With price of fish going through the roof, restaurateurs in the city have been facing a fine kettle of fish to ensure they don’t take it off the menu. With the State-wide trawling ban in effect and depletion in fish stock, hotel owners are forced to grapple with the double whammy of skyrocketing fish prices and low or lack of availability of their preferred varieties of fish. Fearing that cranking up rates or slicing the menu may ward off customers, many are either waiting for the situation to blow over or making minor tweaks to keep the demand-supply balance.
P K Chandrakumar, owner of Sagara Restaurant at Vazhuthacaud, remembers a time not long ago when he bought a “whole cane basket” of sardines, better known in local parlance as mathi or chala , for just ₹70. “This week I paid ₹150 for a kg. In fact, I later found out that the market price charged by the same trader was ₹200 for a kg and it was as high as ₹300 in some places,” Chandrakumar says.
“We need to ensure what’s on the menu is available. On some days, it’s even a loss-making venture,” says Chandrakumar. Fish curry is deemed a staple in many households and Chandrakumar says one silver lining has been a spike in online orders. “Perhaps, considering the high market price and the hassle of preparation, there’s has been a slight uptick in delivery orders for fish curry.” He admits that on some days, the restaurant had to substitute more pricey varieties such as tuna and seer fish with mackerel and kozhiyala (horse mackerel) depending on availability.
Fish curry
At Pulisserykkada at Thakaraparambu, fish fries have been its pièce de résistance for decades. Ani, a manager, says one way he tries to make up for the price rise is by “reducing” the size of pieces served. “Now, we are spending almost a third extra to purchase the same quantity of fish earlier. We are forced to bear the increase from our own pockets,” he says. Pulisserykkada mostly buys fish from traders in Valiyathura. “If we increase the rates, we will lose customers. The prices will even out eventually, but we cannot let this temporary hurdle compromise on our regular patrons,” he points out.
Pulisserykkada’s fish fry
With many fishermen returning empty-handed, some restaurateurs are looking to distant shores for supply. Shasheedran Nair of Deyvee Restaurant at Kaithamukku says he has been sourcing fish from Kanyakumari and Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu to meet requirements. “Since I have been a regular customer and know the trader personally, I pay slightly less than market prices. Also, there’s the advantage of getting the types of fish we need. I can’t just depend on supply from here (Thiruvanathapuram) any more,” he says.
Others pin their hopes on meat dishes or slightly raise charges of fish dishes that have variable pricing. Says Jalasious G of Varnam Seafood Restaurant at Bakery Junction, “One way of coping with the situation is by promoting chicken dishes. Also, as our hot-seller karimeen (pearl spot) pollichathu is sold by weight, we adjust the price a bit.” He says that with the availability of sardines dwindling, netholi (anchovy) has been having more takers.
Mathi (sardines)
Jyothish V R, owner of Pankayam near Medical College that specialises in fish dishes, says there have been days in the last three weeks when he could not offer seer fish, the prices of which touched ₹1,200 per kg, at all. “We normally offer close to 20 varieties of fish. One day, we had to limit to about 11 due to non-availability,” he says. “On some days, we substitute vella choora (white tuna) with mackerel in the fish curry to stay in the game,” he adds. Another alternative has been substituting river or farm prawns for its marine cousin.
Keeping up the “brand name” is paramount. “Certain days, I keep the business open without keeping profit in mind,” says Ajith Shanghumugham who runs Kadalkkoottu near Shanghumugham. “This is a time of social media and one bad review can significantly affect our business. So we need to be on our toes until we are off the hook,” he point outs.
