A spread from a Shiraz outlet

Shiraz Golden Restaurant, the eatery famed for its biryani and chaap, has recently disappeared from its place of pride at 56 Park Street. But don’t fret — not only has a temporary outlet opened on the other side of the busy thoroughfare, at 135 Park Street, you can also expect it to return to its original spot by late 2010, though in new surroundings as the ground floor anchor of Hotel Shiraz.

Construction began in January for the Rs 10 crore, seven-storeyed property (basement plus six floors) that will house 44 rooms, including four suites and a banquet hall. In addition to Shiraz and its spread of Mughlai food, the hotel will have a multi-cuisine restaurant on the first floor.

“Our clients from Bangladesh wanted us to open a hotel,” says Ishtiaque Ahmad, director, Shiraz Hotels (P) Ltd. “We chose this address because it is centrally located and happened to be available,” he adds. Business travellers and tourists are the clientele Shiraz hopes to attract to its 32,000sq ft premises with basement parking for 20 cars.Born back in 1941, 56 Park Street was the first Shiraz address. And though it has branched out to 10 more locations, this flagship store remains the most popular one. “This was a partnership between my father, the late Md Arshad Ali and his friend, the late Md Hussain,” says Ahmad.

The eatery went by the name Golden Restaurant till it was re-christened Shiraz Golden Restaurant on August 15, 1970. Occupying the ground floor, it had 70 seats. In 1985, an air-conditioned level was added on the floor above. And in 1993, the eatery was further expanded to accommodate the Garden Restaurant on the terrace.

The Shiraz menu, too, has seen quite a few changes. Beef-based dishes were done away with in 1970. “In the past 10 years, we have added a lot of tandoori and Indian items,” says Ahmad. Biryani, chaap (chicken and mutton) and Pasinda Kebab are some of the most-wanted dishes at Shiraz.

“The head cook, Md Shamsuddin, was with the restaurant till his death,” says Ahmad. And it is his recipes that are used in Shiraz’s kitchen even today. Ahmad believes that it is this traditional touch that brings people back time and again. Apart from being a favourite destination for many a Calcuttan, Shiraz has tempted its share of famous faces, including Shabana Azmi and M.F. Husain, with its biryani, kebabs, chaap, rezala and firni.

“At our Park Street restaurant, we have a footfall of 1,000 regularly. Some who had moved to other restaurants have come back,” says Ahmad. The competition has heated up of late. “There was a time when we were the only ones making this kind of food in south Calcutta,” recalls Ahmad.

For some, that holds true even now.