The tagline of The International Hotel says ‘Nobody Knows You Better’. True that, for after negotiating maddening traffic and ghoulish rains, nothing less than great food will do. As if on cue, plates laden with Italian fare arrive along with warm, welcoming coffee—not cappuccino, not espresso, but of the French Press kind.
French Press Café is the hotel’s new coffee shop, which takes its name from the coffee brewing device popular in Europe. So coffee is brought to the table in the machine, a dainty contraption evocative of old-world coffee affairs. It is served with milk in a small creamer, for the benefit of those who prefer a milky cup. “We serve other kinds of coffee, too. But this is our speciality,” says Subash Pallicken, the General Manager of the hotel. The flavour is light and comforting, a perfect choice for a laid-back evening.
The 2 a.m. coffee shop (it is open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.), which serves just about anything from soups to seasonal fruit juices, sandwiches, burgers, steaks and pizzas, will soon be open 24 hours. “The late night culture is only just catching on in Kochi. After the Metro is launched, the place would have a more vibrant night life,” Subash adds.
The exhaustive menu has been put together by the hotel’s chefs who have gained experience from their previous careers with international cruise liners. Italian is something they proudly showcase.
“Try the bruschetta,” offers the Executive Chef Saneesh Thomas. Roasted beef strips, deliciously browned, mingle with generous quantities of onions and fresh tomato with a hint of pesto sauce on garlic toast. If that does not sound elaborate enough, Saneesh adds that he uses Parmesan cheese. It is a meal by itself, combining a bouquet of flavours in the right balance.
The seafood benepitta is made of Arabian bread, flattened and layered with cream, cheese and prepared in olive oil. The filling is squid, prawn and seer fish tossed in tangy tomato sauce. Originally a vegetarian dish, seafood does as much justice to it. “The idea is to bring in the continental flavour as much as possible. People are travelling a lot and are aware of different culinary cultures. We want to be able to recreate some of the authentic European dishes,” Subash says.
Breakfast has continental, American and porridges with a combination of eggs done in different styles and fresh juices. Starters include the benepitta and other continental fare such as the Messi Palate for instance, which is a sea food vol-au-vent with a mini phyllo pie, toasted bread on tomato quenelle, cheese slice and chunks of chicken breast.
For a working lunch, there is soup, gazpacho being one of them, a variety of pasta, sandwiches, quesadillas, hotdogs, burgers and pizzas. Chef Justin Cabra offers a little more than the usual here with stuff such as foccacio sandwiches and the pesce cansorto, a grilled mixed seafood dish with tomato, grilled peppers, and cold cream sauce. An impressive range of salads, too, have been included.
Sweetness comes in its best form in the kiwi mousse delight, a fluorescent slice of confectionary made of fresh kiwi. Wrapped in a light roll of sponge, the gooey green centre has everything going for it. Pastry chef Sagheer U.A. simplifies it: “It just has egg yolks, sugar, fresh kiwis.” The baked orange cheese cake is another dessert, which almost tastes as good as it looks—a glazed orange coated cheese cake with a biscuity base. A lot of care has gone into the plating of these desserts.
Before it became French Press Café, the space was known for its sensational seafood meals. From now, it is Europe all the way and how!
