Who has not had cravings for delectable snacks in the middle of the night? Hunger catches you unawares at unsuspecting times. It could be an enthralling flick that left your tummy rumbling as you walk out of the theatre after the second show, a long train journey that left you worn out as you trudge out of Trivandrum Central or even a sudden craving for a meaty chicken burger that wakes you up from sleep! Many food lovers in the capital city had no other options, but to practice Zen to do away with these cravings. Not any more though, thanks to ‘Nite Bites’ at Café Jade Restaurant, Hycinth By Sparsa, Thampanoor, which offers a melange of interesting dining options between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
“Nite Bites was born on the demand of many of our guests who complained of the lack of quality dining options in the capital city after midnight,” says Santosh Kumar Sinha, Assistant Food & Beverages Manager, Hycinth by Sparsa. “In fact, a lion’s share of the city’s restaurants down their shutters by 11 p.m. This prompted us to convert Café Jade into a 24-hour restaurant, to ensure that food lovers in the city get access to quality dining options,” he adds.
The restaurant had a fair share of customers even at 1 a.m. as my wife and I make ourselves comfortable. We take a quick look at the exclusive offerings for the night – only to be pleasantly surprised by the affordably-priced dishes, not something you would expect to see in an exquisite restaurant of a five-star hotel. The prices start at Rs. 199, and the costliest dish – steamed rice with prawns curry would make us poorer by just Rs. 499.
The simple, no-frills menu has been designed with both vegetarians and non-vegetarians in mind. One could choose between sandwiches, burgers, salads and even frankies. If snacks were the last thing in your radar (or in other words, if you were starving), you could also try the chappathi with chicken/vegetable curry combo and the chicken curry rice combo among others. The menu even features a ‘Nadan Vibhavam’ – you could have a veritable feast of Kerala rice, with fish curry, pappadam and pickle; yes, in the middle of the night!
We order aDesi Frankie, a Hycinth Club Sandwich and the chappathi-chicken curry combo. Much unlike your typical upmarket restaurant, our food arrives within 10 minutes. I always wanted to taste the frankie (for the uninitiated, the frankie is a street dish - boneless chicken wrapped in parathas, with an assortment of vegetables like onions, tomatoes etc), and my midnight-cravings were not helping either. Thanks to the juicy and tender chicken pieces – which, coupled with the sliced onions and the parathas, the frankie was exquisite.
The club sandwich was well-prepared and tasty. The chappathis were soft, and tasted well with the chicken curry. We were too full for dessert, but the main course itself was satiating enough for us to agree with each other that this was our best late-night dinner, ever. Contact: 3312999 or 9400000736.
