Paragon: A True 'Paragon' of South Indian Food!

Paragon Restaurant Review

If you are in LuLu Mall and want to treat your taste buds to some delectable South Indian food, you don’t even have to head to the food court anymore! Right next to the ticketing counters of the PVR Cinema Halls is Paragon, the newest South Indian restaurant to open at LuLu. 
The best part is they have both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food of almost every kind including a rather extensive menu for seafood!

True to their name, they serve up exceptionally good, traditional food typical of Kerala. They even have daily specials so that you can always come back to try something new over and over again. This review will mostly focus on the more permanent menu items that are available all the time, with a few specials thrown in.
The restaurant has good seating capacity but since it gets crowded, they have an exclusive waiting area, where you can await your turn. The interiors are nice and bright with comfortable seating. As soon as you enter to your right, there is a counter that has a display of the available fish for the day. They have both fresh catch as well as frozen ones. 

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

Choice of Fish Fry: Karimeen [Pearl Spot Fish] Fry

We ordered the famous pearl spot fish, which was then marinated with select spices, curry leaves and split green chilies.

This is fried to golden brown perfection and served whole. It is served with a side of julienned carrot and onion.

Fish Curry Meals

Trying out these 'Meals' are highly recommended, especially if you:

• Have huge appetite and love rice
• Want to have a complete meal with tremendous variety or:
• Simply want to try the same meal any Malayalee would likely have for his lunch

If you see one or more of the above factors in your list, the traditional ‘meals’ as they are called, will be your best bet. As the name suggests, it is a complete meal with no less than 12+ different side-dishes included, truly reflecting the tremendous diversity that the Cuisine of Kerala has to offer! 

Boiled rice: The main carbohydrate comes in the form of very fat-grain boiled rice, which they serve unlimited quantities of. 

Rasam: Then there is rasam, which is a tamarind and tomato based soup-like dish that is both tangy and mildly spicy at the same time. It may be mixed with rice like you would with a gravy, or had on its own as a soup or similar beverage.

Fish curries: The first of the two fish curries is the red fish curry which has seer fish in a gravy made with ‘Kodampuli’, a kind of tamarind also known as gambodge or Malabar Tamarind. The other is a yellow fish curry with a different type of tamarind. The main difference between the two is that the red curry is a bit spicier while the yellow curry has more of a tangy flavour. Generally, these curries are what you would mix with the rice you are about to eat.

You will also find the following side dishes which are usually taken in small quantity along with rice: 

[NOTE: Sorry for the sloppy descriptions for some of the items below; I am working on better ones which should be coming soon. It is difficult to describe some of these dishes as I have never made them myself and there are many ingredients and techniques that cannot be translated easily in just a few words! Eventually, we will also add images of each side dish below the next time we go there.]

Parippu peechinga coconut curry: This is a dish consisting of lentils called 'parippu' and a type of gourd called 'peechinga' also known as ridge gourd or luffa. This is also known as 'pottika' in some other parts of Kerala. This is a healthy dish as it has lentils for protein.

Vellarikka: Vellarikka is a type of cucumber which is cut and cooked in gravy that has spices and more notably: coconut paste. Has a unique texture from the use of ground coconut.

Kalan: Type of curry made using coconut, curds and vegetables like yam, raw banana etc.

Kovaka thoran: Yet another type of small gourd made with coconut paste. This one is comparatively dry meaning to say it does not have a gravy of its own.

Cheera thoran: This a dish that consists of shredded spinach with grated coconut and spices which are stir fried. Another healthy dish rich in iron and other minerals from the spinach.

Kachiya moru: This is a savoury spiced yogurt dish which sees yogurt simmered with a few spices and seasoned with a few ingredients. It can be had with the rice like a gravy but is also consumed on its own as a tasty drink. 

Thairu [Plain yogurt]: A bowl of plain yogurt is also provided, you may wish to add this to the rice if you want to mellow out any spiciness or consume it on its own.

Pavakka/Kaypakka (bitter gourd) chips: This sees slices of bitter gourd marinated in curd and chilli then fried till crisp. This has a strong and tart flavor and a nice crunch to add textural variety to the plate.

Pickle or ‘achar’: These spicy and tart sides provide a tang to pike up your hunger and help you eat more! They provide a perfect contrast to the semi-spicy gravies that are also provided. The one provided was lime pickle. 

‘Papadom’, which is a kind of crisp rice cracker. This is consumed to add a tinge of textural contrast as it is crisp and crunchy compared to the soft vegetables and rice. They have a rather mild flavor mainly from being fried in coconut oil.

‘Payasam’: To finish things off, a milk-based dessert called payasam [which is like a sweet rice porridge or kheer] called Palapayasam is given for dessert. This is essentially made by boiling milk and rice with sugar and a few whole spices like cardamom.

Whew. That concludes the items given for the 'meals'. Now onto the other dishes!

Prawns Fry

Medium sized, succulent prawns are used in this dish with the tail on. It is coated with a spiced batter made of rice flour. This is fried with curry leaves to achieve a crunchy coating that contrasts delightfully well with the soft and juicy prawn. Served with a side of julienned carrot and onion.

Crab Fry

You get to choose your crab and get it marinated with select spices. This is then fried with curry leaves and served cut up into the constituent parts like legs, arms, body etc. 

Served with a side of julienned carrot and onion plus a wedge of lime. Though the marinade was tasty it was just concentrated on the shell, unable to penetrate the meat of the crab. This leaves the meat inside still white and flavorless. That said, it is a good dish if a little expensive. Prices vary based on weight of the crab you choose.

Calicut Chicken Curry [Dish of the Day]

Note: This is was a dish of the day, meaning it may not be available all the time and is not present on their standard menu.

A semi-thick curry consisting of chicken pieces on the bone and an aromatic gravy made with roasted and ground spices, a process locally known as ‘varutharachathu’. The chicken pieces were well cooked and the gravy went well with porotta. The quantity was just all right, mostly enough for two people.

Thattukada [Streetfood-style] Prawns

‘Thattukada’ is the name given to a small time roadside establishment based on push-carts or other vehicles or even tents that dish out some pretty delectable food for the common man. 
As the name suggests, such joints seem to be the inspiration for this dish and they tried to make it taste just like it would if were standing on the roadside ordering a plate of these from one such thattukada. The masala had a slight spice owing to the use of black pepper but nothing overwhelming. Also in the mix were bits of roasted coconut.

Squid and Prawns Ularthiyathu [Stir-fried]

‘Ularthiyathu’ refers to a dish that has its ingredients tossed in a pan with spices, akin to a stir-fry. A dish that has prawns and squid rings fried with coconut bits and assorted spices. The squid was cooked well and was not chewy as one would expect it to be elsewhere.

Chicken Biryani [Rice Dish with Chicken]

A dish that mixes rich rice with heavily spiced chicken. The chicken was marinated very well and cooked to perfection. The rice itself is not very spicy and needs to be mixed with pieces of chicken to get the flavour. Also provided are green coconut chutney and curd raita to be mixed with the biryani to add additional flavour and texture to the dish. They offer half and full plate options to suit everyone’s need.

Vellayappam [Fermented rice crepe-pancake hybrid]

This is a traditional breakfast dish that resembles a fine crepe with a thicker centre. It is made using fermented rice batter and cooked on a small wok. The result is a flower-shaped flatbread that is thick and soft in the center and thin and crisp as you move outward.

The vellayappams served here are very good. It has the right texture and is served hot. Thus it is crisp too. It can be had with both spicy and non-spicy dishes.

Kerala Porotta/ Wheat Porotta

This place also has typical flaky Kerala Porotta. Goes great with almost anything and especially with spicy dishes. They offer both healthy wheat and traditional refined flour [maida] varieties.

Elaneer Payasam [Tender Coconut Dessert Dish]

This is a sweet dish made with tender coconut and milk. It had a lovely creamy consistency and rich sweetness to it with the subtle yet detectable taste of Tender coconut. Needless to say, this is highly recommended! Payasam is the most traditional type of dessert served at the end of a meal.

If you are touring the city and are in search of some authentic traditional South Indian non-vegetarian dishes, then this place is an absolute must-visit. The food is great, the place is neat and clean making it one of the few places we recommend for non-veg food. 

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

First floor of LuLu Mall, Edapally.

Parking: Mall parking at LuLu [Chargeable] is fine except on very busy days and weekends when it may get full and you might have to wait to find a spot.

Ambience: Good, adequate spacing between tables, well lit. 

Service: Very good.

What we liked/Recommended for:

• Great South Indian and Naadan food, special dishes to add variety. 
• Good ambiance, great for families. 
• Good service. 
• Seafood counter. 
• Ample lighting. 
• Clean.

Potential Shortcomings:
Nothing much to speak of: prices so far have been reasonable for the environment and quality provided. Some fresh seafood dishes like the ones reviewed above may be a tad expensive though. 

Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable.
Phone Number: +91 484 401 1000
Timings: 11:00 - 23:00
Restaurant Website: http://www.paragonrestaurant.net/

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Have you been to Paragon? Take the time to tell us what you had in the comments below!