A biryani restaurant chain in Singapore has captured eyeballs with its recent promotional video.
In a TikTok video on July 25, Zara Salahuddin introduced Bismillah Biryani Restaurant’s signature biryani and other dishes in Mandarin.
“A little something for our Mandarin-speaking friends… If you haven’t visited us yet, we’d love to welcome you,” Zara wrote.
“And yes… my Mandarin still needs work. If you have any suggestions to help me improve, I’d genuinely love to hear them in the comments.”
@bismillahbiryanisg A little something for our Mandarin-speaking friends. ❤️ If you know someone who loves biryani and speaks Mandarin, send this to them! We’ve been serving biryani for over 20 years, and while it’s our best-selling dish, we also serve a wide range of Indian favourites. We’re also honoured to have received the Michelin Bib Gourmand for 9 consecutive years. If you haven’t visited us yet, we’d love to welcome you. And yes… my Mandarin still needs work 😅 If you have any suggestions to help me improve, I’d genuinely love to hear them in the comments. Our locations are at: 📍50 Dunlop street 📍76 Shenton way 📍Jurassic Nest Food Hall at Gardens by the Bay 📍NUS UTown 📍NTU North Spine Plaza
While speaking Mandarin in the video was not easy for Zara, it has since garnered over 280,000 views and more than 300 comments, with some netizens giving suggestions for new videos.
One wrote: “Lets do Malay, Mandarin, Tamil and English all in one video for National Day.”
“Next time I’m in Singapore, I will go there. I love biryani,” another netizen commented.
Speaking to AsiaOne on Friday (July 31), Zara shared the inspiration behind the viral video.
It came from an instance where she tried to communicate with Chinese tourists who were dining at the restaurant.
“They were very patient with my slow and broken Mandarin as I was trying to explain the menu to them,” she said.
As she was leaving the restaurant that day, Zara thought it would be interesting to promote the restaurant’s biryani in Mandarin.
“We had previously done videos in Mandarin but they were purely images of food with text on screen. I guess having an actual person speak worked way better,” she told us.
When asked about the public’s reactions to the video, Zara said that she is glad to see more Mandarin-speakers learning about the eatery.
Bismillah Biryani Restaurant is a family business has been operating in Little India for 20 years.
It is known for its signature biryani that is served with a side of raita (spiced yogurt) as well as other North Indian fare such as curries and kebabs.
The eatery has also been featured in the Michelin Bib Gourmand for all editions of the Michelin Guide Singapore since its launch 10 years ago.
The culinary guide recommended the restaurant’s lamb shank biryani for its “fork-tender texture and meaty flavour” and said that its haleem, mutton nihari and aloo gobi are also good choices.
Bismillah Biryani Restaurant has branches at Shenton Way, Gardens by the Bay, Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore.
Zara and her brother are the restaurant’s second generation owners. While she wears many hats, her focus is on marketing, she told us.
Address: 50 Dunlop St, Singapore 209379
Opening hours: 11.30am to 8.30pm daily
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
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