A guide : Eating out in Kerala

trrk · 4th February 2010, 20:14

Hi,

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbraj

Anyone been to Travancore Palace in Cherthala? Heard good opinion from a friend on ambiance and food.

The ambience is indeed good and the food was good the last time i went there but that is a couple of years back.

But it should be still good.

ascertain · 7th February 2010, 19:36

Ah!- feels good to be back in a foodie thread- and that too in Kerala.

Lets hit the cities only this time around , restaurants with their specialities. Warning - non veg only!

Thiruvananthapuram
1) Arul Jyothi - Rocket masala Dosa - the humungous missile that takes up a two seater table.
2) Azad - not the old one opposite secretariat, I'm talking about the new one nr. overbridge - Chicken fry, Liver fry and porotta.
3)Ambalapaattu restaurant - in pattom ,Opposite LIC- Beef fry and porotta
4) Kethels
Sadly - all the old places like Pankaj, Navaratna, Kalavara etc. are no more upto the excellent standards of the past.

Cochin
1)Punjabi times- the paranthas and muiton varieties there are heavenly
2)The Attic - try the shrimp cocktail , and the steaks
3) kethel's chicken - ultra spicy tender chicken and porotta. Carry some chocolate along as a tongue protecting device.
4)Pai dosa - kaada mutta dosa - yum yum
5) Ceylon Bake House - Chilli chicken and idiyappam
6) Travancore Court - My favourite for the last.. the afternoon buffet spread is just too mouth watering
7)Rappayis - Ghee rice, chicken fry
8)Indian coffee house - Lamb chops , mutton cutlets.

Calicut

1)Paragon - Appam and mutton stew/chicken stew in the morning - perfect to kickstart your day
2)Zains - Mutta maala (Egg Necklace) , Meen pathiri, Kozhi porichathu
3)Al-Bake - shawaii chicken, plate Shawarma
4)Sagar - chicken dry fry , ghee rice
5)Sea land - Fish pollichathu

Kannur

1)Ondaen hotel on ondaen road - This LEGENDARY eatery - which has almost the entire office employees of kannur lining up in queues from 12 PM onwards till 3 in the afternoon. Yes - they WAIT till they get a seat. Not air conditioned or anything - just plain old chairs and tables - but the varieties of fish , squid, fish eggs - you'll hog on and on.THe first time I had the fish eggs I was VERY apprehensive - but after the first mouthful - everything was bliss - and i ended up eating 5 more plates. Best way to ensure you get your bite - BE THERE at 12 pm sharp.
Specialites are the noon - meals with Iykoora fry/ chemmeen fry and meen mutta masala (Fish eggs)
2)Taj restaurant - famed for its biryanis - i'd advise a chicken or fish biryani - not worth eating the mutton biryani.
3)Chiffonetts - Opp. Baker boys - try the Kemki chicken and singapore noodles . The quantity and quality are very good for the money you pay. ah - almost forgot - try the chicken fu-yong too.
4) Cita-Pani - near the beach area and walkable from the savoy bar- Its a landmark in itself. The star picks are - Shawarma and shawaai chicken. Even gulf returned malayalis say they haven't eaten better shawarmas in the arab countries- a statement that shows just how good it is. Personal best of 6 shawarmas and 2 full chickens at a single sitting here.
5) Payyanoor area - do give the chicken biryani and kadai chicken at KK residency a shot - it's one of the best malabar boryanis I had.
6)One of the leading bars ( I mean Hard-core bars) in payyanur - called Archana Bar - opposite to clik studio, and in the centre of the town - serves the best chilli chicken dry, Kadai chicken and pork fry I have ever had. Once you crawl around the unconcious bodies near the bar entrance(heh heh) you'll find the entrance to the restaurant. It was called archana restarant, but changed to something else - '5 star thattukada' or something - i forget.. It has the richest Kadai chicken - which comes melting hot in a pan, with a rich dash of cashews and raisins, and the sweeish spicy thick gravy with meaty pieces of decent size. The pork fry - retails for 120 Rs. for a full plate and is spicy and crispy. THe biryani is not that great, but you can use it to fill up your tummy before the drinks (or else you join the bodies near the entrance). after a while you may find buddies from nearby tables giving you valuable advise on life matters.. absolutely hilarious. I once took a parcel of tandoori chicken home, and leftin on the table. My wife (a converted vegetarian for 8 years and frequent advisor to me on the benefits of vegetarianism) passed by, sniffed it, took a finger dip into the gravy, and then- to my shock- asked me for a tiny bit of the chicken. more than glad - i offered the bit - and 10 minutes later we had finished the entire chicken. And since then she has been raving about that chicken to everyone she meets who are surprised at her turning non -veg.
7) There is one notable - fruit juice stall in kannur town - immediately on the periphery on the way to taliparamba - it's on the left side of the road - and the owner gave me a 'chilli shake' now - I really didn't know what in the blazes it was, but out of sheer curiosity, decided to go ahead with it. mind you - this was immediately after a humongous lunch at Ondaen restaurant (No. 1 on the kannur list) , The guy handed me a green bubbly liquid which he poured out from the mixer (I'd seen him put gooseberries, 3 green chillies, soda and sugar syrup into it and grind it for a long time) I took a sip - the sweetness on my tongue lulled me into a quiescent stage, and then I took a big gulp - and then the world exploded. THe chilli flavor in all its firey fury hit my throat, and I could feel the devils brew flowing down into my stomach - I mean I could feel the entire course the drink took from mouth to tummy, I had to cough 3 times, and then all of a sudden - one giant burp - and poof! - the ondaen food in my tummy was vapourized into nothingness. I felt powerfully light and bucked up. It was as if an atom bomb went off inside. I ended up begging the propreitor to tell me the recipe so that i could make it at home. but he just let on the the drink had chillies and gooseberries. Have to try harder next time.

joe · 11th February 2010, 20:18

Hey guys could anyone let me know of a good non veg hotel close to Thrissur railway station. Thanks

mithunkb · 12th February 2010, 13:06

@ JOE

Try hotel Sapphire. It is on route to chetiyangadi from the railway station.
They are famous for their chicken biriyani. One of the best in town. They also have good fish and mutton. They donot serve beef.

theexperthand · 18th February 2010, 18:11

Been to Casino (@ thrissur) few days back. the food was not that great, and the cost have gone up. The Biriyani was nothing to write about, and the chilli \ sechewan chicken were disaterous.

Hotel Indraprastha @ kodungalloor is good - the prices are resonable, and they serve some nice beef dishes.

amalji · 2nd March 2010, 12:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbraj

Anyone been to Travancore Palace in Cherthala? Heard good opinion from a friend on ambiance and food.

If you love traditional spicy food, Travancore Palace in Cherthala is a good place to have food. It's owned by SNDP President - Vellappalli

Edsel Rulez! · 15th June 2010, 07:36

Last week I had chicken biryani at Hotel Sapphire adjacent to the KSRTC bus station in Trichur and I'm happy to say it's good as claimed. But the helping is not over-generous, so if you're a glutton like me you may be left wanting more. Two hearty eaters could order three biryanis I suppose. Or "extra biryani rice" (but that lacks flavour). Forgotten the cost but it should be in the range of 60-65 rupees.

I'd also dropped in at Hotel Travancore Palace on NH 47 near Cherthala sometime last month and found the ambience great. Food was good -- many items weren't available at the time, so can't say if it passes the biryani test. Restrooms are just fine and there's ample parking space within the courtyard. I've never seen it crowded for some reason. Prices are reasonable considering the ambience.

For quick-and-hot vegetarian fare in Alleppey (invariably breakfast!) I tend to stop at Aryaas, next to Hotel Raiban. The dosas are good and are accompanied by a mean red chutney. Warning: don't attempt to use the restroom! Raiban used to be a popular halt earlier but I don't go there anymore -- I think the the service was below par the last time I went, which put me off.

SPIKE ARRESTOR · 15th June 2010, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by josejoseph

Hello,

I'd highly recommend Rappai's Chicken Corner at Palarivattom

and Pai Dosa, M.G. Road for a variety of dosas.

Yes, I agree. These are among the best IMHO, good and cheap.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vaisakhr

2. Panjabi Dhaba (broad wasy)- For good N.Indian and awesome lassy.

The best Lassi I ever had in Kerala.

I remember an incident which happened during my college days at Cochin. 15 friends from my college went for a dinner buffet at Harbor View, IIRC buffet was 150+taxes. As usual some "hungry souls" gobbled up everything which came their way. Some of them did 6 rounds starting all over again

The captain finally intervened and said "Sir, once you start with desserts you cannot go back to the main course, onnu nirthi poyi koode?

. A similar incident happened in a hotel near Nedumbassery which used to offer Lunch buffet @ Rs 100 (all inclusive), this was somewhere in 2003. Next time when this group visited this place, buffet cost was hiked to 200+taxes. LOL!

Spike

joe · 17th June 2010, 20:54

Does anyone know of a good restaurant in Thodupuzha? Thanks

deepclutch · 18th June 2010, 04:08

@joe:I've been to TEECEE Restaurant ,Opposite to Jyothi Bazaar.It's good.(may be not a family choice though).

Quote:

Originally Posted by deepclutch

Thodupuzha-
1)Geminy Hotel and bar,near private bus stand.
2)Pappootty Hall ,near Mata Shopping arcade
3)Hotel Sicilia ,Idukki Road
Maurya Monarch is not really upto the mark IMHO.

artofzen · 18th June 2010, 04:41

For very good seafood fare , try FortKochi @ Casino Hotel , Cochin.

Sardine (Chaala) fry is kept on the table instead of pickle. The days catch is shown to you in a trolley and you get to pick what you want and is charged per kilo.

trrk · 19th June 2010, 20:17

Hi,

For those of you hunting for 'puttu', Avees Puttu Powder people have opened a restaurant in the SH11 (Alleppey - Chanagancherry road), about 12 kms from the turn off from NH47 after Alleppey on the left (north) side while going from Alleppey.

They also have 'appams'. The day I went it was vegetable korma with puttu with 'Kadala' (chick pea?) curry alternating!

It was good, that is all! Wife was not very happy and so no second visit!

joe · 9th July 2010, 16:18

Went to Biriyani Hut at Thodupuzha with my co brother and thought i would try the parotta and chicken curry rather than the biriyani. The parotta and chicken curry was good and my co brother enjoyed his fish biriyani. The place was packed and the ambiance was okay.

Heard a lot of Avees and its very close to my dads house on AC road, my parents had been there and they said that the puttu is was okay but the appam and curry was good.

Antonian · 9th July 2010, 20:55

For North indian guys staying in cochin
Ambika Bhojanalay, Convent road, Cochin (between convent jn. and jews street)
Not a Star Type hotel, but you can enjoy 'pakka Northindian khana' from there at 45 Rs (unlimited !!)
Check out Kababisthan near Varkeys supermarket Atlantis- for flavour lovers. my wifey got really mad about it...

BaCkSeAtDrIVeR · 9th July 2010, 21:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Antonian

For North indian guys staying in cochin
Ambika Bhojanalay, Convent road, Cochin (between convent jn. and jews street)

Jews street is the road going East to West from Padma Juncion; and ends near the Koluthara Shop on Shanmughom Road (near the GAIL's display board and bridges).

Did you mean T. D. Road? Or is it the Cloth Bazar road (Road going to East from Sealord / The Oven on Shanmughom Road?

Edit:- I am not a north Indian; any problems if I go there? :-D

7th February 2010, 19:36	#77
ascertain BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cannanore Posts: 155 Thanked: 41 Times	The foodies kerala experience Ah!- feels good to be back in a foodie thread- and that too in Kerala. Lets hit the cities only this time around , restaurants with their specialities. Warning - non veg only! Thiruvananthapuram 1) Arul Jyothi - Rocket masala Dosa - the humungous missile that takes up a two seater table. 2) Azad - not the old one opposite secretariat, I'm talking about the new one nr. overbridge - Chicken fry, Liver fry and porotta. 3)Ambalapaattu restaurant - in pattom ,Opposite LIC- Beef fry and porotta 4) Kethels Sadly - all the old places like Pankaj, Navaratna, Kalavara etc. are no more upto the excellent standards of the past. Cochin 1)Punjabi times- the paranthas and muiton varieties there are heavenly 2)The Attic - try the shrimp cocktail , and the steaks 3) kethel's chicken - ultra spicy tender chicken and porotta. Carry some chocolate along as a tongue protecting device. 4)Pai dosa - kaada mutta dosa - yum yum 5) Ceylon Bake House - Chilli chicken and idiyappam 6) Travancore Court - My favourite for the last.. the afternoon buffet spread is just too mouth watering 7)Rappayis - Ghee rice, chicken fry 8)Indian coffee house - Lamb chops , mutton cutlets. Calicut 1)Paragon - Appam and mutton stew/chicken stew in the morning - perfect to kickstart your day 2)Zains - Mutta maala (Egg Necklace) , Meen pathiri, Kozhi porichathu 3)Al-Bake - shawaii chicken, plate Shawarma 4)Sagar - chicken dry fry , ghee rice 5)Sea land - Fish pollichathu Kannur 1)Ondaen hotel on ondaen road - This LEGENDARY eatery - which has almost the entire office employees of kannur lining up in queues from 12 PM onwards till 3 in the afternoon. Yes - they WAIT till they get a seat. Not air conditioned or anything - just plain old chairs and tables - but the varieties of fish , squid, fish eggs - you'll hog on and on.THe first time I had the fish eggs I was VERY apprehensive - but after the first mouthful - everything was bliss - and i ended up eating 5 more plates. Best way to ensure you get your bite - BE THERE at 12 pm sharp. Specialites are the noon - meals with Iykoora fry/ chemmeen fry and meen mutta masala (Fish eggs) 2)Taj restaurant - famed for its biryanis - i'd advise a chicken or fish biryani - not worth eating the mutton biryani. 3)Chiffonetts - Opp. Baker boys - try the Kemki chicken and singapore noodles . The quantity and quality are very good for the money you pay. ah - almost forgot - try the chicken fu-yong too. 4) Cita-Pani - near the beach area and walkable from the savoy bar- Its a landmark in itself. The star picks are - Shawarma and shawaai chicken. Even gulf returned malayalis say they haven't eaten better shawarmas in the arab countries- a statement that shows just how good it is. Personal best of 6 shawarmas and 2 full chickens at a single sitting here. 5) Payyanoor area - do give the chicken biryani and kadai chicken at KK residency a shot - it's one of the best malabar boryanis I had. 6)One of the leading bars ( I mean Hard-core bars) in payyanur - called Archana Bar - opposite to clik studio, and in the centre of the town - serves the best chilli chicken dry, Kadai chicken and pork fry I have ever had. Once you crawl around the unconcious bodies near the bar entrance(heh heh) you'll find the entrance to the restaurant. It was called archana restarant, but changed to something else - '5 star thattukada' or something - i forget.. It has the richest Kadai chicken - which comes melting hot in a pan, with a rich dash of cashews and raisins, and the sweeish spicy thick gravy with meaty pieces of decent size. The pork fry - retails for 120 Rs. for a full plate and is spicy and crispy. THe biryani is not that great, but you can use it to fill up your tummy before the drinks (or else you join the bodies near the entrance). after a while you may find buddies from nearby tables giving you valuable advise on life matters.. absolutely hilarious. I once took a parcel of tandoori chicken home, and leftin on the table. My wife (a converted vegetarian for 8 years and frequent advisor to me on the benefits of vegetarianism) passed by, sniffed it, took a finger dip into the gravy, and then- to my shock- asked me for a tiny bit of the chicken. more than glad - i offered the bit - and 10 minutes later we had finished the entire chicken. And since then she has been raving about that chicken to everyone she meets who are surprised at her turning non -veg. 7) There is one notable - fruit juice stall in kannur town - immediately on the periphery on the way to taliparamba - it's on the left side of the road - and the owner gave me a 'chilli shake' now - I really didn't know what in the blazes it was, but out of sheer curiosity, decided to go ahead with it. mind you - this was immediately after a humongous lunch at Ondaen restaurant (No. 1 on the kannur list) , The guy handed me a green bubbly liquid which he poured out from the mixer (I'd seen him put gooseberries, 3 green chillies, soda and sugar syrup into it and grind it for a long time) I took a sip - the sweetness on my tongue lulled me into a quiescent stage, and then I took a big gulp - and then the world exploded. THe chilli flavor in all its firey fury hit my throat, and I could feel the devils brew flowing down into my stomach - I mean I could feel the entire course the drink took from mouth to tummy, I had to cough 3 times, and then all of a sudden - one giant burp - and poof! - the ondaen food in my tummy was vapourized into nothingness. I felt powerfully light and bucked up. It was as if an atom bomb went off inside. I ended up begging the propreitor to tell me the recipe so that i could make it at home. but he just let on the the drink had chillies and gooseberries. Have to try harder next time.
	() Thanks

11th February 2010, 20:18	#78
joe BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 37 Thanked: 3 Times	Hey guys could anyone let me know of a good non veg hotel close to Thrissur railway station. Thanks
	() Thanks

12th February 2010, 13:06	#79
mithunkb BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Thrissur , Kera Posts: 90 Thanked: 12 Times	@ JOE Try hotel Sapphire. It is on route to chetiyangadi from the railway station. They are famous for their chicken biriyani. One of the best in town. They also have good fish and mutton. They donot serve beef.
	() Thanks

18th February 2010, 18:11	#80
theexperthand Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,633 Thanked: 2,448 Times View My Garage	Been to Casino (@ thrissur) few days back. the food was not that great, and the cost have gone up. The Biriyani was nothing to write about, and the chilli \ sechewan chicken were disaterous. Hotel Indraprastha @ kodungalloor is good - the prices are resonable, and they serve some nice beef dishes.
	() Thanks

15th June 2010, 07:36	#82
Edsel Rulez! BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 210 Thanked: 25 Times	Last week I had chicken biryani at Hotel Sapphire adjacent to the KSRTC bus station in Trichur and I'm happy to say it's good as claimed. But the helping is not over-generous, so if you're a glutton like me you may be left wanting more. Two hearty eaters could order three biryanis I suppose. Or "extra biryani rice" (but that lacks flavour). Forgotten the cost but it should be in the range of 60-65 rupees. I'd also dropped in at Hotel Travancore Palace on NH 47 near Cherthala sometime last month and found the ambience great. Food was good -- many items weren't available at the time, so can't say if it passes the biryani test. Restrooms are just fine and there's ample parking space within the courtyard. I've never seen it crowded for some reason. Prices are reasonable considering the ambience. For quick-and-hot vegetarian fare in Alleppey (invariably breakfast!) I tend to stop at Aryaas, next to Hotel Raiban. The dosas are good and are accompanied by a mean red chutney. Warning: don't attempt to use the restroom! Raiban used to be a popular halt earlier but I don't go there anymore -- I think the the service was below par the last time I went, which put me off. Last edited by Edsel Rulez! : 15th June 2010 at 07:40.
	() Thanks

17th June 2010, 20:54	#84
joe BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 37 Thanked: 3 Times	Does anyone know of a good restaurant in Thodupuzha? Thanks
	() Thanks

18th June 2010, 04:41	#86
artofzen BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: VOCI-LHR Posts: 735 Thanked: 68 Times View My Garage	For very good seafood fare , try FortKochi @ Casino Hotel , Cochin. Sardine (Chaala) fry is kept on the table instead of pickle. The days catch is shown to you in a trolley and you get to pick what you want and is charged per kilo.
	() Thanks

19th June 2010, 20:17	#87
trrk Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Alleppey, Kerala Posts: 2,114 Thanked: 34 Times View My Garage	Hi, For those of you hunting for 'puttu', Avees Puttu Powder people have opened a restaurant in the SH11 (Alleppey - Chanagancherry road), about 12 kms from the turn off from NH47 after Alleppey on the left (north) side while going from Alleppey. They also have 'appams'. The day I went it was vegetable korma with puttu with 'Kadala' (chick pea?) curry alternating! It was good, that is all! Wife was not very happy and so no second visit!
	() Thanks

9th July 2010, 16:18	#88
joe BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 37 Thanked: 3 Times	Went to Biriyani Hut at Thodupuzha with my co brother and thought i would try the parotta and chicken curry rather than the biriyani. The parotta and chicken curry was good and my co brother enjoyed his fish biriyani. The place was packed and the ambiance was okay. Heard a lot of Avees and its very close to my dads house on AC road, my parents had been there and they said that the puttu is was okay but the appam and curry was good.
	() Thanks

9th July 2010, 20:55	#89
Antonian BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: KL (6+1) Posts: 105 Thanked: 2 Times	For North indian guys staying in cochin Ambika Bhojanalay, Convent road, Cochin (between convent jn. and jews street) Not a Star Type hotel, but you can enjoy 'pakka Northindian khana' from there at 45 Rs (unlimited !!) Check out Kababisthan near Varkeys supermarket Atlantis- for flavour lovers. my wifey got really mad about it...
	() Thanks