BIRYANIs @ Yahalla Alexandria

In Alex, there are two restaurants that I know serving Biryani, the Hadramaut Restaurant at Mandharah & Samouhah and our favorite one, the Ya Halla Restaurant near Abu Bakar As Siddiq Masjid at Khalid Ibn Walid district. For any Malaysian travelers who visit Alexandria and missed the Malaysian-Indian food – the Biryani Rice or Nasi Beriyani in malay or to have their customary break, I would recommend Ya Halla Restaurant. It serves varieties of Biryani (Biryani Lamb is commendable) and other types of Arabic cuisine with reasonable price. The two-storey restaurant is very pleasant and the services are remarkable. The only shortfall is most of their staff does not speak English. However, the menu pamphlet will provide you some help.
Biryani, or beriani is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice (usually basmati) and meat, fish or chicken. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) which means "fried" or "roasted". A little bit history, based on my reading, it was brought to the Indian Subcontinent from Persia by Muslim travelers and merchants. The Indian then, customized it to various style and taste that suited the locals. Hence, get its names and popularity.
During the Datin Mahyun and her family visit to Alex 14 and 15 February 2010, Adnan, her son brought us to Ya Halla for a family dinner. That night I asked for Biryani Chicken and shared with Nana. Believe me people, if you are not hungry, you will not be able to finish that one plat of rice – it was an Arabic standard serving plate. Also with us was, Yusmadi, M Rosdi, Ahmad Zaidi, Kamarul, ASI and his wife Dorin, cheered up the day.