Kozhikode’s Paragon Restaurant, known for its authentic Malabari food, recently had a visitor who travelled 2,000 miles only to taste their famous biriyani. Khalid Al Ameri, an Emirati YouTuber, vlogger, and digital content creator, flew all the way to Kerala to savour the much-loved Paragon biriyani while documenting the whole experience on video.
Khalid’s vlog, which has now gone viral, begins with him dressed in a white shirt and a Kerala mundu, bang in the middle of a road in Kozhikode. He is holding an umbrella, marvelling at the rain. He then goes to the beautiful Kozhikode beach along with a popular Malayali food vlogger known by the handle Basims Plate, where he entertains viewers with some very witty commentary of the view, only to be chased into his car by a bull.
Before heading to Paragon, the duo try the lava fish fry – fish coated in an intensely spicy marinade – in another restaurant, served with rice and other accompaniments on a banana leaf. Basim warns Khalid that the fish may be a tad bit too spicy for him, but after tasting it, he gives it a ten on ten.
Finally, Khalid and Basim reach the iconic Paragon restaurant, where they are greeted by a family who is waiting for tables to vacate so that they can eat. They tell Khalid how they prefer to have the Paragon biriyani though it is a dish made in their own homes very often. A visibly surprised Khalid then builds up the excitement by stepping into the kitchen where he meets the chef of the famed biriyani he is about to have. The two share an endearing moment when Khalid asks the chef what the one thing is that is key to an amazing biriyani. “Love,” the chef replies, elevating the hype further for Khalid to have a taste of what he travelled 2,000 miles for.
Khalid is then served his chicken dum biriyani, and as he eats the first morsel, an expression of absolute contentment washes over him. He gives Basim a high-five with a wide smile and says he is speechless. “Speechless…I am sorry I am quiet, I know I should be speaking right now but I don’t often embrace these moments in life…absolutely loved it,” he says.
Besides YouTube vlogging and digital content creation, Khalid is also into business and philanthropy. His YouTube channel has 2.31 million subscribers and his Paragon biriyani video has crossed nine lakh views in just four days.
Kozhikode’s Paragon restaurant had recently been ranked 11th in a list of the 150 most legendary restaurants in the world by Taste Atlas, an online travel guide for traditional food that has catalogued over 10,000 foods and drinks across the world.
Watch Khalid Al Ameri’s biriyani video here: