First off, let me provide my definition of eating spree- munching a meal in small portions each from different eateries. For lunch or dinner, I plan out a short-distance stretch of a street, which is abundant in restaurants. I select four or five eateries on the stretch which are within walking distance. I then drop by each of the shortlisted restaurants, one at a time, and try out their best dish or dishes, usually a trifling quota, leaving room for the next dish at the next eatery. Typically, I plan out the order of visit of the selected restaurants in a way that I could have a somewhat five-course meal, not particularly in the correct order. I invite all Local Guides to check out more on Food in and around my locality on my INSTAGRAM page.
So, Kazhakoottam, a small satellite work-town of Trivandrum, is rambling with prevailing diners as well as new ones turning up on the sensor every day, mainly targeting the techie population in the vicinity. I jotted down a list of a few joints to crash and dived in head-first for a Saturday-night dinner.
Thus started my nocturnal labour at around 5pm, my wife and I parked our car within the Technopark entry parking-lot and headed to the nearest and first joint on my list, Caffe Primo. Sourcing inspiration from Italian, Mexican, Spanish and Chinese, the relatively new restaurant really cooks up some appetizing concoctions. Fine dining is the word for the small outlet, attracting its fair share of followers since inception. Their bestselling sliders are great for a pair- a duo of mini burgers are served with a load of fries and sauce, perfect for a couple. We ordered a pair of the juicy-squeezy special sliders and nibbled on the quick bite- our first course. I could not resist seeing the Churros on the menu, a Spanish sweet munch, that has never made its entry into Trivandrum, until now. So I went out of my way to order an early dessert and didn’t regret it at all. The Spanish churros came as tiny finger-shaped crispy nuggets made from paneer and dough, and dusted with fried cinnamon powder and brown sugar. It was blissful. We were done with our first food joint.
Then we took a 200m walk to the Asiatic-Business-Center building, on the 7th floor of which is the Terrace by Makkawao, overlooking the entire satellite town. The volume ramps up and the ambiance lights up as the night unfolds. Past 6pm, we saw hipsters pouring in to grab the delicious food and have a ball at the play center. Yes that’s right! There is a play center with 3 Foosball desks, 2 Snooker cum billiards table and 1 air hockey table. A hookah bar and a juice counter is also present in the place. We ordered a delicious grill. The games are chargeable extra, so my wife and I didn’t venture out onto those while waiting for our food to arrive. We took over a table by the edge of the terrace to eavesdrop at the horizon on the west coast of the city and, in a few minutes, came our order- a medium-sized chunk of chicken breast piece grilled in a dense marination. The food was just delicious enough and we were done with our fill of starters.
It was nightfall now at around 7pm. We then descended down to the 5th floor wherein is The Cricket Shack. Themed on the most favourite Indian Sport, the scheme of the interior is intricately decked out with cricket material, cricket paintings, cricket posters and cricket merchandise, all embellishing the surfaces of the diner. The restaurateur, a cricket fanatic has created the hip, glamorous diner, overlooking the national highway and the western horizon of the townscape. The open terrace captures the gust of the wind, creating a mood of a hipster-friendly hangout. With all the upping theme, the menu, that takes a turn to the commonplace, is fashioned in the most ordinary way. We ordered a steak and grabbed a seat by the parapets. One can easily spend the better part of the day simply staring at the added drama of the panoramic view outside. We vaguely relished on our steak and spend an hour playing a bit of chess on the breezy terrace. Our appetite was half-full by the time we were done.
We calculated our next move very carefully. We walked to our subsequent stop which was another few 100 metres away to let the food digest a bit. By 8:30pm, we entered Bait Al mandi, famous for their hot-seller. We ordered a quarter mutton mandi. The dish was brought fresh to the platter, featuring the meat decanted on rice slow-cooked rice in the broth and ghee of the meat. The rice tasted a little bland, but in combination with the mayo and sauce, our spirits were lifted. The scene-stealing Mutton slice was the most tender succulent meat. The restaurant really hit the mark on our main course and our bellies were almost full, save for a little bit of space for dessert.
We decided to have something to drink for sweet course rather than a hulking dessert. So we walked back all the way to Kuppi, a juice bar to taste their unique shakes and smoothies. At about 9pm, we were scoping through their menu that groups the drinks into classic shakes (simple fruit shakes) and premium shakes (a blend of more than one rich ingredients). The entrepreneur was eager to explain the flavours and ideas of the place to all. He stated that the abstract graphics on their pet bottles are themed differently based on each season. They have a feminine art for women’s day, a playful dash on children’s day, and a safety design commemorating environment day. We ordered the Charcoal alpho and Irish coffee flavours. Our drinks were formed of ice-cream base and some covert ingredients. The selected flavour was first matched with a similar ice cream, blended in a mixer, jiggled up in a cocktail shaker, stocked into the bottles and then served freezing cold. The adorable 300ml and 500ml bottles were filled up to the brim with our titillating order. The charcoal alpho was delightful in its imported charcoal powder blended with mango ice cream. The Irish coffee flavour had a dark chocolate and coffee essence combo to give the deep-ground lovely coffee flavour. A sweet success and a sugary climax to the night.
My wife and I were done. Our bellies were overflowing with all the fusion mix playing within our stomachs at 9:30pm. It was an extraordinary experience and an irreplaceable night.
I could hardly drive us back home. I invite all local guides to go on a similar eating spree tour in their respective cities. But caution, the mission is not for the faint of stomach. Once in a while, going on an off-the-beaten-track is worth the significant detour in any city. The occasional tickle to the taste buds with a confusing mix of food from a potpourri of places is the way to go by.
