Afters Bake House: Is this another ‘After’thought?!

Afters Bake House Review

Having various branches across the city, ‘Afters Bake House’ is a relatively new chain of bakeries that offer the usual complement of cakes, pastries and savouries. With several other well established bakeries all around town, are they worth your money after all? (*Haha! you see what we did there? 'After all...' never mind.*) 

We decided to find out.

The branch we visited was at Palarivattom, opposite the Corporation Bank Zonal Office. 
Walking into the store makes you feel like you just stumbled into an underground cave or cellar. The interiors could be summarized in one word: dark. They had black tiling, walls etc. and even the tables are a very deep colour. Heck, even the serving tray we saw was deep brown!!! This monotony was only marred by a white pillar with a few other items on its shelves, reminiscent of a candle in a dark room! [The plates are white though]. The place was clean enough too. Like any bakery, the glass counters had all the various baked goods arranged neatly. Right, let us ‘shed some light’ here [Buuurn!] on the food itself!

Chocolate Triffle/Truffle Cake

Depending on whether you go with what the menu says or the staff [at least that day] calls it. 

This one had a dark layer of chocolate on top, a mousse like light cream layer after that and layers of cake. It worked well and had good flavour. The cake was soft and spongy too. 

<Some Dense chocolate cake>

Forgive us but we forgot what they named this cake. We just pointed to it and they served it. Hey, at least we are being honest about it! 

Like most places, this one was quite good with a decent layer of dense chocolate ganache on top. The outer edge had some chocolate shavings too which contributed to the texture. The cake too was reasonably moist enough. It checks all the required boxes for these types of pastries.

Vancho Cake

The layer of icing was rather thick, almost as much as the cake. Unfortunately, it turned out a bit too sweet for our taste too. The worst part was that it did not seem very fresh: it tasted like it was just on the verge of becoming rancid. Don’t get us wrong: it was not bad just yet but it was definitely not fresh either. We do not know whether this was a one-off incident but boy are they unlucky it happened to be this way with when we decided to pop in.

Paneer Puffs

Puffs are just savoury snacks in which a savoury filling is enveloped by puff pastry. While it looked massive for its size, the first bite revealed the same problem everyone has and what we expected given the price point: it had too many layers, overwhelming the amount of filling inside. This is a shame because the filling itself was actually quite tasty, when it was not drowned in the vast ocean of puff pastry. It had creamy paneer [fresh cottage cheese] and a few spices which worked well together.

Chicken Vol Au Vent

The Vol Au Vent fared a bit like the puffs but in the opposite way: the filling did not really taste or feel like chicken at all. It was generally nice and creamy however. The pastry outside was layered and rather well baked.

Ghee Murukku

With a segmented shape reminiscent of fusilli pasta or caterpillars  [not as gross as it sounds, look at the photo!], the murukku had cumin (jeera) and black sesame. It also uses ghee which is a type of clarified butter, so it tasted fine. 

Cuteness aside however, it was really not that good. It was not very hard but neither crumbly enough like a good ghee murukku should be. 

Overall, it is another bakery that has some good offerings. The pastries are generally a good option to go with. The quality control on those do require more attention however, citing the above experience with the vancho cake. 
The savoury baked goods we tried did not do as well though due to the imbalances mentioned earlier. Maybe if we had opted for some other items, they may have fared better but who's to know. 

To sum it up: if you happen to be looking for a decent bakery in the vicinity, you cannot really go wrong with Afters, they have reasonably good quality and the prices are competitive too. Had they opened up a little earlier, they would have seen better days and we may have found ourselves returning for more but as it stands now with our first experience, we probably would not go out of our way to buy something from there exclusively. That being said, we would not mind having something else from here again either. We hope to give them another chance soon enough and possibly find items that are really recommendable.

Type of Cuisine: Bakery

Location [Mutliple]

  Opposite Corporation Bank, Heaven Plaza, MV Road, Palarivattom.

Parking: A few cars in  front, should be enough.

Ambience: Dark! Clean. 

Service: Good, quick.

What we liked/Recommended for:

Generally decent quality goods. Regular pricing. 

Potential Shortcomings: 

• Some items could use a little tweaking [read more above]. 
• Average quality packaged items. 
• Some cakes were not fresh [could be one-off]: needs QC. Will update if we ever happen to go again. 

Taxes: Included in price

Phone Number: +91 86069 05706

Timings: 09:30-22:00

Restaurant Website: http://www.afterscakes.com/

On Zomato: 

     

Brindhavan: Quality Vegetarian Food!

Brindhavan Review

Brindhavan is a South Indian Restaurant serving pure vegetarian food, located at Palarivattom. Although it has been around for a while, they underwent a huge makeover a few years ago and now looks better than ever before. 
The interiors have a nice bright ambience to it and the service is normally quick, but the place is always crowded [a good indicator, of course]. They have a dedicated ground for parking as well. All these result in an extremely comfortable yet highly affordable vegetarian dining experience.

Like most veg restaurants in Kochi, this place also offers mostly South Indian food with a few standard-issue North dishes like Chhole Batura added in for measure. The South Indian food here is great, tasting really authentic and is always made fresh. The turnover is also very good too!

[EDIT: You are reading an updated review with more dishes and even better photos!]

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

Rava Dosa [Semolina Crepes]

The dosas here are typical white and thin. They are nicely spread and taste good, being rather crisp too. It is served with Sāmbhar and chutney.

The rava [semolina] dosas are especially good here, they have carrot and ground black pepper in the dosa batter itself and taste especially wonderful when you ask them to make it crisp! Since the batter is loose, it does not hold together that much leading to holes made by bubbles when it is being cooked. This is evident in the photo. You can see the edge of a stainless steel glass, this is commonly used to serve water instead of glass. Most times, the water has a light spice like cumin added to aid in digestion.

Puri Masala [Fried Wheatbread]

The puris here are very tasty, being served piping hot. Important to note is that the pooris themselves are made of proper wheat flour and not mixed with maida as some places do.

 These are ordered as a plate, with each plate having three puris and the accompanying potato masala, onion raita as well as chutney, although the former two sides are the recommended combination.

Batura

While not exactly in the same league as the ones you may find in true North India, the chhole batura is also good here.

 It is served with chickpea and a lovely onion dipped in vinegar and garnished with ‘tadka’ or seasoning of oil-roasted curry leaves and mustard seeds. Thus, it is not as pungent as freshly cut raw onion. The baturas are fried to a golden crispiness and the chhole is also well spiced. The onion adds additional flavour for those who are fond of adding it.

Uzhunnu Vada [Savoury Donut]

Uzhunnu Vadas are the South Indian version of a donut made with lentil batter instead of leavened dough. It is soft and fluffy on the inside and fried crispy on the outside.

The vadas here are exceptionally good, served hot and crispy. It comes as a plate, with each having two vadas, Sāmbhar and both: red and white coconut chutney. Keep in mind that it is usually only available in the morning, they seem to run out of it when we ask for it in the evenings.

Parippu Vada [Fried Lentil Patty]

This is another deep fried item that is made with coarsely ground lentils instead. The batter also has green chilli, onion curry leaves etc. to spice it up. It is crunchy throughout and slightly soft on the inside.

Brindavan also has really good sweets on offer too. The yellow laddu here is really good, fresh with sugar crystals adding a lovely crunch. They do not however have the ‘karpooram’ [camphor] flavour that you will find when you get laddus as ‘prasadam’ [offerings] from temples.

Valsan

This was something we had never seen before, so we felt the urge to try it. It turned out to be a bit like an ‘ada’ which is a sweet, steamed dumpling akin to a very large and sweet momo. It has a coating of rice flour and has a sweet filling made with brown jaggery, coconut, cashew and raisins. This is steamed in a banana leaf for extra flavour. It makes for a nice dessert and can even be a rather heavy snack. Above is how it looks with the leaf still on.

Another, this time after unwrapping. The white coating of rice flour has been colored by the rich filling inside!

So if you are looking for an affordable yet good vegetarian meal in a clean and well-lit restaurant, look no further.


Type of Cuisine: South Indian Vegetarian, Basic North Indian Vegetarian
Location

Kalavath Tower, Civil Lane, Palarivattom, Kochi.

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

Ambience: Good, even for families unlike most similar restaurants. Well lit, clean.

Service: Good

What we liked/Recommended for:

• Very good South Indian vegetarian fare 
• Family friendly 
• AC/Non-AC options 
• Decent quality sweetmeats. 
• Usually quick service. 
• Dedicated parking area. 
• Clean.

Potential Shortcomings: 
Nothing to speak of.....!

Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable.
Phone Number: +91 484 234 2239
Timings: 07:00 - 22:30

On Zomato:
      

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

A Touch of Garam Masala!

Garam Masala Restaurant Review

As the name suggests, Garam Masala is a restaurant that offers different types of North Indian food ranging from rotis and jeera rice to veg and non-veg curries. It is located right behind Chopstix at Palarivattom. It is worth noting that the some menu items from Chopstix are also available here. Maybe you could even try some fusion of North Indian and Chinese! While the quantity of the curries could have been better for the price they charge, the quality is very good and the food tastes authentic enough. Each curry is enough for two moderate eaters or maybe even one really hungry person. I know I could eat a whole curry with a few rotis all by myself if I wanted to! While they do not have every single imaginable North Indian curry like the rather delectable Rara Chicken which I have had while in the north, they do offer most of the other well-known dishes.

Naan:

The classic plain naan was excellent; it was crisp rather than being chewy like other restaurants tend to make it. Since there is no butter, it is best had hot immediately after serving and we only recommend having it if you dine in. If you are ordering for home delivery, go for butter naans instead as they hold better.

Tandoori Roti:

They have typical rotis made of wheat flour in the tandoor. Very tasty, especially when had hot and fresh.

Cheese Garlic Naan:

A naan that had butter and garlic bits scattered here and there with a strong garlic aroma. Those who love garlic will enjoy this. It had a more chewy texture than the normal naan. We failed to find any trace of cheese: they probably meant butter instead.

Missi Roti

This roti is made using gram flour or Besan and is coated with some butter. It is unlike any other roti as it snaps easily, has a powdery texture and is great to scoop up thick gravies. We recommend having it with slightly spicier gravy dishes.

Romali Roti

As with most places, romali rotis are incredibly thin and light but huge. They bring it folded over. It has no oil and is very tasty, goes well with almost any kind of dry or gravy dish. We suggest unfolding and attacking it immediately as it will become stretchy and chewy in no time, more so than plain naan etc.

Chicken Bartha

A boneless chicken dish with rich gravy that has cream, cashew paste finely chopped onion and select spices and herbs like coriander and so on. This is the dish to order if you are looking for a mild but rich and flavourful curry.

Chicken Tikka Masala

This is a medium spicy gravy dish that has pieces of boneless chicken tikka, green chillies, garlic and other spices in a tomato and onion gravy. It is a nice curry for those who like something a bit spicy, though we liked the chicken bartha much better as an all-round dish.

All in all, this restaurant offers authentic North Indian food with good variety in both veg and non-veg dishes. While the portions of the curry could have been better for the price they ask, the taste makes up for it.


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

Old Road, Sonia Nagar, Palarivattom.

Parking: Few cars in front, may be a problem when the place is at peak hours. 
Ambience: Good, slightly dark lighting.

Service: Good.

Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable.
Restaurant Website: http://www.garammasalakochi.com/

More items coming up soon! We haven’t been there recently enough to review some dishes we had ordered, so we will be updating those as and when we try them. So be sure to check back later for new reviews!

Golden Dragon: Enter the ‘Golden Dragon’!

Golden Dragon Review

Once again, forgive us for the Bruce Lee movie pun. We just couldn't help it! Golden Dragon is one of the few Chinese restaurants in Kochi that have been around for quite a while, with one of the oldest branches being at Ravipuram, MG Road. Of late, they have been expanding to newer locations, namely Kakkanad, Palarivattom and at Edapally almost next to LuLu mall. This review focusses on the one located at Palarivattom near Axis Bank at Apsara Arcade where they have some reasonable parking space compared to the one near Lulu Mall at Edapally. 
The decor is what one would typically associate with 'Chinese': dragons & dim interiors with red paint etc. Probably doubles up as an attempt at being eco-friendly! If you need brighter surroundings, we may suggest going someplace else, namely Inchino which is more contemporarily designed [Edit: Inchino has been closed]. The restaurant is of average size and claims to cater to birthdays, business meetings, kitty parties etc. The service is good with attentive staff and efficiently handled orders. 
They have a good variety of food on offer and though it is Indo-Chinese rather than pure Chinese, most dishes taste very good and should appeal to Indian taste buds. Worth mentioning is that they do serve different types of meat including pork, squid, lamb, beef etc., something few Chinese restaurants in Kochi can claim to offer. Even the vegetarian dishes make use of unique ingredients like bamboo shoots etc.

As for the food, they have a good variety of dim sums like wontons, spring rolls etc. They also have different starters and side dishes ranging from squid tempura in the seafood department to chicken, pork, duck, lamb and of course vegetarian dishes.

Spring Rolls:

The spring rolls were surprisingly big in diameter, it was a single long spring roll served cut into 9 pieces. They came with the usual chicken pieces, carrots, cabbage and also bits of scrambled egg too. They were accompanied by a red chilli sauce which was not as spicy as it looked and gave the right touch to the dish. Being deep fried, the inside is extremely hot so we advise you to resist the temptation of popping one in your mouth immediately after they serve it; you will most certainly get a nasty burn and will not be able to enjoy the rest of the order!

Dragon Chopsuey:

They recommended this dish saying it would be slightly spicier, unlike American Chopsuey which uses just a sweet sauce & Chinese Chopsuey which is said to be bland. The portions were generous & easily enough for two moderate eaters. The noodles were crisp fried, tossed in a deep red coloured sauce and mixed with omelette bits and vegetables like capsicum, carrots, red chilli and even cashew bits etc. They bring it to the table and mix it for you too. The contrast of textures between the soft vegetables and the crisp noodles is the main selling point of this dish. The overall taste was good too but we felt that they used way too much red food colour in the sauce. We told them about the same.

Chap Cha:

If you want a slightly bland dish, this could be an option. This dish had very soft noodles cut into short strands and egg bits, carrot, cabbage, capsicum, chilli bits and so on. It had a very mild flavour with a hint of ginger. Serving size was moderate: good enough for two people or maybe one, very hungry person. You may want to pass this one for something with more flavour or quantity or have it before the more spicy dishes you plan to order.

Singapore Mei Foon:

This dish was different from the usual Chinese noodles in that it uses a soft, super fine thread-like noodle. Noodles in particular were akin to our local delicacy called the idiyappam! The dish is prepared with chicken and vegetables like capsicum. It was quite flavourful & light.

Dragon Chicken:

An Indo-Chinese favourite for many people, the chicken is coated in a batter and fried. It is then tossed in a sweet sauce with condiments like spring onion, garlic etc. It is a rather tasty dish to have, being tangy and sweet at the same time. Those who want something on the spicy side will need to look at the other items on the menu.

Golden Dragon Special Chicken:

This is a semi gravy dish with battered strips of chicken, cabbage, red yellow and green capsicum, spring onion, cashew etc. The gelatinous gravy had an unusual tanginess to it, which we attribute to the use of red capsicum. It had pieces of red and green chilli as well though it was not overpoweringly spicy.

Chinese Chapatti:

Are you wondering what this could possibly be? What it would taste like? What does it go with? Well we did too, so we did the obvious and ordered one to see for ourselves. We were greeted by a slightly thick, maida (refined wheat flour) based roti or paratha (flatbread). The conclusion is: if you don’t like noodles but like the taste of the gravy or dishes they have on offer and want something to have it with, this is one additional option for you. The other option is to order the rice dishes. This dish would make you feel at home if you are fond of eating roti and curry. A quick look up surprisingly revealed that in parts of Northern China, there is indeed a type of flatbread called ‘Laobing’ [Not Chinese Chapatti!!!]. While the basic ingredients do match, the Laobing is [supposed to be] much thicker.

The prices of these dishes are reasonable, with noodles priced less than Rs 200/- and fried rice also in the same range. For the quantity and unique taste, it offers good value.

Type of Cuisine: - Chinese [Indo-Chinese]

Location

Near Axis Bank, Palarivattom.

Parking: A few cars in front, should be adequate.

Ambience: Typical 'Chinese' style: rather dark with red lighting!

Service: Good.

What we liked/Recommended for:

• Tasty Indo-Chinese fare. 
• Good variety of dishes and meats. 
• Decent pricing. 

Potential Shortcomings: 

Dim lighting may not be everyone's cup of tea. No authentic Chinese dishes at all but not much of a problem. 
Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable.
Phone number: +91 484 403 3559
Timings: Morning: 11:00-16:00, Evening: 19:00-23:00

Restaurant Website: 

On Zomato: 
      

Did you ‘Enter the Golden Dragon’? What did you order? Tell us what you think about the food 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! 

An 'Arabian Treat' to Behold!

Arabian Treat Review

Oberon Mall’s food court did try to cover some of the major cuisines most of us were familiar with. The Arabic food joint 'Arabian Treat' was one of them. Fast food joints all around Kochi do serve Shawarma and grilled chicken like Al Faham (however you want to spell it in English!) but this place has a lot more variety on offer.

Arabian Mixed grill

This is your best bet to get an idea of what everything here tastes like. This includes kababs, tikkas and charcoal chicken for meats. Though it comes with chicken and mutton as standard, you can opt for all chicken or alternate mixes too. Included in the price are kuboos, garlic paste and a simple but great salad. The tomatoes, cucumber and everything else in the salad have always been fresh and juicy. Available as special, full and half.

Seafood Mixed Grill

Available in full or half, this came with a thick charcoal fish fillet and prawns. The prawns come with the shell mostly intact but tasted great: juicy and cooked to perfection. The fish tikkas use seabass, a fish that does not have any fishy taste whatsoever. Even fish haters like me fell in love with its melt in the mouth texture. On the other hand, if you want a fishy tasting tikka, this may not be what you are looking for.

Charcoal Chicken

For those who appreciate a mild grilled taste, this is a slightly healthy choice since minimal oil is used. The meat is tender with a mildly spicy flavour. There is a boneless version which still has two small bones at the ends, we were told that this was for enhancing the aesthetic value. This too, is served with kuboos and garlic paste. Available in full or half.

Spicy Chicken/Mutton Kabab

Finely minced chicken marinated in spices and cooked on a skewer. Tender, tasty with a hint of spice. Served with kuboos and garlic paste.

Spicy Chicken tikka

These are bite sized chicken pieces with bone. Nice and juicy with just the right amount of spice. Served with kuboos and garlic paste.

Sheesh Tawook

Essentially a tikka without the bone but retaining the goodness of spices. Makes for easy eating! Served with kuboos and garlic paste.

More items coming up! Check back for more! 

Type of Cuisine: Arabian/Turkish
Location

Food Court at Oberon Mall, Edappally.

Parking: 
Mall parking (chargeable) never been a problem except on the busiest of days, even lesser traffic now with the introduction of LuLu mall nearby. 

Ambience: Typical mall ambiance, like it or hate it!

Service: 
Normally good, the e-token they give indicates when the food is ready to be picked up. 

What we liked/Recommended for: 
Great variety for non-veg lovers: good meat, plates include veggies and some extras. Somewhat healthier than fried options.

Potential Shortcomings: 
Meat occasionally not as well cooked as it should be [charcoal chicken].

Taxes: Included in price, no fat tax applicable.
Phone Number: 0484 4061111
Timings: 11:00 - 22:00

Did you have an 'Arabian Treat' here? What did you order? Tell us what you think about the food in the comments below!