In the bustling street food scene of the city where dosas and kebabs rule the roost, the newly opened Kerala Delicacies comes as a refreshing change. This new food truck at Seethammadhara introduces a new flavour to the street food varieties of the city. Specialising in appams and stew, the food joint brings to fore Kerala’s popular combination which has already delighted the taste buds of food lovers of the city.
Chef Kondal Rao scoops out the fluffy appams from the pan with a remarkable swiftness to serve it hot to the customers waiting around. It has been hardly two weeks since the food truck was launched and already over 60 plates get sold within four hours daily. Till this week, four combinations were part of the menu. These included vegetable stew with appam, kaai khoorma with appam, chicken curry with appam and chicken stew with appam. “This concept is different. Appams aren’t found easily in the restaurants of the city apart from a few big hotels. We have received a great response from the people so far,” says chef Rao, who joins the food truck after his work hours at a prominent five-star hotel in the city.
The soft and lacy appams with mildly spiced creamy chicken stew having a hint of coconut flavour make for a perfect late evening snack. The chicken curry, too, is equally light on the palate. Each dish comes with a small bowl of coconut milk. One bite of the appams dipped in milk is sure to transport you to the rich cultural cuisine of God’s Own Country.
The idea of starting a food truck of Kerala delicacies was the brain child of Ch. Naga Raju. A passionate foodie and an ardent traveller, Naga Raju embarked on his entrepreneurial journey with a takeaway food counter five years ago called Raju’s Kitchen. While his maiden venture catered the local taste offering biryanis and curries with the tangy spicy flavour that Andhra cuisine is known for, it soon branched out to include diverse culinary concepts which have become a hit now. Its shwarma joint at VIP Road is one of the best in the city. “I like to do something different when it comes to food. The main idea behind starting Kerala Delicacies was to introduce the popular combinations to the city. The food scene culture in the city has gone through a sea change and now people are experimenting with new dishes,” says Naga Raju, who quit his job as a multimedia professional in Bangalore to return back to Vizag for setting up his food business.
Buoyed by the initial demand from customers, Kerala Delicacies is introducing two new dishes in its menu from Saturday. These will be tuna fish cultlets and steamed fish that will be served on a banana leaf.
Kerala Delicacies is located behind SFS School at Seethammadhara and is open from 6.30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on all days.
