Kappa Chakka Kandhari — Restaurant in Bengaluru

We dropped in to Kappa Chakka Kandhari with great expectations but were quite disappointed with the average fare that was on offer. I tried to call and book a table but was told bursquely to come over and try my luck as it was a holiday and large crowds were expected. We reached the restaurant at around 12.30 and found it largely empty. The friendly waiter found us a table for two (rather cramped) and proceeded to explain the menu. The food came in the form of set menus. Each set consisted of a number of starters, followed by two to three main courses. Since each set had quite a number of dishes, the portions served were small. The beverages and desserts had to be ordered separately and were not part of the set . We had the option of ordering individual dishes too but the prices looked prohibitive and disproportionate in comparison to the set menus. We decided to start with beverages and ordered the Absolute Kandari which came highly recommended. It consisted of a small glass of lime and soda spiced with kandhari (bird's eye chillies). Neither the quantity nor the taste (average) warranted the asking rate of Rs. 145/-. The set menus we selected were Toddy Shop Memories priced at Rs. 940/- and Naaduvaazhi priced at Rs. 1070/-. The starters in the Toddy Shop Memories set consisted of, Prawn Ularthiyathu (dry roasted prawn), Kozhuva Fry (deep fried Netholi/Anchovies), Irachi Fry (beef fry), Kakka Roast (tiny dry roasted clams). This was followed by Pineapple Nendram Masala, which served as a sort of palate cleanser before the mains. The main dishes in this set were Kappa Vevichathu (boiled, seasoned tapioca) with Kudampuliyitta Fish Curry (seer or was it tuna - fish in malabar tamarind) and Idiyappam (string hopppers) with Varutharacha Chicken Curry (chicken in a roasted coconut gravy). The kappa and idiyappam were unlimited. The Prawn Ularthiyathu and Kozhuva Fry were average, the Irachi Fry was excellent, the Kakka Roast tasted too fishy. The Pineapple Nendram Masala was a mouthwatering relish and I asked for seconds. The Kudampuliyitta Fish Curry was floating in oil but tasted good. The single chicken piece in the Varutharacha Chicken Curry was too tough. It had an overpowering taste of coconut oil gone wrong and was unpalatable. The Naaduvaazhi set came with a Grilled Jumbo Prawn (average), Irachi Fry, Koondal Roast (average tasting squid fry) and Chicken Cutlet (pretty good but sadly only one piece) for starters, followed by the yummy Pineapple Nendram Masala. The mains consisted of Vattayappam (excellent) with Duck Mappas (not so great), Idiyappam with Prawn Thengapal (coconut milk) curry (quite nice) and Thattu Muttum (a tapioca beef biryani). The Duck Mappas and the Tapioca Biryani had the same overwhelming taste of coconut oil. Don't get me wrong, I love food cooked in coconut oil but something in the taste was not quite right. By the end of the meal I was longing for some plain old rice with buttermilk! For some strange reason rice is not a part of these set menus. Of course we couldn't leave with a bad taste in our mouths so we ordered the Cloud Pudding for dessert. This almost made up for the disappointing meal. A light and airy tender coconut pudding, it was refreshing and an...

Review by our Team Ghatotkatcha Kappa-Tapioca, Chakka-Jackfruit, Khandari-Bird Eye Chilli, Malabar cuisine's prominent ingredients are Kappa Chakka Kandhari. Chef Regi Mathew had researced for more than three years and had tasted authentic Malayali dishes in Kerala at more than 265+ households and 75+ Toddy shops, he has hired 10 home chefs and toddy shop cooks to prepare dishes in KCK. They import every ingredient from a different part in Kerala, where they get the purest and the best. KCK does not serve the usual Malayali fare of Kerala Parotta and Thalassery Biryani, their menu consists of what a Malayali household serves at their homes. The menu is segregated into two, one part is the Ammachi special and other one is toddy shop special dishes.

To start with the Beverages, Absolute Khandari has become my absolute favourite. It's a strong concoction of Bird eye chill and many other secret ingredients, this is for adults who love spice. Moore vellam is buttermilk which is seasoned. The sherbet with cus cus is lovely. Do not miss the Tender coconut if you like it.

When you start with food, do start with Prawn Kizhi, where fresh prawns sourced from Kerala is tossed with a masala of coconut and turmeric, steamed and wrapped in banana leaves, it has a tinge of sourness which is because of the addition of Kokum. The Vegetarian version has mushrooms instead of Prawns and that is known as Mushroom kizhi. Vazhapoo cutlet is something interesting. Vazhapoo is banana flower, the cutlet made with them is subtle in spice and you get good notes of banana flower. They serve a beetroot sauce with the cutlet which is made in house. Kozhuva is a small fish which is obtained in the backwaters of Alleppey or Kochi only. They are basically dry fish which is marinated in spices like red chilli powder and fried with lots of curry leaves, this is basically a Toddy shop speciality called as Kozhuva Fry. Kanan Kozhi is where a whole country chicken is splash fired and roasted with spices.

Which Kerala household is a stranger from Puttu and Kadala? Here the Puttu and Kadala has a very homely touch and worth a try, dry grated coconut on top makes it even more amazing. Pazhan Kanji is a nutritious dish which is made with Pallakkad Matta or Kerala red rice, it's served early morning for those who skip breakfast. Rice is fermented in the previous night with onions etc, next day it is had with different kinds of chutneys. Konju pollichattu is a grilled King Prawn in Kerala style. Idiyappam and Muringakka which is a subtle drumstick curry made with delicate spices and coconut milk.

Pineapple Nendram Masala is a mash of pineapple, Nendram Banana with a dash of spices, cooked in Gojju style, which I personally devoured every bit of it and hence the Chef's Signature Dish.

For Desserts, there was Kol Ice which are basically popsicles of Grape Vanilla, Alphanso Mango, Lemon mint and Watermelon. Palada is a payasam with cooked rice flakes. The highlight was the Cloud Pudding which is wobbly in nature. This is the best dish of Tender coconut...

Introduction: In a not so restaurant-like looking building lies some of the best Kerala food I have ever had. This was an eye opening culinary experience for me.

This review is a combined review from the eyes of a chicken tikka loving dil se northie but malayali guy and a pure keralite girl.

Overall Review: Food- Guy: I loved it! I will come back for food which tastes like this! I will take a break from chicken tikka (finally!).

Girl: Reminds me of mummy and ammachi's home cooked food. I am definitely coming back for this food.

Service- The experience that our server (Albin and many others) helped create was amazing. He passionately told us about the dishes and already got us excited about the food while taking the order. Quick and amazing service.

Ambience- Loved the vibe. Amidst the hustle and bustle of Koramangala, this place is hidden and provides a cozy and comfortable experience. Yes, it does have a valet parking so nothing to worry. Loved the interiors!

Rest of the review- We ordered the following: Drinks- Nanaari Sharbet (refreshing and all we needed on a hot summer afternoon) and Butter Milk (just perfect)

Starters- Chicken Cutlet (Take a bow! Perfect crust coupled with a flavor blast moist juicy chicken filling! But what stole the show was the beetroot sauce! Take this to the market - just amazing and I loved it!!)

Main Course- For the pseudo mallu, Pootticha Mutta Curry and Nei Chorru. Okay, I will admit you might have definitely given my chicken tikka masala order a break! I just loved it. Having presumed it was something close to Ros Omelette/ Omelette curry, you shocked me. It really felt like I was eating a meat curry. The spices were so gentle yet so flavourful.

For the pure mallu, Chatti Chorru (Fish), Aviyal and Neimeen Fry (No she didn't finish it and has some takeaway for dinner :D). She devoured the Chatti Chorru along with the fish fry. The flavors were so homely it took her back home to Kerala summer vacations. Wait...The aviyal almost made her cry with happiness. It was amazing (yes I tasted it..we have scammed all our life with mix veg.. this is just amazing, try it once).

Desserts- Just order the cloud pudding, no questions asked. Think of the best mousse you ever had and just try to enhance the taste 10X, maybe you will reach near this. Just awesome! Amazed. This melt in the mouth tender coconut pudding will be my first order next time around. Oh and wait, the cutlery in which it is served just blew my mind-took me to the clouds in an airplane and perfectly resonated the name of the dish.

Final Thoughts- Amazing place. Food, cutlery, interiors, service-everything was on point. On my top 5 list in Bangalore now, yes! After eating for 9 years in almost every place in Bangalore. Make sure to meet the Director-Chef Reji Mathew and talk about your experience. We had an amazing lunch outing and hope to be there again soon :)

Thanks Team Kappa Chakka Kandhari -...