Restaurants/Food Courts/Eateries in Trivandrum.

[ajithv]

A cruise through desi cuisine

The place has all the quintessential features of a countryside food joint - the counters made of coconut fronds, lungi clad cooks, clay pots, steaming samovar and Mollywood oldies filling the air. The Nattu Ruchi food festival going on at Biverah Hotel, Kumarapuram, has the spot on ambiance of a nadan eatery along with an array of ethnic treats you would hardly find in any of the city restaurants.

We start our nadan dine-out with super soft pathiris and ‘Thalassery attin curry’. The Malabar style mutton is succulent and spicy, and the gravy thickened with coconut. “We follow the original recipe and extra care is taken while roasting the grated coconut,” informs Rajesh A, chef. Next we move on to the inescapable item on an ethnic menu - ‘chenda kappa’ and ‘mathi vattichathu’. The fiery sardine curry perfectly complements the melt-in-mouth tapioca chunks and ‘mulaku idichathu’ is another side dish offered.

You can also try ‘kappa puzhukku’ or ‘kappa biriyani’, both prepared in desi style and served on plantain leaves. Another special item on offer is ‘erachi podi masala’. But the dry beef dish comes with a twist in its taste, “it’s because of the crushed urud dal we have added,” says the chef.

‘Unakkamulaku idicha kozhi varuthathu’, (chicken marinated overnight in a paste of dry chillies, shallots and garlic) is definitely something you wouldn’t want to miss and ‘Syrian beef curry’, the signature dish of the Nasrani kitchen, too is worth a try. ‘Kozhi pidi’, another Malabar speciality , is rice balls cooked in flavoursome chicken curry.

Another highlight of the fete is the slew of seafood delicacies starting from the yummy karimeen pollichathu. Crab, squid, mussels, oyster - you name it and they have it on their menu. Chemmeen ularthu (roasted prawns), koondal kurumulaku fry (squid pepper fry), njandu curry (crab curry) and meen moliee are others on offer. The options for vegetarians are limited to kizhangu mappas, kadala curry and vegetable brown stew. But there are a variety of desi breads - Kerala paratha, idiyappam, appam and pathiri. You can also opt for nei choru, kothu parotta, and puttu in five varieties (carrot, beetroot, chemba, ragi and wheat).

To end your dinner on a sweet note there are ela ada and pazham vilayichathu, the banana dessert popular in Malabar region.

The festival is on till July 22. Drop in anytime between 5 pm and 10 30 pm.

[ajithv]

MPI coming up with ‘hygienic thattukada’

At a time when the stale food scare has gripped the city, State Government agency Meat Products of India (MPI) is offering a ‘clean-and-safe’ option for chicken buffs. MPI will soon roll out a trendy ‘thattukada on wheels’ in the capital.

The mobile restaurant, christened ‘Meat on Wheels,’ will be rolled out this month, MPI officials said. ‘’We are trying out the project in Thiruvananthapuram first before opening similar outlets in other districts. There is such a huge demand for chicken here,’’ MPI chairman E J Augustine said.

What the MPI plans to do is station the van in an open public place, put out some tables and chairs and dish out tasty chicken dishes with other items such as bun. The project targets the family crowd who normally flock to the stylish fried chicken outlets that have popped up all over the city.

The USP of ‘Meat on Wheels’ will be ‘nutritious and hygienic’ chicken dishes served over the counter. It is also intended to create more market visibility for the State Government agency, which today accounts for only a small portion of the chicken sales in the State.

‘Meat on Wheels’ will primary focus on chicken dishes. But the van also has freezer facilities so that customers can buy all our frozen products over the counter,’’ MPI managing director Ani S Das said. MPI also plans to open a regular outlet at Sasthamangalam which will also serve chicken ‘shawarma.’

[ajithv]

‘Cafe Ananthapuri’ may be taken out of freezer

Had it shown the fervour to kick off one of its thoughtful proposals in the last budget, the City Corporation could have evaded a lot of rebuke it faced in the stale food scare issue. The Corporation had set apart ` 50 lakh in the budget to start ‘Cafe Ananthapuri’ hotels, a chain of hotels to be supposedly run by Kudumbashree women promising healthy food at fair prices.

However, in the last many months, the Corporation had forgotten its own proposal, until the food scare woke it up. ‘’The present situation is enough motivation for us and we are thinking of taking the initiative to start at least one hotel. But, you know, it is easier said than done. We need land, we need the resources and we have to keep any possible allegations at bay with regard to choosing the stakeholders and so on,’’ said Deputy Mayor G Happykumar.

The Corporation has been sitting on the proposal, reluctant to take it up owing to the need of land for the project. The local body, which showed the spunk to involve a women-run hotel in its annual budget, however, did not show the nerve to actively follow up on the idea. ‘’The fact is that we had felt the need for such hotels serving good food even at that time. Though we had not expected such a turn of events, we had hoped to set a model in hygiene and affordable price through our hotel,’’ Happykumar said.

It was the Kudumbashree catering units and the Cafe Kudumbashree eateries at some places that had motivated the Corporation to think along the lines of starting a hotel serving fresh food. The plan was to engage a ten-member women unit with the running of the hotel with the assistance of the Corporation. Though a chain of hotels was planned, there has been no move to open even one.

The death of student Sachin Roy Mathew, allegedly after consuming shawarma from a city hotel, has stirred up a hornet’s nest with the Corporation washing its hands of the responsibility of ensuring hygiene and good food in hotels.

[Tri Man]

Originally Posted by ajithv

‘Cafe Ananthapuri’ may be taken out of freezer

Had it shown the fervour to kick off one of its thoughtful proposals in the last budget, the City Corporation could have evaded a lot of rebuke it faced in the stale food scare issue. The Corporation had set apart ` 50 lakh in the budget to start ‘Cafe Ananthapuri’ hotels, a chain of hotels to be supposedly run by Kudumbashree women promising healthy food at fair prices.

However, in the last many months, the Corporation had forgotten its own proposal, until the food scare woke it up. ‘’The present situation is enough motivation for us and we are thinking of taking the initiative to start at least one hotel. But, you know, it is easier said than done. We need land, we need the resources and we have to keep any possible allegations at bay with regard to choosing the stakeholders and so on,’’ said Deputy Mayor G Happykumar.

The Corporation has been sitting on the proposal, reluctant to take it up owing to the need of land for the project. The local body, which showed the spunk to involve a women-run hotel in its annual budget, however, did not show the nerve to actively follow up on the idea. ‘’The fact is that we had felt the need for such hotels serving good food even at that time. Though we had not expected such a turn of events, we had hoped to set a model in hygiene and affordable price through our hotel,’’ Happykumar said.

It was the Kudumbashree catering units and the Cafe Kudumbashree eateries at some places that had motivated the Corporation to think along the lines of starting a hotel serving fresh food. The plan was to engage a ten-member women unit with the running of the hotel with the assistance of the Corporation. Though a chain of hotels was planned, there has been no move to open even one.

The death of student Sachin Roy Mathew, allegedly after consuming shawarma from a city hotel, has stirred up a hornet’s nest with the Corporation washing its hands of the responsibility of ensuring hygiene and good food in hotels.

When Corporation is finding it difficult even to dispose the waste from existing hotels,why should they start new hotels.
Unhyegenic conditions resulting out of accumulation of garbage has given rise to the population of harmful microbes like Salmonella,Pseudomonas,Listeria,...which was the actual cause of the food poisoning casuality.
http://www.foodsafety.asn.au/_srcfil...Bacteria_2.pdf

Surprisingly,none of the media or so called food experts highlighted this.
Atleast some of these microbes can become common incase waste movement in the city is stalled in rainy season.
Shawarma kept in freezer for a day or two need not cause food poisoning.If that is the case atleast half of the non-vegeterian people would have died long back.Because most of the packaged raw poultry meat or MPI meat is stored in freezer at least for one week.Normal citylife people store cooked meat in fridge for another two to seven days for part consumption.

Corporation's prime duty is to maintain the roads and city clean and garbage free using the tax they charge.Running hotel is someone else business.
The best they can do is to attract good hotel chains to invest in the city which doesn't even have a single mall.Or facilitate speedier processing of papers to get atleast one mall openened in next two years.

[ajithv]

Caḟe Chokolade's (formerly known as CAD-B) 1st Outlet in Kerala to be opened in Trivandrum probably on August 23rd.

[cs_tvm]

New Dominos Pizaa opening... Kesavadasapuram Ullor Road... @ Sun Saphire Apartments ( Near to Cordial/Thomson Home Depot)

[diving007]

Cafe Chokolade coming up near to Arya Jyothi, Pattom

[diving007]

Dominos Pizza's 3rd outlet coming up @ Sun Saphire Apertment, Kesavadasapuram.

[ajithv]

Shot Using Nokia C7 on 12.08.2012

[ajithv]

Source: Kaumudi

[ajithv]

[ajithv]

[regiwilson]

[regiwilson]

[diving007]

It is the dupe of ALBAiK

See the original ALBAiK

[25Dude25]

Source: Keralakaumudi

[ajithv]

Source: City Kaumudi

[ajithv]

For a homely meal



Mani’s Mess on Third Puthen Street wears an unassuming quietude during the short intervals through the day. None of the buzz that grips the place around the time of breakfast, lunch and dinner, is betrayed in these hours of repose. Mani is seen getting the place tidied up for the next serving while his sister Thankam is busy in the kitchen.

Soon, the street would resound with the whir of two-wheelers headed to Mani’s Mess and the small house would fill with people, the lucky ones seated at the tables invariably outnumbered by the crowd waiting for their turns in the front room and often spilling out on to the street.

The lunch-time menu would be a scrumptious surprise for first-timers. The parippu vada on the platter makes for a delightful crunchy bite between mouthfuls of rice and curries. Dipped in the bowl of curd, the vada tastes all the more yummy.

“The curries are different on each day. If we have thoran and erissery one day, there will be avial and olan the next day. Sambar, rasam, moru and pickles make up the meal spread,” says Mani.

Customers can walk in as early as 6.45 am for breakfast and can choose from poori-masala, idli-sambar, dosa-chutney and pongal. Breakfast will be served till 10.30 am and the hotel closes for a break till 12.30 pm. Lunch time is the busiest and the next interval is at 4 pm. The place comes alive again in the evening at around 6.45 pm when employees of the Secrateriat and Thiruvananthapuram airport would drop in for a quick bite before heading home.

The hotel used to be known as ‘Mami’s Mess’ after Mani’s mother B Krishnammal, who started the venture as a household business almost 30 years ago.

By the time she passed away in 1999, the hotel was eight years old and had shifted residence from 1st Puthen Street to the 3rd street. It is also where Mani lives with his wife Ananthy and two children. Thankam lives close by and reaches the hotel at 5.30 every morning. “She is the one who has inherited the magic touch that made my mother’s cooking so special,” says Mani.

He has clear memories of dropping off idli packets at households in time for breakfast during the early days of the business. His mother would get them ready quite early in the morning, neatly wrapping the chutney in pieces of plantain leaf and placing it alongside the idlis. His three sisters would help their mother do the packing. The five paise they earned for each packet was the sale income of the family after Mani’s father passed away.

‘Mami’s Mess’ soon corrected itself to ‘Mani’s Mess’ after Krishnammal’s death. His official name, S Krishnamurthy, has never really been of significance, says Mani.

As dusk falls, Mani lights the lamp in the front room. The fragrance of jasmine gets mixed with the appetising aroma of oothappam, ulli vada, rasa vada, parippu vada, chappathi and dosa cooking in the kitchen.

[ajithv]

[ajithv]

India-Pakistan delights

If you thought Pak food is just a touched-up version of Awadhi or Nawabi cuisine, you are in for a surprise. The Indo-Pak food fest going at Classic Avenue will prove you wrong with its distinctive Pak tastes. Rich in variety and flavour, the hotel has spread out a sumptuous fare featuring a slew of Indian and Pakistani delicacies.

We start with the light and moderately spiced mutton saffrani soup. It doesn’t taste exotic, but has saffron flakes in it as a flavour enhancer. Lahori murgh, Eid biryani and karhai kofta are the highlights of the Pak menu. Lahori murgh, a signature Pak dish, is heavily marinated chicken cooked in a coarse paste of spices and dry fruits. Soft and creamy, it’s simply a treat for your tastebuds. “What sets Pak cuisine apart is the use of kewra essence along with some aromatic herbs. Kewra is an extract distilled from Pandanus flower which is hardly available in South India. Compared to Indian food there is an excess of ghee and dry fruits making it richer and tastier,” says chef Thulasidharan Pillai.

Next we taste the exotic Eid biryani which is long fragrant rice cooked with various meat varieties and herbs. Another must-try item on menu is karhai kofta which is meat balls buried in methi leaves curry. The balls made of minced meat and coconut in a thick dark brown gravy will melt down hungry palettes. “In Pak dishes we use crushed cummin instead of the powder. The all spice mix and methi leaves make it all the more flavoursome,” the chef chips in.

We move on to paya mutton , a stew made of lamb leg, which, the chef informs, is a regular breakfast item. The veg section is not as elaborate as the non-veg, but you can go for koyla dal, Sindhi karhi or kaddu subzi. Koyla dal is green dal cooked in traditional Pak style by placing the red hot coal over the dal. The coal smoke melts the butter and lends the dish the grilled charcoal taste. You can have it with rogini naan or khas khas ki poori. Milk, butter and khas khas are the extra ingredients which give the poori its special taste and texture. Two other typical Pak items are mutanjan, chicken biryani with a tinge of sweetness and Nargisi kofta curry, meat balls with egg stuffing.

In the dessert section we go for the sinfully yummy khajoor pak which is incredibly soft and smooth. Jujuia sweet samosa is nothing but dumplings stuffed with khoya and dates.

The Indian section is equally impressive with a spate of desi delicacies ranging from ulli theeyal to cafrel chicken. You will find some traditional Kerala preparations like Malabar fish curry, kadala koottu, erussery and beef malliperalan. The dessert counter is also bigger as it features ada prathaman, gulab jamun, ladiesmith pudding, lemon tart, gajar ka halwa, shahi tukuda and honey comb mould.

Walk in any time between 7 pm to 10.30 pm. The festival winds up on September 29.