadi Shahi Tukda – a typical deep-fried moist bread pudding.

All the dishes were reasonably priced with friendly service and the 108 seating is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  According to the Chief Chef, “All dishes are prepared by different chefs who specialize in that particular type of cuisine.”

The menu boasts of a wide variety of multi-sensory North/South Indian and Chinese cuisine ‘that marries bold flavours with exquisite presentation and signature dishes including Kerala Dry Chicken Biryani, Chicken Cheese Roll, Chicken 90, Prawns Butter Garlic and Boti Kebabs.’

The washrooms were well lit and extremely clean and well equipped with all the necessary toiletries, a feature some restos sadly lack.

While dining, COO Rashad took us down memory lane and recalled how his father A V Abdul Rahiman along with his partner K.P. Esmail discovered in the early 21^st century that there were practically no restaurants in Mangalore offering multi-cuisine fare. So the duo came up with an 18-room hotel and a restaurant named Kairali.

“Kairali started operations with well-maintained hygienic surroundings, the proper appearance of the service staff and the usage of top quality fresh ingredients which stood as different from what was then available. Gradually, the food became popular and a trademark for high quality and affordability, catering to both, the classes and the masses. Kairali soon became a well-known restaurant and a landmark for the guests in and around town,” Rashad said.

“Today, Kariali has four branches in Mangalore and employs over 200 staff. The brand name Kairali has become synonymous with Indian Multi Cuisine restaurants, catering to the demands of our patrons located all over Karnataka and our neigbouring state of Kerala. We believe in preserving the exquisite traditions of our Indian multi-cuisine and have plans to reach out to the world,” Rashad explained.

“Furthermore, we are making progress on our key 2018 initiatives. I love the fact that we are a passionate team with expertise in the resto business and serve a large and ever-growing customer base. The company has been growing steadily and is now seeking to dramatically accelerate growth. We are confident that with our unique economic model, we are all set to expand both nationally and internationally,” Rashad concluded.

In this day and age of social media, a host of other promo tools are readily available on fingertips but the ‘word-of-mouth’ mantra still stands firm – surpassing all other forms of advertising. And we as Mr & Mrs. Foody stepped out after a sumptuous dinner with the mutual thought that informing our family and friends of Kairali – Al Tanoor was a given.