Shifu Momos: Mo' for your Money!

Shifu Momos Review

Shifu Momo’s is a small hole-in-the-wall shop located at Panampilly Nagar. Before you decide to try and correct me, no I have NOT forgotten my grammar; this is what the name of the establishment is written as. Check out the photo if you don't believe me! 

We finally happened to be in the general vicinity one day and decided to see for ourselves what this place had to offer.

Honestly, the establishment itself is not much to write about: it is really tiny and they have a counter behind which they prepare all the items. They do not provide any seating arrangements; only a trash can for when you have finished eating. Most people sit at the pavement near the shop, take away the stuff to have it at the nearby park or like we did: eat in the comfort of their cars. It is a true fast food joint where you are expected to order what you need and move on. They had a few staff cooking or serving up orders. Since there is nothing more to be said here, let us move onto the food.

They offer Veg, Chicken and Beef momos. You can opt for full or half plates which would entitle you to 10 or 5 momos respectively. They also offer noodle etc. but it is worth mentioning that they actually ran out of this and a few other items we tried to order to make the review as comprehensive as possible; I guess that definitely says something about its popularity. Apart from the steamed momos, the main sauces on offer were Schezuan and Manchurian. This confirmed our suspicions: the place would serve up Indo-Chinese or Tibetan-style momos which are more appealing to Indian taste buds, and we enjoy those too! We decided to go with all the three available options: steamed as well as the two varieties of sauces.

Steamed Chicken Momos

The obligatory taste test, one that we use to gauge the quality of any joint’s momos. 

We are happy to report that the outer covering was nice and soft as it was freshly made, apart from being reasonably thin. There was no hint of chewiness or anything, so off to a good start. 

Coming to the filling itself, it had lots of chopped cabbage. It was very finely shredded, so it lent a great texture without being noticeably chewy at all. The filling had a detectable taste of chicken too. However, we found no pieces at all so the satisfying ‘bite’ was missing. It was served with chili sauce and garlic sauce. The garlic sauce was mild and creamy and while these are not traditional, it went well with the momos. The chili sauce also added a tangy aspect to the dish; good for those who prefer such flavours.

Chicken Momo in Schezuan sauce

As with most places, the Schezuan option is expected to be the spiciest. 

When we took a bite into it, the first impression one of us felt was that we were eating chaat made with momos…! The sauce was sweet and spicy, a combination characteristic of chaat. [Chaat refers to a variety of Indian snacks consisting of tiny flatbread slathered with tangy chutneys and such.]

After a bit more the flavours came through though and we could tell that it had a balance of sweet and spice working in tandem. I can imagine this being the most popular option they sell, as the addition of Schezuan sauce makes an otherwise bland plate of momos taste a lot more exciting. Not authentic but come on, it was never meant to be anyway!

Chicken Momo in Manchurian Sauce

Predictably, this sauce had a more 'Chinese-style flavour'. 

The texture was slightly thick and it had a darker shade of brown compared to the Schezuan version. It was difficult to tell but the sauce seemed to have finely chopped chili and garlic.

A full plate of 10 chicken momos is just Rs 90/- as of May 2017. With prices like these, it was no surprise this place is so popular. Also not to mention, the food itself was as good as it gets. Sure, if one were to nit-pick, you could bring up the argument that it is Indo-Chinese and not authentic Chinese. There are no seating arrangements. As long as it tastes good and is inexpensive, who cares? The flavours are adapted well to suit the palate of the people here and we think it tastes great.

Our final verdict? We all agreed that we will likely never go anywhere else for momos. ‘Nuff said. 

Type of Cuisine: Momos, [Indo-]Chinese

Location

Opposite Kids and Teens, KV Nagar, Panampilly Nagar.

Parking: Nothing dedicated, but the roads nearby usually have enough space, should not be problem.

Ambience: None to speak of, Buzzing with activity but no dedicated place to sit or anything. Plenty of space including a park nearby so should not be a major problem. 

Service: Quick

What we liked/Recommended for:

Very good value for money. Although not authentic Chinese, is well made and tastes good.

Potential Shortcomings:
On one occasion, got cartilage in more than one momo. Will monitor to see if this was a one-off occurrence. Update: We have returned a few times and every now and then, we have encountered a little bit of cartilage. 
No dedicated seating arrangements; but not to be expected either. 

Taxes: Included in price, fat tax not applicable. 

Phone Number: +91 9633 918 717

Timings: 15:00 - 20:00

Restaurant Website: <None>

On Zomato: 
      

Hunters: Get Your Gear On!

Hunters Restaurant Review

Hunters is located on the first floor of the aptly named GudFud Tower in Panampilly Nagar, above Donut Factory. They have rather interesting continental dishes and seem to be fine dining inspired to a degree. 

You may notice in the picture, this is the same building that also houses Primate, a 'raw food' restaurant from where we had our dessert (review coming soon)!

It had good seating capacity and was well lit. Large glass windows provide a view outside while you enjoy your meal. 

Hot and Sour Chicken Soup

We started off with a complimentary soup, we opted for chicken. 

It was a typical hot and sour soup, with adequate pieces of chicken and a nice, soothing flavor just like a good soup should be.

Chicken Steak with Mushroom Cheese

This saw succulent chicken fillets slathered with a nice mushroom and cream sauce: one of the best combinations to be had. 

It ticked the right boxes, though we felt that the mushroom flavour could have been a bit stronger but nothing wrong the way it was. Accompanied by a side of vegetables [carrot, broccoli, beans etc.] and French Fries, which we must say were perfectly made being crisp on the outside with a fluffy interior.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Reading the menu, this sounded very interesting so we decided to grab a plate. If you believe in first impressions [we try to be as objective as possible so thats not us!], you may not be too happy to receive what we got. 

Lets be honest, there are places that charge a bit but give a lot too but at Rs 290/-, this dish did not seem too expensive at first. That is, until we were served and realized each mushroom had a net worth just a little shy of Rs 100/-. We received a plate with some vegetables [julienned cabbage and carrot] and a small wedge of lime with a minuscule quantity of something hiding under the sauce. We got three, [yes: 3, t-h-r-e-e] mushrooms. Not big ones either, they were regular sized button mushrooms.  That made it seem outrageously overpriced, especially considering that the other dish had a very reasonable quantity for the price.

HOWEVER, and this is where we hold up to our promise of being objective; the dish itself tasted wonderful...! The creamy white sauce complemented the earthy flavor of the stuffed mushroom which was soft and cooked perfectly. The multitude of flavors was really a joy. To sum it up, this dish tastes great and has potential but regardless of everything, it is still outrageously overpriced in terms of quantity. 

We enjoyed the food here, with some dishes that were well made and plenty of variety to stay interesting. Throughout the meal, we could get a whiff of biryani etc. which also smelled really good. We would like to try this place again sometime, especially to try the Indian fare but likely not very soon. We hope they can fix the pricing of the said dish, that would keep them in good stead. As always, stay tuned for updates!

Type of Cuisine: Continental
Location

GudFud Tower, Panampilly Nagar Avenue.

Parking: Not much of a problem

Ambience: Very Good

Service: Good

What we liked/Recommended for:

All dishes were generally well made and the had good flavor. 

Potential Shortcomings: 
One or two dishes [in review] seemed to be overpriced. Will update after next visit. 

Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable
Phone Number: +91 484 402 5599
Timings: 12:00 - 23:00

On Zomato:
      

Have you been to Hunters? Share your experience with us, comment below!

A Taste of Lil America!

Lil America Review

Nestled in Panampilly Nagar is a small eatery called ‘Lil America. As the name suggests, you can find many kinds of dishes that are not Indian! Their Hot-Dogs are really good, and so are the other dishes like chicken fillet etc. The staff are very friendly and helpful too.

The place itself while small, is done up well with a section having books, games, a digital jukebox etc. The overall design is definitely contemporary and you could spend a long time here hanging out with friends.

Hot Dogs

Hot Dogs are most commonly associated with the American culture and sure enough this was on the menu here. They have a good variety of options encompassing veg, beef and chicken. We tried the two best hot dogs there, the Double Chicken Grill and the Grilled Bacon. Both had rather large hot dog buns with a nice chunky sausage topped with caramelised onion and were drizzled with mustard and ketchup. The Double Chicken Grill had chicken chunks on top and the Grilled Bacon had, well: bacon! Both tasted really good, the tang from the onions and ketchup going well with the tasty hotdog sausage and soft bun. If you are a spice maniac, this is not the item for you as it is about as authentic as it gets; no Indianisation here! If I were to nit-pick, the bacon would have tasted a bit better if they had grilled it longer to a golden brown where it releases its juices; it was rather pale but everyone has their preferences. I am sure the staff would oblige if you tell them, so you might want to keep that in mind.

In case you were wondering: the one on the left is the grilled bacon and the one on the right is the Double Chicken Grill.

Toasties

They also have a variety of great toasties which are basically slices of sesame topped bread with various toppings. We tried the Mushroom Ragout, there were five slices and also came with fries, coleslaw and ketchup. It was delightfully light with crisp toast and a creamy flavor. The mushrooms were well cooked and the fries were nice and crisp. A must-try dish if you do visit here.

Grilled Chicken Fillet

Next up was the grilled chicken fillet. This has a well cooked and super soft fillet of chicken breast and is topped with a delightfully creamy mushroom sauce. It is served with six tiny slices of buttered, sesame topped bread, French fries, coleslaw and a cooked tomato sliced in half.

Type of Cuisine: Continental, Cafe, Fast Food, Hot Dogs
Location
KV Nagar, Panampilly Nagar.

Parking: Nothing dedicated but there is plenty of place on the roads nearby.

Ambience: Great place to hang out, there is a jukebox, board games, books etc. and is a treat to spend time and relax. Except when there are youngsters already hanging out, in which case....!

Service: Friendly and Helpful staff, good service.

Taxes: Included in price
Phone Number: 0484 2323755
Timings: 07:00 - 22:30

This is the only place we know of in Kochi where you can find this kind of food with this level of quality. We will positively return to this joint very soon. Till then, don’t forget to leave your comments below!

Donut Factory: Going [Do]Nuts!

Donut Factory Review

Edit: LuLu Mall Branch has closed down.
Donut? Doughnut? Whatever you want to call it. 
Most of the local bakeries make some form of chocolate coated donut which meets just the basic criteria for a donut: they are toroid shaped and fried. They are nothing special to eat though and that is something we sorely missed in Kochi for many years, especially having tasted world class donuts from places like Krispy Crème etc. ages ago. We were just yearning to get another bite of a more gourmet type of donut. The recently [2014] launched Donut Factory in Panampilly Nagar is just what the doctor ordered. They also have a branch at the first floor of LuLu Mall.[Now Closed]

There are only a few benches in front of the LuLu Mall branch if you wish to sit down and sample them immediately but you will have better luck at the Panampilly Nagar branch located at the GudFud Tower, which is much larger, has good seating and a nice ambience. Now let’s go get some donuts!

How many varieties of donut do you know of? If you are used to buying them from regular small time bakeries, you’ve probably only had plain and chocolate coated. Donut Factory offers over 13 varieties of donut, broadly classified into filled and unfilled. The unfilled ones offer a range of toppings like marble [white and milk chocolate], Oreo [which as you can guess has crushed Oreo cookies on it], Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate chip and so on. 

The filled ones have fillings like custard, mango, blueberry and so on. They seem to run out of them by the evening itself since we went there twice to find that all the donuts were sold out. Luckily, third time was the charm and we got to try seven flavours [all the others were sold out].

The filled donuts are the most interesting ones on offer, and have a reasonably good quantity of filling inside them. The fruit based ones have a jam-like filling.

The plain donuts are also quite good in terms of quality and freshness, although the difference between each type of donut like the marbled, white and plain chocolate is largely indiscernible. The ones with toppings like crushed Oreo and chocolate chip are more interesting.
Of course as with most donut establishments, buying in bulk helps beat the price down. 

Sure, they are not exactly cheap but neither are they overpriced. So if you want try a variety of different donuts, Donut Factory is likely your best bet in this city. They have good variety and generally will not let you down. 

Type of Cuisine: Bakery, Donuts

Location

GudFud Tower, Panampilly Nagar.

Parking: Few cars in front of the Panampilly Nagar GudFud Tower branch and adequate space in the nearby streets. 

Ambience: Just a few benches nearby for the LuLu mall outlet. The Panampilly Nagar outlet is better and has a nice cafe-like setting to it.

Service: Quick, good. 

What we liked/Recommended for:

Grand selection of donuts, pretty well made too. 
Potential Shortcomings: 

Main issue: donuts are slightly expensive, and the non-donut items even more so. Ambiance is good but still does not warrant this kind of price. No dedicated place to sit at the LuLu branch. Would have loved to have the choice between chemically leavened donuts as well as yeast leavened donuts. 
Taxes: Included in price.

Phone Number: +91 484 4025599

Timings: 10:00-23:00

Restaurant Website: https://www.facebook.com/donutfactorykochi/

On Zomato: 

      

Did you go [do]nuts here? Tell us how in the comments below!