Kochi | Restaurants, Food Courts & Eateries

[mohammedirshad06]

Originally Posted by Malayaali

Would love to have my fav. chicken dish in Kochi. But i feel Nandos hasn't really got into the Indian market and once it start spotting, Kochi has to be in the list. I was expecting Nandos in Lulu, but it seems nothing has been moved on that side.

No Malayaali....

Nandos do have its Indian Operations started in 2010.... They opened several units in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore etc.... Some have closed down as its not too popular to Indian tastes.... Currently they have only two restaurants... One in Bangalore and one in Chandigarh....

They have recently, 3 months back, launched a totally new Indianized Menu and tasting it in Indian Markets.... If successful, surely you can find one in Kochi too.......



Nando's Restaurant in Blore... Its in Church Street.....

Check their Indian FB Page

http://www.facebook.com/NandosIndia

[keralite]

We have Fried Chicken Restaurent chains even in rural towns in Kerala. why not Nandos? Kerala, I read elsewhere is 96% Non-Vegetaraian(owing to fish?) population. Such Chains serving Beef Steaks are more welcome.

[Malayaali]

Originally Posted by mohammedirshad06

No Malayaali....

Nandos do have its Indian Operations started in 2010.... They opened several units in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore etc.... Some have closed down as its not too popular to Indian tastes.

I was mentioning the same. It has negligible presence compared to the size of the country. I don't accept that the reason for its closing down is attributed to its taste. I am more of an Indian dish habituate and i really like its taste.

[Arunz]

[DileepKS]

Chickking sucks!!!

After a long time, I ordered delivery of chickking. The guy who took the order had no clue what he is doing. Then they delivered after an hour and a half. I ordered combo burgers, but they brought in singles, all wrapped in a carry bag. The burgers are of half the size the last time I remembered, contain no lettuce/tomato and barely any mayo.

Good for them!!

[Malayaali]

Subway is open now!

[home@kochi]

Thats a great news that we have Subway open, back again at kochi.
M.G Road one closed 2 yrs back.
They should have opened it in Gold Souk or Nucleus

[NeeChalee]

Originally Posted by home@kochi

Thats a great news that we have Subway open, back again at kochi.
M.G Road one closed 2 yrs back.
They should have opened it in Gold Souk or Nucleus

Its great that subway has come to kochi again. I do hope they get enough business to stay on. I love the subs. Would love to go and get some on weekends.

[NeeChalee]

Originally Posted by mohammedirshad06

No Malayaali....

Nandos do have its Indian Operations started in 2010.... They opened several units in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore etc.... Some have closed down as its not too popular to Indian tastes.... Currently they have only two restaurants... One in Bangalore and one in Chandigarh....

They have recently, 3 months back, launched a totally new Indianized Menu and tasting it in Indian Markets.... If successful, surely you can find one in Kochi too.......



Nando's Restaurant in Blore... Its in Church Street.....

Check their Indian FB Page


http://www.facebook.com/NandosIndia

I dont get it, Nandos suits my taste and im Indian. I used to buy the sauce from them and have it with rice hehe. Im guessing the restaurant did not do well because the taste was not the same and the service was not very good. If you go to Nandos in UK, the air itself is so good in the restaurant. We had to que in for getting a seat there and most of the ppl who came there were South asians

[Malayaali]

- Hotel Presidency, Ekm North, Cochin

Please post reviews if anyone here have tried their cuisines.

[Malayaali]

Flavours of Tokyo

Chef Akinori Nishyoka at Tokyo Bay

Japanese chef Akinori Nishyoka has a tall order on his hands. As master chef of Tokyo Bay, the first Japanese restaurant in Kerala opened recently at Hotel Presidency in Kochi, he has the huge task of familiarising a cuisine that is new to city folks.

“Lots of raw fish” is the common notion about Japanese food, but an experience at the restaurant alters the view.

Different

The food culture of the island nation is “too much different,” from Indian, says the chef. And it is not just about “no spice, raw fish, soya bean and radish.”

Indian food is mixed in the plate and savoured, but Japanese food in mixed in the mouth. “Hot” in Japanese sensibility is “very, very hot”. The meats are 100 per cent boneless. Japanese taste is very simple; sometimes it is only soya sauce. It is 50 to 60 per cent vegetables. It is close to nature food and hence healthy, sums up the chef, who takes extra effort to explain the subtle nuances of the cuisine. Heavy frying, slow sautéing and grinding pungent spices are cooking methods alien to Japanese food, he says.

Tokyo Bay is elegantly done, very much in the Japanese style of simple straight lines. The walls have prints depicting the life of the land from a samurai warrior to a geisha girl and the famous wave paintings. The seating is smartly appointed with exclusive areas marked by half curtains called ‘noren'. For an authentic experience of savouring the cuisine in the Japanese style, which is while sitting on the floor, there is a ‘tatami' room, with chic sunken seating. You remove your footwear and step into the room cordoned off by a screen door. The room can host six to 12 people and is right for having a small get-together.

At noon, before the diners arrive the place is quiet and in preparation. We choose to sit in the tatami room to get a feel of the culture. The chef and the restaurant in-charge, Joey Bhogal speak warmly and earnestly explaining every little novelty. The chef declares that he is worried about our response to the cuisine. He has cleverly chosen to rustle up a middle course for us- “some Indian, some Japanese”. The chicken mince balls are a perfect easy starter with not much of a mystery to it. This is followed by the crispy and ever popular tempura, which will be loved by everybody. It is crispy fried seafood, vegetables, which one has to dunk in soya sauce in which grated radish and a wee bit of ginger paste has been mixed. One eats by dipping the fried piece into the sauce. Horse radish, soyabean and tofu are staple vegan ingredients.

Fried chicken bits in soya is another wonderful starter which we enjoy eating. The squids gently sautéed with green peppers and rolled in light soya sauce is more Japanese than Indian and tasty.

Sushi for you

From the middle course one moves on to the more authentic and the known and relished sushi. For initiation, there are sushi prototypes in plastic, and one learns about seaweed wrap, sticky rice, wasabi (soyabean paste) and different fillings. One learns about the Americanised version and the fast food versions of this Japanese staple preparation.

The Miso soup is light and tangy made from soyabean paste. Shallots and fish sauce give it its unique flavour. Served in lacquer bowls, it is a perfect starter. The sushi bar, which is central to the restaurant, also has the yakitori machine, which is for barbequed meats, the tepannyaki counter for the steaks, foods that are popular and easy for Indian palates. Go for these and also try out the sticky rice served with chicken and egg. Seafood is the speciality and the versions available will take you from the popular variants to the authentic Japanese styles. Try them and have a complete Japanese experience. Japanese food spells taste and presentation and hence comes at a price.

The other handy facility at the restaurant is an attractively done children's room to keep them busy while you savour a slow, gentle eating out.

Engage yourself in learning to eat with chopsticks, which is quite a learning, but a happy one at that. And once mastered, you can gobble up the new tastes and flavours quickly and completely and stand converted as we did.

From the seventh floor at Tokyo Bay, we take in the view of a changing city that has space for a restaurant with a distinctive cuisine like this. It speaks a lot about the foodies out here.

[Malayaali]

From the Malabar kitchens

If summers are synonymous with blazing sun and never ending sweating, for foodies they are also a season to rejoice, munching the best delicacies to be found around at food fests. While sandwich, burgers and biriyani fests are the talk of the town, here is a food festival which stands out in terms of taste and uniqueness. The ongoing Mappila Food Fest at Spice Route, Oberon Mall serves you authentic Malabar delicacies. Ask the sous chef Sudheesh Gopi why they went in for Malabar style food this year, and he says, “It is vacation time and a lot of people from the northern part of Kerala visit the mall, so appealing to their appetites was a natural choice for us.”

Unlike any other fest, in the Mappila fest foodies are welcomed with the traditional refreshing drink ‘nannari sarbath’ which is famous for its cooling effects. As Malabar is a coastal area and famous for sea foods, for starters either one has the choice of crab or prawn soup to sip in. The signature dish of the chef comes in the form of ‘kozhi nirachathu’ and kozhi nirthi porichathu which are the favourites among Muslims in Malabar. As the name suggests, Kozhi nirachathu is stuffed with boneless chicken which is steeped in with spicy marinade while in kozhi nirthi porichathu, whole chicken is deep fried in Malabar masala. Both are priced above ` 320. These dishes have to be ordered separately and are not included in the buffet.

One’s taste buds are tickled merely by seeing the vast menu spread out. Pathiris are an important part of the Malabar diet. There are stuffed pathiris made from mutton, fish and prawn to munch on. Another dish is ‘mutton liver kurumulakittathu’ and ‘sea food masala’ which is a mix of prawn, crab and other sea fish. Ask him the secret of achieving a ‘homely’ taste, and chef Sudheesh says, “We want our dishes to taste like homemade food. And for that, all the masalas and spices are grounded in our kitchen only. From rice powder needed to make pathiri to chilli required for the curries are ground in our kitchen.” Kozhi anam made from pure coconut milk with onion, tomato and coconut goes well with appam.

How can a Malabar food fest end without having its traditional snack and dessert items. And at Spice Route one can find a spread of traditional desserts like ‘kaay ada’, ‘unnakaya’, ‘taripola’ and ‘chatti pathiri’ to gorge on.
And to end all this heavy and fulfilling dinner, there is a surprise drink that awaits you. The traditional ‘sulaimani’ that is consumed by people from Malabar having a heartfelt meal makes one feel extremely content and happy. The fest which is on till May 20 is priced at ` 375 during lunch and ` 425 for dinner. The restaurant time is from 12 pm - 3.30 pm and 7 pm - 10.30 pm.

[Malayaali]

High on food

The car hesitates near the Government Ayurveda College at Tripunithura before it stops for directions. “Mullapanthal! Which way?” and a man points to the right. While the car purrs its way down the road, it is difficult to forget the man’s impish smile and the ‘I-know-what-you-are-doing-this-summer’ look.

As the car squeezes itself into a space at the destination, to say Mullapanthal is a ‘colorful’ haunt would be befitting. Bright shades of pink, yellow and green jump off walls and the loud colour code is the shack’s signature. Amidst the vibrant riot, a black and white sign stands tall - kallu. As one steps over the threshold into the notoriously famous Mullapanthal shaapu, the faint smell of jasmine plays the perfect host.

Inside, bottles of toddy sit pretty on tables painted in all colours imaginable. Left hands caress glassfuls of the tappers’ bounty. On the right, platefuls of the choicest meat let tastebuds run amok. And as friendly waiters reel off the a la carte food menu, one can simply revel in being spoilt for choice.

Karimmen Pollichathu (fish clothed in spices and cooked in plantain leaf) is indeed a ‘prize catch’ at ` 150 and the signature shaapu preparation leaves nothing to imagination. Karimeen fry, priced between ` 80 and 200 and cooked to perfection is a seafood lover’s manna. The combination of karimeen curry and kappa (baked tapioca) scores a perfect five on five. And when the waiter lands platter fulls of prawns ularthiyathu (` 100 ONLY!), one is bound to be a Mullapanthal fan for life!

When the meat arrives, it does so in style. While beef and pork live up to their reputation of being perfect ‘touchings’, tender rabbit meat, wrapped in pepper and spices, is bliss every mouthful. At Rs 100 per plate, the rabbit delicacy is a must-eat as it is not often available in restaurants. Duck, crab and quail roast make for a spicy affair too. Only appam, puttu and chapathi are served and rice is strictly off the menu.

Unabashed by the display of gluttony, we mowed through platefuls of meat and struck conversation with Paul and Alice from Texas, USA at the adjacent table. In between mouthfuls of toddy, Paul narrates, “I am sipping toddy after 30 years and it never tasted this good. The rabbit meat had me at the first bite and I couldn’t wait for the word go before I tucked into the fish.” Alice adds, “I had only heard about the place from family and seen pictures. I knew I had to come here the next time we visited India and guess what, we’ll be coming back for more,” and she reaches for the next helping of kappa.

Mullapanthal shaapu is a toddy shop with a difference, and an attitude. For starters, it has a name unlike other toddy shops. It is the only toddy shop with its own website and has over a thousand reviews to its ‘name’. Further, it couldn’t care less about the ramshackle shack and the paint-peeled chairs that put off guests initially because it lets its food and toddy do the talking. And when the bill does not require guests to loosen their purse strings much, one can only soak in the good ‘spirits’. Also, women can leave their inhibitions behind when they step into Mullapanthal as private cubicles make dining here a family experience.

A sneak peak of the kitchen (a privilege extended to special guests) reveals five wonder-women and their recipes for a lip-smacking affair. While hot oil gurgles over meat in a uruli, placed over a traditional firewood stove, natural spices are sprinkled generously, and one sees the making of a kingly dish. “Food engane undaayirunnu?”, the question brings one down to earth and the reply says it all, “Adipoli!” After the brief stop, the journey hits the foodie’s highway to paradise again!

[e_arunsid]

Manorama news pgm Sambadyam abt Koch in food mall

It looks pretty big..

[Malayaali]

Thanks for sharing sid

Fantastic facility. They say it's the largest in South India.

2nd Haji Ali in Kochi. 3rd Golden Dragon.

Baiju says the facility, seating 1200, is full most of the days!

[DileepKS]

Today, around 2:30pm, for the first time we could not get a seat at the Oberon Food circle, and leave hungry. There were a lot of people waiting for seats to become free, so we found no point in adding to the crowd.

[e_arunsid]

Originally Posted by DileepKS

Today, around 2:30pm, for the first time we could not get a seat at the Oberon Food circle, and leave hungry. There were a lot of people waiting for seats to become free, so we found no point in adding to the crowd.

Its becoming really overcrowded...just highlights the fact that there is shortage . We badly need LULU. Hope it will open soon.

[The Adventurer]

Its the third haji ali... Edapally, mg road and food mall

[Malayaali]

Wow, 2nd is already there. Kochiites has accepted Haji Ali with big heart. Last time i went to MG Road outlet, it was still crowded at 12 in the night.

[Malayaali]

Tickling the taste buds

Behind the success of filmmaker Baiju Kottarakkara, there is a delectable story of the tastes of the world.

The man, who travelled around the world to make magic on celluloid, never failed to treat his palate with the exotic savories of every destination.

Locking the luscious flavours and transmitting those lip-smacking dishes to his homeland, Baiju last week opened a food mall in Kochi, the biggest of its kind in the State, which houses 12 acclaimed international and national brands with an irresistible menu offer on platter, right from Shappu curry to American Choupsey.

Inspired in design by a restaurant at the Universal Studios in Hollywood, the 22,000 sq ft space of the food mall in two floors at the Revenue Towers is a beautiful blend of nature and sophistication.

“It was during the time I was working with the Channel 4 and also while directing a Hollywood movie that I frequented this restaurant at Universal Studios. I wanted to try this out here,” says Baiju.

Some of the exquisite brands include, Chutneys — the Andhra-based restaurant which boasts of 60 varieties of dosas, the Cheezaria-pizza corner, the Sardar Pav Bhaji — with a whole range of different kinds of bhajis, the Kabab ji — the real taste of Arabia, Kerala’s first Bombay Haji Ali outlet, New York Fried Chicken and many more.

Baiju’s eyes glow bright and our mouth starts watering when he starts speaking about his personal favourite among them all, the Thani naadan restaurant.

He says, “Once you taste those ethnic delicacies like the duck roast and meen pollichathu, you simply can’t keep away from tasting it again and again.

Come August, a tribal food fest will be organised wherein tribals from remote parts of Kerala will be invited to prepare for us some of their mysterious curries which will surely make you spellbound.”

The filmmaker has not forgotten to include his fervour for films even within the food mall. With State’s first 7D theatre to be launched by the end of June, the mall will soon open a single screen 50 seater luxurious multiplex too.

He adds, “For perfect enjoyment, you can’t miss nourishing your skin too along with your taste buds.

Hence, I have brought a Thailand company which introduces sensation spa, realia zatio therapys, nail extension, etc. for the first time in the State.”

All said and done, if you think Baiju Kottarakkara’s food mall experience is going to burn a hole on your wallet, you are mistaken — every stall has reasonably priced boards beckoning you.

“Satisfaction is what I am looking out for, and not profit,” he says with an appetising smile spreading along.