Chicken Biryani and Rice Bowls in Northwood Hills

Chicken Biryani is £7.95. Aromatic rice with spiced chicken, served with salad and mint sauce.

The important word on the board is limited. It is made in a set quantity each day rather than to order all evening, so when it is gone it is gone. If you are coming specifically for the biryani, come earlier rather than later, particularly at the weekend.

That is also why it is worth phoning ahead on 01923 918456 if you are travelling for it rather than passing through.

The salad and mint sauce come with it as standard. It is served as a bowl rather than a spread, so it is a one-person meal rather than something to share, and at £7.95 it is the most substantial single plate on this section of the menu.

The chicken is halal, like everything else here. There is a halal roundel on the entrance door if you want to see it before you order.

With it, a regular Karak Chai at £3.50 or a Nimbu Pani at £3.00 both work.

Chicken Curry & Rice is £6.95. Homestyle chicken karahi in a spiced gravy on pilau rice.

Karahi is the everyday way of cooking chicken at home in a lot of South Asian kitchens, and homestyle is the honest word for what this is. It is not a restaurant curry with a heavy finished sauce. It is a spiced gravy on rice, and it is the order for a Tuesday evening rather than an occasion.

At £6.95 it is a pound less than the biryani and it does not run out in the same way, which makes it the reliable choice if you are arriving late.

The pilau rice underneath is the same rice used across the section.

If you want to add something to it, Chips are £2.50, Masala Chips are £2.95 and a Samosa ×2 is £3.95. A Plain paratha at £4.95 also works alongside a curry if you would rather have bread than more rice.

Everything is served from 9:00 until 23:00, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday, so this is available as a late dinner rather than a lunch-only option.

Veg Biryani is £5.95 and is marked V on the menu. Basmati layered with spiced vegetables, fried onions and fresh herbs.

It is the cheapest rice bowl and it is a proper dish rather than the chicken biryani with the meat taken out. The layering and the fried onions are what make a biryani a biryani, and both are there.

Vegetarians get a real range across this menu rather than one dish, which is worth saying plainly. Alongside the veg biryani there is the Desi Breakfast at £8.95, Halwa Puri & Chana at £8.95, the Masala Omelette at £4.95, the Plain, Cheese and Aloo parathas from £4.95, the Paneer wrap at £4.95, Pani Puri at £5.95, Vadapav at £4.95, the Bombay Grilled Sandwich at £5.45 and Cheesy Nachos at £6.95.

All of those are marked with a V on the board rather than left for you to work out.

If you are ordering for a mixed table, the Veg Biryani at £5.95 and the Chicken Biryani at £7.95 come out looking like the same meal, which is the point.

The Healthy Munchbox is £6.95. Shredded tandoori-style chicken on pilau rice with salad and white sauce. The board files it under for the gym freaks, which is how the menu puts it and a fair description.

It is the plainest thing in the section. Shredded chicken rather than pieces in gravy, salad on the side, and sauce you can use or not.

If you are eating here regularly and do not want a heavy plate every time, this is the one that repeats well. It is also the easiest of the four to eat quickly if you have a train to catch across the road.

Between the four bowls: the Chicken Biryani at £7.95 is the treat, the Chicken Curry & Rice at £6.95 is the everyday one, the Veg Biryani at £5.95 is the vegetarian one, and the Munchbox at £6.95 is the light one.

All four are halal. All four are on Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats, and rice bowls are among the better things to have delivered from this menu.

For a table rather than one person, the Family Platter is £49.95. It includes four samosas, four seekh kebabs, two biryanis, two loaded chips, any two fresh parathas and four mocktails.

The kitchen also does catering, family platters and Iftar boxes. Send the details through the enquiry form on the contact page or call 01923 918456, and give as much notice as you can for a large order.

Cha Cha Chai Northwood Hills is at 56 Joel Street, Northwood Hills, Northwood HA6 1PA. We are directly opposite Northwood Hills station on the Metropolitan line, about thirty seconds from the platform exit. The H11 and 282 buses stop on Joel Street outside the door, and there is free and pay-and-display parking on Joel Street and the surrounding side roads.

We open at 9:00 seven days a week, serving until 23:00 Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

If the biryani is what you are coming for, remember it is limited daily and come earlier in the day.