Ceylon Bake House: Affordable Yet Delicious South Indian Non-Veg Food!

Ceylon Bake House Review

Located at MG Road, Ceylon Bake House or CBH is a great place to go to if you would like to savor some great South Indian non veg food in a good, family-friendly environment. The range is quite extensive: fish, prawns, chicken etc. are available as curries and also fried dishes. They are known for their authentic, super-fine idiyappam (steamed string hoppers), easily the best in town. Their pricing ensures good value for money too, especially for the quantity and taste. As a result, the turnover is rather immense: we went there to grab some lunch the other day and had to wait a minute to get seats, and even that was probably because they know us. Even after that, there were people coming in and waiting throughout our meal. 

[EDIT: You are reading an updated review with more dishes and even better photos!]
Ceylon bake house has been around for a very long time. It used to be the go-to place for good South Indian food until some new options came in to add variety. They did suffer a few hiccups now and again but seem to have gotten around it and are back in action. They revamped the whole place a little while ago so it is brighter than ever before. The interiors are bright and airy with a reasonably modern feel to it.

Now lets talk about the food.


Suggested Reading: Not familiar with  South Indian food? We have just the right article to get you up to speed: South Indian Dishes!

Kerala Porotta

This layered flatbread made with refined wheat flour or maida is a popular item in the South, and CBH makes it well. 

It goes really well with almost any curry and can also be had with dry dishes too. The ones made here are incredibly flaky too, as you can see in this crop:

Wheat Porotta

While not one of the first restaurants to offer this variant, CBH has recently introduced this item to the menu. Like the normal porotta, this too has a nice and fluffy texture like a refined flour porotta but made with wheat instead, so it is marketed as a healthier alternative. They both taste a bit different though.

Idiyappam

Known to the western world as string hoppers, this is a typical Kerala dish that involves dough made of fine rice flour extruded through a special implement to create extremely fine strings made into a circular cake. It is a bit like noodle but thin as a string of cloth or vermicelli. This is then steamed and served hot. 

Being a steamed dish, it is very healthy. It is neutral in taste and goes well with the spicier curries they offer. This place easily offers the best string hoppers in town as they are very fine in texture.

Vellayappam [Crisp-crepe-soft-pancake hybrid...!]

Vellayappam is an extremely unique dish; there is nothing it can be compared to. It is sort of like a combination of two things: an outer lace akin to a crisp crepe and a centre that is thick and soft like a (very thick) Pancake. Here is a photo to give you a clearer idea:

It has a very unique flavor owing to being fermented. The ones served here are made using yeast for fermentation and they come out beautifully well, with the aforementioned soft middle and crisp outer lace as is visible in the photo. It goes well with the curries they offer and stews alike. 

Prawn Fry

The prawn fry here is really good. We asked them if they had fresh prawns and they said the catch had just come in. The result was testable in the final product: a plate full of delectably succulent, perfectly spiced prawns tossed with onion, curry leaves green chillies and spices like turmeric. I do not like frozen prawns much as they taste significantly different and can get fishy sometimes. This did not even have a hint of being fishy, going to show just how fresh they were. Quick tip: when you order, always ask the waiter whether the catch is fresh. More often than not, it will be. Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself below!

As usual, I took the photo after we started eating, so what you see here is after we took some out of it. Almost the whole plate was covered in prawns.

Karimeen (Pearl Spot Fish) Fry

This is one of the most characteristic coastal dishes of Kerala. It is made by marinating fish with spices like chilli powder, turmeric powder etc. and is wrapped in a banana leaf and fried. It is very reasonably priced here too, unlike in bigger restaurants.

Chicken/Fish curries

The curries here are tasty and great value since they offer good quantity for the price. Most are South Indian items like chicken varutharachathu [referring to the spices used which are roasted and ground], butter chicken, chilly chicken, chicken 65 and other traditional local curries.

One of the most characteristic curries we tried here is the Ceylon Bake House Special. This is prepared not unlike a chicken tikka masala in that it has fried pieces of chicken which are then added to slightly creamy, thick gravy. The taste is completely different from the North Indian Chicken Tikka masala in that it does not have a Tandoori flavour. It has a slightly sweet taste from the tomato and also has an assortment of spices that you would not taste anywhere else. It has shredded boiled egg on top too, which adds another dimension to the entire dish! For the record, the dish is boneless.

Prawn Biryani

This is one of the few places that serve prawn biryani, and it is really good too. It is made with fresh prawns, and is a great option for a filling lunch. Of course, chicken biryani is also available.

If you are touring the city and are in search of some authentic traditional non-vegetarian dishes, then this place is pretty much a must-visit. They value for money factor is good and the food is great, being one of the few places we recommend for non-veg food. 

Type of Cuisine: South Indian vegetarian and non-vegetarian
Location

Opposite SRV High School, Woodlands Junction, MG Road.

Parking: Few cars in front + dedicated parking lot. No problems here.

Ambience: Good. Adequate spacing between tables. Decent Lighting.

Service: Good.

What we liked/Recommended for:

• Good non-vegetarian dishes. 
• Excellent Idiyappam: likely the best in town. 
• Value for money fish dishes like Karimeen Fry [pearl spot fish].

Potential Shortcomings: 
No problems after renovation.

Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable.
Phone Number: +91 484 2376081, 2377125

Timings: 08:00 - 23:00

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Have you eaten from Ceylon Bake House? Tell us your opinion in the comments below!