District 7 Encore — Restaurant in Kerala

I had to send my plate back to the kitchen, something I rarely do. To make things worse, the steaks were pre-sliced like a beef salad, which is simply unacceptable for a Rib-Eye. Who serves Rib-Eye torn apart like that? Thankfully, the second attempt came as a whole cut, as it should. But again, the doneness was wrong, the steak was closer to medium rare, still raw in the center, rather than the medium I had requested. I was too embarrassed to send it back a second time, that would have been the ultimate humiliation for the kitchen brigade. Let me remind the kitchen of some basic food safety and cooking standards: RIB-EYE DONENESS/INTERNAL TEMPERATURES Medium rare (red center): 48–54 °C Medium (pink center): 55–56 °C Medium well (barely pink): 57–59 °C Well done (fully cooked): 60 °C+ In a fine dining restaurant, I expect these standards to be known and respected, especially in regard to HACCP hygiene regulations, which require a minimum serving temperature of 63 °C for meat and sauces. I am also pregnant, which makes correct cooking temperatures and food safety even more important. As always, it was the service staff trying to make up for the lack of leadership and poor coordination in the kitchen. The management never even showed their face. But they were right there on site ,which says a lot. We used to enjoy coming here regularly.

Update: Dear Restaurant DISTRICT 7 Encore

With all due respect, I believe it should be up to the guest to decide how they prefer their steak cooked. When the rib eye was first brought out, it was actually closer to well done, not medium rare. So I kindly ask that my words not be misinterpreted or used to justify the situation. Slicing is acceptable in dishes like fajitas, stir-fry, or sharing plates. But for a premium cut like rib eye, it should be served whole, unless the guest specifically requests it.

We are available by phone and happy to return your call at a convenient time.

This also wasn’t the first time I’ve ordered this dish at your restaurant, and I’ve had very good experiences in the past, which is why I had certain expectations.

Just as a side note I’m a trained chef and completed my vocational diploma with a Swiss Federal Vocational Baccalaureate.

Thank you and...

Rating - 4.5/5

Great food, stylish ambiance, but one miss about the drink part

We dined at District 7 Encore, Kadavanthara (South Kochi) and overall had a great experience. The ambience was cozy and way too elegant, service was prompt, and the food lived up to our expectations and exceeded in 9/10 cases.

Clingy Chicken – On the starter side, this was too delicious! Perfectly cooked chicken in a very flavourful sauce on top with a great balance of spice and sweetness. A must-try and our fav dish for the day

Cheese Burger Cheddar Soup – Creamy, rich, and comforting. It tasted like a cheese burger in a bowl — quite unique and filling.

Tender Chicken Bowl Rice – Simple, healthy, and well-seasoned. The chicken was grilled, still very tender, served alongside Jasmine rice, prepared in oyster//soy sauce. A must try item

Beef Stroganoff – one of the best dish of the evening. Beef prepared in creamy mushroom sauce and mixed with Spaghetti (option of pepper rice instead) , felt the sauce was a bit on the higher side, and if the dish is a bit semi dry, this would have been much better , but still this turned out to be one of the best ones of the day

Latte – Smooth and well-balanced. Served at just the right temperature with a bold espresso base.

Passionfruit Mojito – The only disappointment. It tasted bitter and lacked the refreshing sweetness you expect from a mojito. Needs tweaking.

Lotus Cheesecake – Fantastic! Creamy, perfectly sweet, and base with Lotus Biscoff layer. A satisfying end to our lunch

Overall a great dining experience and will again be visiting here for sure, what a great feeling to have filled the mind along with our...

Truly one of Kochi's best fine dining options.

The ambience is lovely with wide spacious interiors and wonderful decor to match.

The menu is the real winner here - you get dishes from a wide variety of nations and while they may have been modified at times to suit local palettes, the dishes still offer a unique flavour unlike most dishes we come across in Kerala or even India.

Coming to the dishes we tried -

Bacon Shrimp Wrap - tender meat wrapping a well cooked prawn. Always heaven.

Tieokk Bokki - there is definitely some modification here from the original South Korean version but it's still absolutely fabulous. Each bite will invariably give you different textures - fish, prawns, rice cake, imitation crab, squid. The flavour profile is spicy but isn't an overpowering kind of heat. We loved it.

Cupim steak - well prepared slices of steak served with mashed potato and bread.

Drunken chicken - again, different from the traditional Chinese version and perhaps for the better. A unique flavour, it's served with noodles and was heaven.

Among desserts, the ones we tried and loved included the Burning Alaska (their take on Bombe Alaska, set aflame in front of you), Bailey Pot De Creme (rich pudding in Bailey's coffee cream flavour) and grandmas apple pie.

Drinks we recommend - date lemon zest, watermelon rose (a variation of mohabbat ka sharbat? I may be mistaken) and kiwi orange.

Parking here is extremely large, easily fitting a dozen for the restaurant exclusively besides parking...