Calicut Notebook Restaurant — Restaurant in Kerala

Review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I recently dined at Notebook Restaurant in Cochin, and it was a delightful experience that I am happy to share.

Ambiance: The restaurant boasts a cozy and welcoming ambiance, perfect for both casual dining and special occasions. The decor is tasteful, with a modern yet warm vibe that makes you feel right at home. The seating arrangement is comfortable, and the cleanliness is commendable.

Service: The service at Notebook Restaurant is efficient and friendly. From the moment we walked in, the staff was attentive and courteous. They took the time to explain the menu and offered recommendations based on our preferences. The food arrived promptly, and the staff checked in regularly to ensure we had everything we needed.

Food: Notebook Restaurant truly excels in offering a variety of dishes that cater to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Their Kerala meals are a highlight, providing a rich and authentic taste of local cuisine.

Kerala Meals: The Kerala meals are an absolute treat. The vegetarian meal includes a variety of curries, sambhar, rasam, avial, and thoran, served with steaming hot rice and traditional accompaniments like pickles and pappadums. Each dish is packed with flavors and spices that are quintessentially Kerala. The non-vegetarian meal is equally impressive, featuring deliciously spiced fish curry, chicken fry, and mutton curry, among other options. The freshness of the ingredients and the authenticity of the preparation make every bite a joy.

Customization: One of the standout aspects of Notebook Restaurant is their willingness to customize meals to suit your taste buds. Whether you prefer your food mild or spicy, the chefs are happy to adjust the spice levels and accommodate any special requests. This personalized touch adds a layer of satisfaction to the dining experience.

Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian Options: In addition to the Kerala meals, the restaurant offers an extensive menu with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. The veg dishes are varied and flavorful, with highlights including paneer butter masala, vegetable stew, and an array of tasty starters. For non-vegetarians, the menu features a range of delicious dishes such as chicken tikka, mutton rogan josh, and seafood specialties like prawn curry and fish fry. Each dish is well-prepared, with generous portions that ensure you leave feeling satisfied.

Conclusion: Overall, Notebook Restaurant in Cochin is a fantastic dining spot that offers a wonderful blend of traditional Kerala meals and a variety of other culinary delights. The combination of great food, excellent service, and the ability to customize dishes to your liking makes it a standout choice for anyone looking to enjoy a delicious meal in a pleasant setting. I highly recommend Notebook Restaurant for anyone in Cochin looking for a memorable...

Before you would want to dine in just take a look at the kitchen area, wash area and the display items kept at reception.

Few points for the investors of this restaurant to take care of :

1. Lack of higene - From outside it looks all good, but once you enter inside and observe the kitchen and the wash area it is just like any local hotel located inside a bus stand. You can see many cocroaches flying around.

2. Lot of mosquitoes- This is an aftereffect of lack of higene. Me and my kids got lot of mosquito bites and we had to request for a table change, but the situation continued same on the new table as well.

3. The "Captain" attitude - You have named her "Captain", but the Captain should be the one who should be taking care of the customers, but her attitude seems like we are there to get some free food ( in an expensive restaurant). Also she tried to impose some of the foods that might be easier to prepare or I don't know why she had to impose her interest on us instead of explaining about the food.

4. Lack of proper AC - Eventhough it's centralized AC it was not comfortable enough.

5. Lack of proper seating arrangement - The first table we got was on the way.....the waiters, staff, customers all pass by us, luckily didn't stamp on us. We requested for a table change and the 2nd table was worse. It is just kept in touch with the waiters table where all their items like spoons, plates, table mats etc are places. Each time the waiter opens it, it hits me on my chair's back. Ignored it for couple of times but had to respond on the 3rd time. Spoke to the incharge about the issue. He tried to inform everyone saying not to open it, but with no much effect. Again same issue continued.

6. Spoiled orange slice kept around Brownie that is on display in the reception area with insects on it- Never seen such an unhygienic scene in an expensive restaurant before.

Overall, there is no ownership for anyone who is working in this restaurant. If investors don't look into these issues seriously then I am sure the name of "Calicut Notebook" will...

Come fall in love...this was the tagline for a Bollywood Blockbuster of the 90's. Same can be said about our first dining experience at The Calicut Notebook Restaurant. Good food served at pretty decent rates and portions and in a good ambience will definitely make you fall in love with any restaurant. This place checks all the boxes when it comes to the above mentioned choices.

We are always hungry...that means soups were skipped and just to give ourselves some time to finalise the main course, we ordered the Thai Grilled Chicken as a starter. There's everything in this dish. Its spicy and the coconut milk based sauce provides that essential bit of sweetness to it. Only thing they need to do is drizzle a little bit more of that sauce over the dish because, the chicken pieces tends to dry up pretty quickly. So that extra sauce keeps the pieces moist right until the last of those gorgeous pieces of chicken is consumed.

The main course was porotta ,mutton chaps and ghee rice. If you are a die hard fan of the soft flaky porotta ,then this is the place you shouldn't miss. The porotta is well cooked ,well beaten and the layers just come out ,without much of an effort. The mutton gravy was reminiscent of that of a haleem with the fried onion paste and the masalas. One can feel the richness of the ingredients in it as well. The ghee rice was good just like all the other dishes ordered and the quantity sufficient for two people. The mutton chaps we ordered was more than enough to finish off the ghee rice and 3 porottas.

Our quest for the desert ended when two bowls of palada payasam ( forgot the pics) were placed in front of us. Not too sweet and a not too thick payasam, could have been great had they reduced the cardamom level a bit.

Shared the feedback with the captain and he assured that our suggestions will be looked into positively.

A place definitely worth going back...