The city of Amsterdam beckons on the right as one enters the delightfully designed and lit interiors of the Turf café on the bypass service lane near Kulathoor. Yes, you read it right — Amsterdam near Kulathoor! The newly-opened Dutch-themed bistro, with Amsterdam cityscape and Van Gogh paintings on its windows, offers an assortment of European main course delicacies, a range of burgers and a variety of desserts to choose from.
Conceptualised by Sarith Shersha, a dentist-turned-designer- turned-trader, Turf’s distinctive Dutch touch comes from Sarith’s frequent journeys to Netherlands as part of his business. With artsy furniture of various kinds, and hangings and showpieces inspired by pop culture on eloquently-designed spaces on walls, the vibrancy of décor stands out and along with a large counter at one end with a cashier’s space and coffee machine behind it, the feel is truly contemporary and European.
Waffles with chocolate and a scoop of ice cream
After Sarith’s delicious explanation on home-made buns and hand-picked coffee-beans, we decide to skip the starters and go straight to business with a bacon n’ cheese meat burger and a barbecue chicken burger.
Service is prompt with burgers arriving on a polished serving plank with a basket of fries and a side of tomato sauce. Buns are baked daily at Turf and it shows when I take a bite off the barbecue chicken burger. Soft inside with a slight crunch on the surface, the flavoured bun is delicious and goes splendidly well with the mildly spicy Chimichurri sauce, mayonaisse and nicely- cooked, peppered patty. It is the same story with the bacon n’ cheese burger where griddled beef along with beef bacon presents a sumptuous, juicy bite. “We are particular about the meat and the cut of meat we use,” explains Sarith.
A meat lasagna is up next. Although not the best I’ve had, served in a plastic casing with thick layers of melted cheese and saucy ground beef, it is every bit the treat you expect the classic dish to be. We finish off the mains with a royal Dutch, a monster burger that is a café special. Twice the size of the other burgers we had, the monster has a nine mm beef patty with a generous amount of Cheddar cheese. Crunchy and juicy, the well-done steak patty is pure joy to bite into and is something not be missed.
Creme brulee
Creme brulee arrives in a porcelain bowl as we have the last of fries. A thick custard base hides beneath a brown crisp caramelised layer on top. The rich, sweet, custard cream with the crunchy caramel melts caresses your tastebuds. Before long we find ourselves wiping the bowl clean to the last bit of cream.
Other desserts on the list include the likes of Dutch apple pie, tiramisu and waffles with chocolate and a scoop of ice cream. Turf offers a variety of drinks as well, from coffees and green teas to smoothies and milkshakes.
Sarith intends to turn Turf into an international brand based in Thiruvananthapuram and is looking forward to opening branches in Kochi and Dubai soon.
Turf is open on all days of the week, except Tuesday, from 11 am to 12 am.
A meal for two that includes drinks and desserts would cost around ₹600.
