For the next 5 months, there will be a carnival in Fort Kochi. Aside from the art venues, food businesses are also busy bringing back old menus and making new ones. People from all over the country come to this part of the city during this time, and this year, the focus is on local food.
“Visitors want to know what Kerala is really like, and what better way than to eat local food?” asks R. Arun Kumar, the chef and model developer at Oceanos, which is on Elphinstone Highway near St. Andrews Parish Corridor in Fort Kochi and serves Keralan, Italian, and seafood dishes.
Here are some of the delicacies to try:
Mud crab at Oceanos
They changed its menu in August because the staff wanted to keep the Biennale in mind. The restaurant is known for its fusion dishes made with seafood from the area, such as prawns, fish, and dust crabs.
“We’ve combined cuisines for people who can’t handle spicy food, like our Malabar tamarind basil fish, which uses kokum or grilled oysters in herbs, or our mud crab, which uses butter, garlic, and Singapore chili,” says Arun. Arun says that the menu was made so that it would appeal to local food lovers as well as tourists.
It seems that some Italians, French, and Spaniards enjoy spicy food. “20% of our menu is from Kerala.” Some of the dishes you can choose from are meen pollichathu, Alleppey fish curry, grilled or fried fish, and vattichathu.
Since it opened earlier this year at the David Hall Art Gallery in Fort Kochi, the Pandhal Cafe has been experimenting with its menu, offering a mix of different types of food. So, when you order specials like pork hock, a slow-cooked pork dish that is a house specialty, you can also expect pizzas, sandwiches, and tacos.
Still, it has added rice bowls to the menu to cater to the tastes of the locals. “These bowls come in two different styles: one has rice, traditional prawn curry, and tangy lime leaf podi chammanthi, while the other has steamed rice or Japanese fried rice with a fried egg on top. “There is also a quinoa version of this,” says Jose Alex Mathew, AGM of Pandhal operations.
Here are five well-known places to eat in Fort Kochi that reflect the unique culture of this old port city and are likely to never go out of style.
Kashi Cafe for Artwork
Kashi was one of the first cafes in Kochi to show that art and food go well together. Since then, both tourists and locals love to hang out there. Kashi has a variety of foods, like pulled beef sandwiches, lasagna, salads, or just plain grilled chicken. Give the chocolate cake a try.
Cafe Kayees Rahmathullah
The Kayees Rahmathulla cafe in Mattancherry is one of the oldest places to eat in Kochi. It is a short ferry ride from Fort Kochi. Try the real, fragrant biryani made in the Kochi style with long grains of rice. This small restaurant was started by V. Ok. Kayee in 1948 as a tea shop. Even on work days, it’s usually crowded, but regulars say the wait is worth it.
Mattancherry is close to the Gujarati Temple. 300 yen for 2. 0484 2221234 Seagull Resort at Fort Kochi.
The Seagull Resort
At Resort Seagull, you can drink beer and eat fish moilee with flaky parottas as you watch cruise ships and big service provider ships sail by. Try squid and prawns as well. But if you want to speak Chinese the way the Chinese do, you can do that too. Seagull was started by V. S. Krishnan, a musician and businessman, a long time ago. It still has the same feel as it did in the 1980s. At the end of Calvathy Road in Fort Kochi, next to Pepper Home. 08042781365\sRoom at Outdated Harbour Resort Fort in Kochi
Harbour Resort
Consuming recent seafood together with organically-grown greens in a heritage monument ought to really feel particular. This 300-year-old building, where Dutch architecture with Portuguese influences meets trendy facilities, is without doubt one of the first inns of old Cochin. Try filets of seasonal fish, crabs, shrimp, and jumbo prawns grilled on the grill with a different wine.
In Fort Kochi, on Tower Highway It costs about $3,000 for two. The Lighthouse Bristow Resort in Fort Kochi is old and outdated..
Lighthouse Bristow Resort
The best bet at this heritage boutique hotel with a sea view is a healthy seafood platter with seerfish, king prawns, squid, mud crab, and more. In between bites, watch and listen to the waves as you drink wine and beer.
On your next visit to Kochi, let’s give the above recommendations a try.