Anjappar: Chettinad Cuisine Comes to Cochin!

Anjappar Restaurant Review

Anjappar is the most recent addition to the food scene at LuLu mall. With tempting Chettinad style cuisine on offer, the restaurant adds some new variety to what is available in the mall and even Kochi in general. Nestled in a cozy corner on the 2nd floor, Anjappar is isolated from the main shopping area & offers privacy in the midst of all the mayhem. Service is good and most of the staff are Tamilians.

We were seated in the area closer to the entrance, which has good seating capacity, with around 15 tables. There is also an inner seating area which happened to be closed at the time we visited, so we couldn't go there.

The decor consists of really rustic carved doors & wooden craftsmanship. Paintings depicting daily life scenes from Tamil Nadu's countryside adorn the walls. The ceiling has a sloped-roof effect typical of the inside of a traditional house, complete with woodwork which is really pretty to look at. It literally makes you feel like you walked into a house [with a lot of tables though!]. One of the other things that strike you is the attention to detail and quality in the tableware they utilize. The glasses are metallic and of a unique shape; akin to a standard tapered glass with a spherical area towards the bottom and had a petal shaped mat. The sauce/chutney holders are also of metal. Even the bill comes in a pretty little carved metal, velvet lined box. All these little points add a touch of class which is sorely missing in most places these days and is a welcome departure.

Fish Fingers

The fish fingers were accompanied by small bowl of garlic dipping sauce and were decorated with shredded red cabbage and a sprig of coriander. King fish was used, so they did not have any excessively strong fishy flavour which we liked. 

The coating was fried to a nice medium brown colour and was satisfyingly crisp and crunchy. The fingers themselves were seasoned to perfection with the mild flavour of the garlic dip providing an extra boost in flavour. 

Chicken Pakoras

Chicken pakoras arrived on a plate adorned with a few raw onion rings and a sprig of parsley scattered on top. As the photo below would indicate, they were fried to a uniform golden brown colour. 

The pakoras were crisp & tasty with detectable shreds of chicken among the mild spices. We would however, like to mention that they were somewhat smaller than expected in terms of size.

Anjappar Special Chicken Curry

As main dishes, we decided to opt for Anjappar chicken curry, which can be either dry or with gravy. We opted for the latter. In terms of quantity, the curry was enough for 2 people [or one really hungry person!]. 

It consisted of a dark brown, masala style gravy typical of a Chettinad style dish with a few whole spices like red chilly too. It was not excruciatingly hot and the typical Southern taste was notable. 

Karaikudi Kal Dosai

This dish was not unlike a set-dosa. It was thinner however, with a uniform thickness and lots of characteristic holes. 

The dosa itself was mostly soft and had a slightly crisp outer layer. Served with lentil stew [read: sambhar], it makes for a tasty and reasonably healthy dinner or breakfast dish.

Virudhunagar Fried Parota

As its name suggests, this turned out to be a layered flatbread which was deep fried to a golden brown colour. 

This item can be summarized in two words: crisp and oily. 
It was really crisp all over, almost like biting into a papad(om). To be honest, we do not know how this parota is actually supposed to be but we felt it was probably a bit too crisp, like it was fried for too long. Definitely not for the calorie conscious either as it was absolutely drenched in oil too; being a layered item it absorbs a lot. If you want something really crisp however, this would be your bet.

Kutralam Parotta

Highly comparable to the Kerala/Malabar Porotta, the Kutralam parotta was similarly soft and had layers. It differentiates itself a little in terms of texture, which was slightly stretchy thanks to all the gluten and required you to chew well. We unanimously felt that it was not as good as the regular Kerala porotta. It was good but just not distinct enough to differentiate itself from a good Malabar Porotta and we may give this one a pass next time.

To sum it all up, Anjappar offers pretty decent Chettinad items that you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else in Kochi. The quality of the food is good. Not to mention the unique ambiance and interesting table layout. We are happy to report that the prices [as of July 2017] were reasonable too and we came away feeling quite satiated. We feel it has potential and look forward to trying out new bits from the menu. Worth another visit for an experience that is out of this "state"! 

Type of Cuisine: Chettinad, South Indian non-vegetarian and vegetarian

Location

Second 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: Very Good: Discrete from rest of mall, good seating capacity, nice utensils, adequate spacing between tables, well lit. 

Service: Good.

What we liked/Recommended for:

• Good variety of Chettinad food on offer. 
• Reasonably well made dishes. 
• Very good ambiance. 
• Decent value. 

Potential Shortcomings:

Some items seemed more oily than needed; may not be much of a problem.

Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable.

Phone Number: +91 484 272 8305

Timings: 11:00 - 23:00

Restaurant Website: https://www.anjappar.com/

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Have you tried out Chettinad food at Anjappar? Do share your experience in the comments below! 

WOW! Momo: More than just Momos!

WOW! Momo Review

Having various branches across the city, WOW! Momo as the name suggests, have a good selection of momos and also offer other things like soup, sizzlers, a burger with a predictable twist: it uses a momo instead of a patty and even chocolate filled momos for dessert! 

Steamed Momos

Starting out authentic, the steamed momos are available in chicken (three varieties), fish, prawn, mushroom, paneer and some other veg options. We like to keep it simple so we tend to go with plain chicken momos.

These deliver well in terms of flavor. It comes with spicy red chili and green mint sauces for those who need it. This serves as a base for the other preparations of momos that follow. 

Pan Fried Momos

This is a twist on fried dimsum, it uses the standard momo base with the same choice of fillings as before but they are fried gently till the coating is slightly crisp and then slathered with a sauce. You can select between two different types of sauces, and we have tried both so that we can tell you about them.

 
The Schezwan sauce is as expected, spicy with bits of red chili seed etc. to please Indian taste buds. This is Indo-Chinese leaning closer to the Indian side! If you love and live for spice, this is a no-brainer. We found it a bit too Indianized however.
The tomato garlic sauce seen in the photo is what we usually order, this comes with a light tomato sauce reminiscent of ketchup and a good hint of garlic. It is garnished with a little bit of chopped spring onion. This is a bit sweet, so you may want to choose this wearily; whenever we order the staff tend to tell us that it is meant for kids! This is how we ended up trying the Schezwan sauce in the first place. 
The choice of sauces is a bit unbalanced as one is pretty spicy and the other is pretty much sweet.

Sizzler

As the name suggests, the sizzler comes on a sizzler plate with a portion of noodle topped with momos prepared to your choice. The noodle is actually pretty good just like real Hakka noodle should be, and the momos as described above. It would make a decent meal thanks to the addition of the noodle, making it one of the few dishes you can actually order for a meal instead of an appetizer or snack. Of course, it looks interesting when it is served to you, all steamy and sizzling! It is reasonably filling too we should say. 

This is a nice place to have a light snack in a decent food court/restaurant setting and their momos are pretty good. We come here every once in a while. The steamed ones have decent flavour and can be considered a healthy option. The Pan fried ones may be a little too Indianized and the sauces are on two ends of the scale but altogether, a worthwhile place if you like momos and want to sample different types; of which they have a commendable variety. Not horrifically overpriced for the non veg options, though I can't say the same about the veg ones but then again, you get a restaurant setting [unless you are in LuLu] so the poor value for money is to be expected. Recommended for those who like momos, or are adventurous about trying new foods, or of course: both!!!


Type of Cuisine: Momos, Chinese [Indo-Chinese]
Locations

Food Court on Third Floor, LuLu Mall, Edappally.

Emir Plaza, Kaloor Kadavanthra Road.

Food Court, Centre Square Mall, MG Road.

Parking: Mall parking at LuLu (chargeable) is fine except on very busy days and weekends. Other outlets have some parking space in front. 

Ambience: Typical mall ambience, love it or hate it! The restaurant ones are quieter.

Service: Good.

What we liked/Recommended for:

Plenty of variety of momos. Have alternate dishes too.

Potential Shortcomings: 

• Sauces for pan fried momos are unbalanced. 
• Momos tend to be expensive for the quantity provided even considering the restaurant setting. 
• Taste is average to good. 

Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable.
Phone Number: +91 484 4064888
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Have you been to WOW momos? What did you have? Please share your experience in the comments below!

Burger Spot: Taking the Spotlight!

Burger Spot Review

Burger Spot is the latest addition to the various joints in Kochi that offer the eponymous dish. So what makes this place different? Read on to find out!

Burger spot has a few branches around town. I had noticed them but shrugged them off as another attempt at taking a bite out of the already solid burger scene in town. It wasn’t until my friend recommended this place that I decided to go see for myself. I found that they sell different kinds of burgers, mojitos etc. On to the food review:

Fries[AME!]/Chips[BRE!]

The burger arrived with a small serving of fries [to be precise: three, I’m not joking, look at the picture!].

I tried the fries, which turned out to be really good: they were nice and crisp outside but the highlight was the fluffy center, just as it should be! Moreover, they were perfectly seasoned with salt and a little black pepper. It was so good I knew it deserved a special mention so we ended up ordering a plate. This came with a dip, as shown below. 

The dip was basically a mayonnaise: smooth and delicious with a good hint of garlic which will please garlic lovers [and may put off those who are not so fond of it! Jokes apart though, it was not too strong for me but I do like the flavor so I guess it may be intolerable for a select few].

Burgers

I opted for a medium range chicken burger [the V2.0 or something to that name] to see how the place performs on average. 

Examining it, the burger came with cheese, an adequate dollop of mayonnaise and of course the prerequisite sesame bun. I took a bite and realized this was my new favorite joint [or should I say, spot?!]. The patty was soft and juicy, perfectly cooked. The best part was that it was really moist thanks to the mayo and the cheese added to the richness. The lettuce too was fresh and crisp. Don’t get me wrong: I like the burgers in other fast food joints like KFC, ChicKing, SFC etc. for their own flavor as well but this burger simply has so much more moisture it’s in a league of its own.

Mojito

I ordered a kiwi mojito. I must mention I was happy to see bits of kiwi seed floating around. You can see for yourself in the picture. 

I took a sip and was pleased with the result. It is extremely cheap yet manages to taste like the real thing, just the right balance of sweetness and flavour. I usually refrain from ordering any drinks from any place because I don’t like having too much to drink while eating but this is one place where I will make the exception. 
We have also tried their lime and mint mojito, which was topped with mint leaves and a wedge of lemon. This was also really refreshing and has the added benefit of aiding digestion. Highly recommended.
For the price, they deliver well.

My family and I have already gone back a few times afterwards to enjoy the food there and we have been satisfied every time. I can safely recommend this to anyone who likes to have good quality burgers and generally chill out without having to break the bank.

Type of Cuisine: Fast Food, Burgers
Locations

Near Sunrise Hospital, Seaport Airport Road, Kakkanad.

University Road, Sheba Square, Kalamaserry. 

Near Al-Ameen/Lulu Mall, Edappally. 

Parking: Most branches have decent space nearby. Can be a problem for the one near LuLu mall though we’ve never had issues.

Ambience: Good. The one near LuLu mall is small but reasonably good regardless.

Service: Good.

What we liked/Recommended for:

• Great tasting burgers. 
• Reasonable prices. 
• Well priced mojitos. 
• Great potato fries/chips. 
• Good for garlic lovers. 

Potential Shortcomings: 
Parking at the outlet near LuLu mall may be challenging. 

Taxes: Included in price
Phone Number: +91 94968 16666
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Have you been to Burger Spot? Don't forget to share your experience in the comments below!

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!

Bloomsbury’s Boutique Cafe & Artisan Bakery: Blooming with Goodness!

Bloomsbury’s Boutique Cafe & Artisan Bakery Review
Bloomsbury’s is located on the second floor of LuLu mall. While we have been buying cakes and pastries from here for quite a while, it wasn’t until recently that we finally decided to try out their other offerings. Serving up a variety of different continental dishes, they have an exciting menu that encompasses pastas, Nasi Goreng, and salads through to pizzas, burgers and more commonplace items.

On the same floor as PVR cinemas, they have a dining area with lots to see in terms of things on the walls and even artifacts like kettles, teapots etc. on shelves suspended from the roof. There are plenty of seats and the service deserves a special mention with attentive staff who are willing to help with your order.

Pizzas

The pizzas here are Italian style thin crust, shaped like a rounded rectangle rather than the traditional circular ones you see everywhere else. Each is about 12 inches lengthwise. We ordered the 'Sollo Pollo' and started tucking into it before we realized we did not have a photo to show! Still took one to give you an idea of the toppings it has.

As you can see it is a thin crust, typical of an authentic Italian pizza. Each slice is topped with a small slice of salami that has a bit of mayonnaise on it. Worth mentioning is the fact that the mayo is really delicious, being nice and full flavored. There is plenty of tomato base to keep it nice and moist. The sausage and ham are also fully cooked and taste delicious. Each pizza is enough for two, and maybe even three if you do order any side dishes. It was different and worth ordering.

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)

Nasi Goreng is the Indonesian name for fried rice. It is supposed to be one of the most delicious foods in the world so when we found this one on the menu, we just had to try it out. Here, they serve it with satay and dip.

It was presented well with the rice packed tightly into the shape of a dome and had an egg on top. On the side were the two skewers of satay with three pieces of chicken on each and the peanut dip in the small bowl, along with some sliced vegetables (carrot, cucumber and onion).

When we started eating the rice, it became apparent that this was the type made with shrimp paste. Thus it had a rather fishy tone to it. If you love your seafood like just about everyone in Kerala does, you will really love the flavor of this dish. Others may want to think twice before ordering this. Other than that, it had bits of scrambled egg in the rice as well as spring onion and so on. As with the pizza, there was enough quantity for two and maybe even three people.

Chicken satay served with it was just alright: it had a very mild tangy-sweet flavor and the pieces were cooked well, the peanut sauce fared better though.

Cakes and pastries

They arguably have some of the best cakes in town. They are slightly more expensive than others but the size of the portions kind of makes up for it.

They have a rather unique take on the Black Forest cake; it has some liqueur sprinkled over it and marinated cherries in between. This is one of the only places in Kochi that I have ever had a Black Forest like this one and is probably closer to the real Black Forest cake in Germany.

We also tried their Honey Crunch Cake above, Which had walnut for crunch, honey and caramel for flavoring. We found the three layers of frosting is of an almost overwhelmingly rich, butter icing.

What keeps us coming back for more is the Golden Chocolate Cake. While it is said that all that glitters is not gold, this is definitely one of those exceptions. The golden color comes from the golden powder they use. Not only does it look good, it tastes great. It is a chocoholic’s delight as it has a rich and thick layer of chocolate on top of the dense, dark chocolate cake. Don’t take my word for it, have a look at it above, try it yourself and you will see why.

Just in case you were wondering, yes; that is a picture of my birthday cake!

Type of Cuisine: Continental, Bakery
Location

Near PVR Cinemas, second floor of LuLu Mall, Edappally.

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: Typical mall ambience, love it or hate it!

Service: Very good, highly attentive.

What we liked/Recommended for:

• Quality cakes 
• Good ambiance 
• Great staff 
• Good continental fare

Potential Shortcomings: 

Some items could be better priced. 
Taxes: Included in price
Phone Number: +91 484 4059034
Timings: 10:00 - 22:30

On Zomato:
      

So head over there and enjoy some great food, you will have a great time as long as you know what you are ordering. Which hopefully, you now know! Let us know in the comments below!

ChicKing: Ruling the Roost(ers)!

ChicKing Review

This fast food chain really doesn’t need an introduction if you live in Kochi but nevertheless, here’s one for those who need it, plus reviews of the most recent items added to the menu.

One of the first and most beloved fried chicken fast food joints in the city, Chicking now has many branches all over the city, namely MG Road, Palarivattom and at Edappaly in the Lulu mall. They also have plenty of outlets in other districts in Kerala, like Calicut, Thrissur etc. The three Kochi outlets have adequate parking arrangements. Offering great fried chicken, burgers and wraps, Chicking is the place to go to if you love fried chicken, which is what attracts most of the crowd. 
I still remember going to the joint for the first time when it had just opened their first branch at MG Road Kochi. They gave us a balloon and a toy (I was pretty young then!!!) and we bought their chicken pieces and burgers. At that time, the chicken used to be Rs 30/- apiece and the Zinger burger [now known as Royal crunchy] was Rs 59/-. Now the number of branches and prices have gone up, a bit too much in some cases but the taste is usually as good as ever. 
The best part about them is the fact that they occasionally add new items to their menu every now and then to keep things interesting. The flavours they currently have on the menu are the original, Mexican and more recently, Tandoori. Many more such joints have come up to follow suit and grab a bite of the success they had but ChicKing still has its own following in the hearts of Kochiites, and 'reigns' supreme. We have reviewed most of these other newer joints in this site too, so be sure to read about those too! Just click here!

Fried Chicken and Hot Chicken Strips

Taking inspiration from the typical American fried chicken, this sees pieces of chicken with skin and bone intact marinated with spices and coated with batter before being deep fried to a crispy, juicy tender serving. One of the biggest reasons it is so popular is because of the spiciness. It has been tuned for Indian taste buds: the spice mix is nice and spicy, without having an Indian curry flavour in any way at all. This coupled with the textural contrast of soft, juicy chicken and crisp, crunchy coating comes together for an experience so good; it will have you coming back for more. Let me make this very clear: even if you can get fried Chicken at your local KFC etc. if you live outside India, you may want to consider trying some for yourself as the chicken has a spicy taste that you will not find anywhere else...!!! A few knock-offs that sprung up around town just could not get the balance right and closed down quickly. 
If you would like to savour the flavour without having to worry about the excess fat from the skin or just want to avoid the bones, the spicy Hot Chicken Strips are exactly what you need. They do taste very slightly different since they don’t have the bone and skin on them, but is equally great stuff with the same spiciness and crunchiness as the chicken pieces. They have arguably the best strips in town. A small lament is that they are significantly more expensive than ever before, which is a disappointment.

Buckets and combos will beat the price down, at the expense of not being able to choose your piece, most of the time.

Chicken nuggets

Thin cut chicken cubes breaded with a thin lightly spiced coating, makes for a light and crispy treat. It may be a little too bland for some though. 

Chicken Tandoori Bites

After Mexican stuff, ChicKing are now trying to incorporate Indian flavours to their menu with their latest addition. KFC did this first, with their rather delectable curry crunch. We tried this at the Calicut branch. We got 6 boneless pieces which were roughly half the size of the strips and bigger than the popcorn. It is loaded with spice powder, and is therefore a fair bit hotter than the normal strips. We liked the taste; the typical Indian spices complemented the crunchy coating rather well. We may still prefer to stick with the usual strips instead, but for someone who likes a certain Indian flavour in their food, this will be the one to order. 

Delite Burger and Royal Crunchy

Delite burgers are the smallest burger available, it makes for a good snack with the carbohydrates from the bun and fiber from the lettuce. It has chicken strips with lettuce and mayonnaise. Ideal for takeaway as it is made very quickly unlike the bigger burgers but should be consumed as quickly as possible to retain the crunch. The Royal Burgers are bigger burgers using much larger fillets. There are veg and fish [tuna] options also available for both the Delite and Royal versions.

Chicken Mexi-Crunchy Supreme

This burger starts with a 6 inch long hot dog roll cut in half. In between, you have the crispy, juicy and spicy breaded chicken fillet accompanied by lettuce, tangy Mexican red sauce and sliced Jalapenos and usually cheese. The creamy soft cheese slice and mayonnaise contrasts beautifully with the crunchy and spicy chicken fillet and the tang from the jalapenos and sauce rounds things off perfectly. This is a great thing to have for lunch, as it is reasonably heavy. 

Royal Wrap

The same crunchy and spicy chicken fillet, lettuce and mayonnaise wrapped with a flour tortilla or maida roti. There is also a tuna and veg wrap, though we have not tried it recently since they usually use frozen tuna. 

Chicken Mexita Supreme

This is a more Mexican version of the Mexi-Crunchy. It has a tangier sauce and jalapenos. What is different though is that they add red chili flakes to it as well. This makes for one really spicy sandwich! It is probably the spiciest one they offer. The chicken is also not the crunchy type of fillet they usually serve in a Mexi-Crunchy either; it is soft, non-breaded chicken grilled fillet marinated with a rather tangy reddish violet sauce which helps cut down some of the spice from the chili flakes. 

Chicken Tandoori Burger

The latest addition to their menu, this burger is like a royal crunchy but with a distinctly Indian taste to it owing to the use of spices. It is not as spicy as we expected it to be in terms of heat, which can be a good thing but has a unique flavor. The fillet is the crunchy type too. Also inside the burger are the standard lettuce and mayonnaise. It is definitely worth a try if you are getting bored of the standard burgers on offer and are looking for a new taste. It is cheaper than the Royal Crunchy too.

ChicKing has pretty much stood the test of time, it has been around for a while and they have aged fine. That being said, they have a few loopholes which we have occasionally noticed. Nothing that should usually detract from the overall experience but worth a mention nonetheless. Sometimes, we feel that the quality control across the branches is not as solid as international brands. We are basing this review off the branch at Palarivattom which is our go-to location. We have also had stuff several times from the MG Road, LuLu Mall, Aluva/Alwaye, Calicut branches and even the erstwhile Bangalore branch; which used to be at Garuda Mall. 
They sometimes falter in consistency of ingredients in the burgers like Mexi-Crunchy [This only happened once] and served up something really sour instead of the jalapeños. 
Sometimes, the fried chicken would taste a little different at different branches; sometimes a tad bit too brown or oily and so on, but we never really thought too much about it. 
Apart from the minor occasional issues with consistency and the ever increasing prices, ChicKing still comes across as a reliable bet for good (spicy!) fried chicken.


Type of Cuisine: Fast Food, Burgers and Fried Chicken

Locations: 
Multiple, Please refer their website link below, they have a full list if you scroll down.
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. All restaurant branches generally have good parking facilities in front or nearby. 

Ambience: 
Typical mall ambience, love it or hate it! Restaurants are fine, even when crowded.

Service: 
Usually good, depends on how crowded they get.

What we liked/Recommended for: 

• An Indian twist on fried chicken. 
• Best. Chicken. Strips. Ever. Always. 
• Good option for spice junkies. 
• Good burgers with decent variety. 
• Decent staff 
• Ambiance fine for families. 

Potential Shortcomings: 

• Prawn-based items [used to be] frozen. 
• Occasional lapses in quality [details above]. 
• Chicken Strips are becoming OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE. 

Taxes: Included in price, fat tax applicable.
Phone Numbers: 
+91 484 3262233, 3262233, 2332211, 7736067812
Website: http://www.chickingindia.in/
On Zomato:
      

Did you have royally crispy fried chicken at ChicKing? What did you order? Tell us what you think about the food in the comments below!