Forget everything you know about South Indian cuisine—Kochi is here to surprise you. During my recent trip, I discovered that Kerala’s food scene extends far beyond the familiar idlis and dosas. Greeted by the city’s lush greenery and refreshing weather, my culinary adventure began the moment I caught a glimpse of the sea from the hotel’s ride. What followed was an eye-opening discovery of the flavors that truly define Kerala. Kochi’s beauty, coupled with traditional Kerala cuisine will make you want to leave this city.
day 1
After a quick check-in at Old Harbour Hotel, I went for a special cooking demo and lunch hosted by Mahima Simon, who is a familiar name and face in Malayali households, owing to her participation in popular cooking reality shows.
1. Mahima Simon’s Regional Cooking Demonstration and Lunch
We attended a traditional Kerala cooking class by Mahima Simon at her home. As soon as the cooking started, the air was filled with the delicious aroma of coconut oil, curry leaves, spices and other lovely ingredients. The entire cooking tutorial went on simplified and smoothly, the only thing that came out in this session was some expert cooking secrets. We learnt four scrumptious dishes from Kerala cuisine — Palappam (coconut appam), Chicken Mappas (traditional Kerala chicken curry made with coconut milk), Fish Mango Curry and Vegetable Stew. The food tasted absolutely delicious, comforting and nutritious.
2. An exciting tour of banana plantations and culinary delights at ‘The Place’
Our next stop was at ‘The Place’ in Kanjiramattom, where we had a unique experience among the lush banana plantations. Founded by social entrepreneur Lakshmi Menon, ‘The Place’ felt like a safe haven away from the noise and chaos of the rest of the world. However, it would be wrong to call it an escape. The activities planned under the ‘Waza Thoughts’ cultural event were engaging, informative and full of bananas. We enjoyed a number of dishes prepared using various parts of the banana plant such as the flower and even the white flowers inside the flower. Many dishes were beautifully wrapped in a banana peel or placed on a large flower petal. We also had a few craft activities that used parts of the banana plant, such as making crabs out of various objects or making necklaces using the tiny flowers. Lakshmi Menon got us thinking about the amazing possibilities and versatility of our homegrown bananas and inspired us to rethink our Western-influenced obsession with avocados.
3. Dinner and stay at Old Harbor
After a long and healthy day, we headed back to the hotel for a 3-course sit-down and served dinner. For starters, I chose the ‘Beetroot Carpaccio with Baked Mushrooms’. It was beautifully served with mushrooms, full of flavour, and the thinly sliced beetroot added colour and balance to the dish. For the main course, I ordered the ‘Crab Trilogy’ which had three different types of crab – Masala, Thai Green and Au Gratin. The flavours were fantastic and the crab was cooked perfectly. The serving size was good too. I finished the meal with the Cardamom Panna Cotta with Basil Syrup. The basil syrup was a little too tart for a dessert, which overall tasted just fine. The texture was good.
About the Old Harbor Hotel
Old Harbour is a 300-year-old Dutch heritage hotel close to Fort Kochi. The staff and hospitality were great and the place has an organic ambiance and an openness connected to nature, so you don’t feel like you’re locked inside a building. The interior of the hotel connected very well to the exteriors. The room I stayed in was beautiful and had an ancient-modern charm, with many delicate and interesting artefacts to decorate the cozy room.
Second Day
4. Visit the beach and witness the wonders of Cheena Wala
In the morning I went for a walk on the beach and saw the Chinese fishing nets, Cheena Wala, installed in the 14th century. These are “shore-operated lift nets” that are lowered into the water one at a time using mechanical equipment, helping to catch a lot of fish at once. This method of fishing is unusual in India and almost unique to this region. We also saw a few fishermen at work, trying to catch fish with their nets.
5. Breakfast at the famous Kashi Art Cafe
This is one cafe you must visit when in Kochi for the perfect blend of art and gastronomy. Inside this cafe, I felt like I was sitting in an art gallery, where every nook and corner holds a unique aesthetic (or picture-worthy) quality, and you can feel mesmerized and calm at the same time. I tasted their famous ‘John Abraham Omelette’, a healthy and delicious recipe prepared for the star himself. Ever since John Abraham’s arrival, the omelette has made a star spot on the cafe’s menu. I also ordered Cold Coffee with Coconut Milk and Jaggery. I was a little skeptical about tasting this coffee, but the blend of subtle flavours of coconut milk with coffee was incredible!
6. Sri Poornathryes Temple and Lunch
After breakfast, we visited Sri Poornathreesa Temple, a Hindu temple located in Tripunithura. This temple is considered to be one of the greatest temples in Kerala, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who is worshipped in the form of Santhanagopala idol. Lord Vishnu appears here in a sitting posture, which is a unique posture, unlike other Vishnu temples where the Lord is usually found in a lying down posture. This temple is famous for its annual festivals or celebrations. This temple is the first of the eight royal temples of the former Kingdom of Cochin, and we were taken for an interesting guided tour by the grandson of the titular Elaya Raja of Cochin.
Next, we had lunch at Kalikotta Kottaram, learned about the culinary heritage of the Cochin royal family and enjoyed a unique banana leaf sadya that showcased a large variety of delicious royal dishes in different colours, flavours and textures. Each dish was dancing on my tongue with its delicious flavours, but the payasam and poppadom combo won my heart.
The Kochi experiential food tour with Dr. Chef Avin, Co-Founder of Laavon Cafe/Academy is a part of the Explore Travel Series by HOGR, a popular food discovery app. Talking about Kerala cuisine, Jugul Thatchery, Co-Founder and CEO of HOGR said, “I am from Cochin myself, but during this trip I realised that there are so many foods here in just a 2 km food walk. It was truly an eye-opening experience.”
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