Airport food that is actually worth the trip: the briyani at PappaRich T2

Order the briyani. Fragrant rice, tender meat, and a curry on the side you will finish with a spoon.

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Nobody plans a meal around an airport, and chain restaurants rarely earn a review. PappaRich on Level 3 of Terminal 2 is the exception on both counts, for one reason: the briyani is the speciality here, and it shows.

The briyani

The rice is the kind you hope for and rarely get: long-grain basmati, streaked yellow with turmeric and saffron, fluffy and separate, fragrant with whole spices. It is not oily and it is not wet. The meat comes in a dark, peppery, herb-heavy masala that has clearly had time to cook down, and it is tender enough to break with a fork.

Everything around it

A hard-boiled egg, a crisp papadum, a spoon of achar with onion and cucumber to cut the richness, and a proper sambal with real heat. The small bowl of curry gravy on the side is the secret weapon. Pour it over the rice a little at a time.

The rest of the menu

The nasi lemak and the Hokkien mee are fine but ordinary. This is a briyani place that happens to serve other things.

Worth knowing

It is in the public area, so you do not need a boarding pass. It is also a good answer to the question of where to eat when you are picking someone up at 10pm. Airport pricing applies, but the portion is big enough to share if you add a side.