KERALA TRAILS TOUR

Dining Options

Mumbai – Tellicherry – Cochin – Alleppey – Kovalam

Mumbai

Mumbai is much more of a town where you would ask "what to eat" rather than "where to eat". It's history of cuisine is rich and ancient. From Irani cafes to street stalls it's much more adventurous to stick to the "middle" rather than "elite" restaurants for the true flavors of Mumbai gastronomical heritage. Here's a few suggestions:

Chaats - great snack food

Vada Pav - a mashed potato (vada) patty sandwich (pav) with liberal helpings of chutneys

Pav Bhaji - mashed vegetables cooked in spices, topped with butter and served piping hot with pav

Bhel Puri - comprised mostly of puffed rice and assorted spices with a few chutneys - a fav at Juhu

Pani Puri - the vendor hands you a plate - he takes a puri (it looks like a brown golf ball), makes a small hole in it, and dips the puri into two jars - one a water tangy tamarind sauce, the other a spicy minty sauce - top it off with some condiments and places the puri on your plate. Pop the whole thing into your mouth. The outcome is an explosion of flavors.

Bhurji - a mash of eggs and chopped tomato, onion, chili, and lots of oil, with pav

Other Specialty Foods

Irani Cafes - Persian styled cafes opened by 19th century Persian migrants from Iran. These cafes were created specifically as places for commuters to pass time waiting for connections and, thus, have a unique lazy atmosphere. The joints are best known for their "Irani Chai", "Bun-Maska/Maska Pav" (bread and butter) and Egg Omlette. Also are popular their assorted snacks, like Kheema-na-Patice, samosas, mava-na-cakes, etc. One of the the best dish which is almost always on the menu is Kheema (prepared from ground meat) and pav (bread).

Thaalis - a complete meal arranged on your plate, with a roti or chappati, rice, and many different varieties of curries and curd. Ordering a thali is a popular option when you are hungry and in a hurry as it is usually served blazingly fast. Most mid-level restaurants have a thali on the menu, at least during lunch hours. Occasionally, they are "unlimited", which means that some of the items are all-you-can-eat.

Authentic Marathi Cuisine - the ethnic cuisine of native Mumbai-ites - some notable dishes include Sabudana Wada, Batata Wada, Missal, Kanda Poha, Zunka Bhakari, Kokam Sarbat and Solkadhi

Tellicherry

Rara Avis
Saroma Aditya Vegetarian Restaurant
Star Hotel
Flotilla Restaurant
Prakhrithi Restaurant
Hotel Binaca

Cochin

For the past 600 years, Kochi has catered to many vistors from around the world including Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, Russians and Japanese. This has made the city a melting pot of various cultures, and this diversity is evident in the cuisine. A short list of options:

Arctic Circle - Sizzler specialties

Ayela & Keshai - very good seafood restaurant serving Kochi, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese. It has a fresh seafood selection court, with the fish cooked in front of the guests

24 Carat - popular upscale and romantic multi-cuisine restaurant

Cornucopia - cricket theme restaurant famous for its wide selection of Continental, Greek, and Mediterranean cuisines

Golden Dragon - pure Chinese without any Indianisation. Serves alcohol.

Hon. East India Company - historical themed restaurant famous for its classic paintings and heritage photo galleries as well as its food. The evening buffet is one of the largest in town offering the best of English, Kerala and North Indian cuisine

Lokah World Cuisines - offers nine international cuisines from an American Wild West theme to Vietnamese seafood, Italian pastas and Arabic grills. This restaurant has a family hall, a smoking lounge, a street food area and French cafe along with bakery.

Itty's Place - an eco-friendly restaurant made completely with bamboo, coir and wood having 3 sit-down options. Specialty items include gelato, Italian pizzas, pastas and subs

Spice Route - themed around historical spice route with focus on traditional Persian foods.

Somewhere Else Cafe & Restaurant - serves a wide range of coffees and mocktails, sizzlers, steaks, grilled wraps, burgers and desserts.

Alleppey

Seafood - since time spent in/around Alleppey will most likely be aboard a houseboat or on the backwaters, fresh seafood is the area's specialty.

Kovalam

There are many restaurants along the beachfront boardwalk and through the meandering lagoon lanes behind the boardwalk. The catch-of-the-day is usually laid in front of them in the evening. Overall, great seafood with an emphasis on relaxation and listening to the surf.