Raise a toast to our foodies

The city’s food buffs go to any length to try out a speciality. And aren’t we grateful?

June 20, 2014 08:14 pm | Updated October 18, 2016 12:44 pm IST

KOCHI, KERALA, 26/04/2014: People busy eating at a Thattukada in Paralivattam on the night of April 26, 2014. Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

KOCHI, KERALA, 26/04/2014: People busy eating at a Thattukada in Paralivattam on the night of April 26, 2014. Photo: Thulasi Kakkat

A foodie, according to Wikipedia, is a seeker whose quest feeds on new food experiences. The ‘search’ has nothing to do with satiating hunger, it is more a hobby.

This description fits Krishnan Menon like a glove. This engineer-entrepreneur has made long excursions to various parts of the State, and outside on occasion, just to sample ‘famed’ foods. He took off to Thalasserry, to Paris Hotel, for what is, according to him, “the best biriyani ever. Okay, apart from Grand Biriyani in Aluva, Paragon in Kozhikode, our Kayee-kka’s…” the list of biriyani places come tumbling.

Guides on these food expeditions are Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma-authored Highway on My Plate , Lonely Planet or social media, travel magazines, television shows and of course the locals’ word-of-mouth circuit. Often one food experience leads to another edible surprise and distance is just a number on the speedometer.

In Kozhikode, after treating himself to Paragon’s biriyani he stumbled on to paal sarbat . “This old man was vending it on a push cart. Crushed ice with milk, rice flakes and sherbet…it was a cooling dessert, out of this world. And I hate milk.”

Restaurateur Ramesh Balachandran, who runs Chettinad Kitchen, travelled to Kollam to try the fare at one Pillai Chettan’s Kada. A television show led him to the tiny shack on Thirumulavaram beach, “I had to drive around for a couple of hours to find this place but it was worth the time spent. The food was excellent.” He also went to Kovalam to ‘try’ chicken fry from a small shack.

Similarly city-based orthodontist Dr. Sunil Abraham went to Muhamma in search of an eatery run by one Vaidyar which according to a vernacular travel magazine made superlative seafood.

The food may disappoint, but it is often about the experience. Also for the true foodie there is no space for prejudice. “I don’t eat beef but if I hear of a place where good beef is available then I head for the place,” Krishnan says. In the same breath he says he hasn’t had the chance to try ‘Swami Chettan-te pazham pori and beef’ in Tripunithura.

As Joseph, whose gastronomical adventures are uber-luxe with many-Euros worth meals had at ‘12 or 13 of the world’s top 20 restaurants’ and counting, puts it “it is not about liking the food or even enjoying the food, it is about savouring the experience.” Food apart, the ambience is a draw.

For Sunil, a meal at Earl’s Secret, the glass house restaurant at King’s Cliff (a hotel) in Ooty is one such experience. While heading for a vacation he makes it a point to research, besides the hotel, the options available vis-à-vis food. “One cannot go to all the good places therefore a little research helps. Also if the food is not good then a holiday is spoilt,” he maintains. He relies on websites such as Tripadvisor for help and even sends in restaurant reviews to the website.

Ramesh and Krishnan too plan holidays which include sampling authentic, local food in the itinerary. Krishnan is planning a vacation to Himachal Pradesh with local food on the to-eat list. He can, therefore, tick off from his list Coorg Cuisine IT (Madikeri), Anjappar (Chennai), Brittos (Goa), Mumbai’s Haji Ali, Bade Miyan and Sardar’s and a long line of others eateries.

Disappointment is relative. “To the expectation,” says Ramesh. The restaurateur in him takes over when he explains the logic – a small place low on infrastructure means no carried over food. Bigger place…well! His disappointments have come from the bigger and sometimes starred places. He counts Shaapukari and an informal ‘dosa place’ in Kumbalangi among his good food experiences in the city. “The food is fresh. If I pay Rs. 1,500 for a fish curry meal then I expect fresh fish not four-day old catch ‘fresh’ out of the freezer. Or if I pay Rs. 500 for a mocktail I prefer not to have ants floating in it.” With smaller places expectations are fewer and therefore everything is a bonus.

Kochi foodies have an online presence with dedicated Facebook pages. For instance Food Alerts Cochin whose twitter handle @food_alerts alerts followers about new eating places and offers at eateries. Ramesh, who checks out foodie groups online, cautions against relying too much on social media as it can be misleading. “It can be anything from the wrong address to a bad experience.” Sunil, however, has had no such misadventures so far.

The foodie adventure is one driven by optimism and these foodies are a driven bunch!

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