Curry, tandoori and biryani: what's the difference
These three words show up again and again on any Indian menu, and it's easy to assume they're just different flavours of the same thing. They actually describe three different cooking techniques, not three spice levels.
Tandoori refers to anything cooked in the tandoor oven: meat marinated in yoghurt and spices, roasted at very high heat. Chicken tikka, whole tandoori chicken or lamb skewers are all examples. The result is charred outside, juicy inside, with a smoky edge.
Curry isn't a spice or a specific dish — it's any preparation with a sauce: meat, fish or vegetables slow-cooked in a blend of spices, tomato, onion and, depending on the dish, cream, yoghurt or coconut milk. This covers everything from a mild korma to a fiery vindaloo — the word "curry" just means there's a sauce.
Biryani is something else entirely: basmati rice layered and cooked with spices, fried onion and meat or vegetables, usually baked or sealed in a pot so the rice absorbs all the aromas. There's no separate sauce — the flavour is baked right into the rice.
You can see examples of each technique directly on our menu: the Tandoori section, the different curry variants, and biryani as its own dish. If you're unsure where to start, tandoori is usually the safest choice and curry the most versatile depending on how spicy you like it.