India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [208]
WHERE TO DINE
Seafood, always fresh, should be at least one course. Seerfish, a large, meaty white-fleshed fish, is by far the most reliable, as are prawns. And Perhaps the most acclaimed of the seafood joints is Fort Cochin (reviewed below), one place that’s definitely worth making a special trip for (in this case, to Willingdon Island). If you’d prefer a more fine-dining atmosphere, the Rice Boat ( 0484/266-6811; 12:30–2:45pm and 7:30–10:45pm) is the small-but-gorgeous seafood restaurant at the Taj Malabar—floor-to-ceiling glass walls and a curved cane ceiling make the best of its position right on the water’s edge. It’s an excellent place to indulge in some fusion dishes, like rice hoppers (traditional rice “pasta cakes”) served with smoked salmon, tropical fruit, and coconut chutney, or cubes of seerfish cooked with ground coconut and raw mango, and served with idlyappams. It’s not cheap by Kerala standards, and seafood is not really in league with the more simple fare served at Fort Cochin, but it’s still darn good!
Wine is a relatively new phenomenon among India’s elite, and Kochi now has its own wine lounge and tapas bar, Divine , above the restaurant at The Malabar House ( 0484/221-6666; 11am–11pm). Here where you can sample 12 top Indian vintages and perhaps settle in for a long night with a few bottles of the highly quaffable cabernet sauvignon or the oak-aged Chantilli chardonnay, accompanied by delicious, decadent-sounding bites; try the tiger prawn samosas, or jalapeños stuffed with creamy mushroom. It’s small, but with a très trendy look if you prefer designer glamour to harbor views (of which, of course, there are none). As with Malabar House’s own Malabar Junction (reviewed below), Kochi’s best eating establishments are for the most part still located in hotels, but there are notable exceptions, including the very unpretentious Dal Roti (1/263 Lilly St.; 0484/221-7655 or 97-4645-9244; dhal.roti@gmail.com), which is perfect if you’re bored with seafood and South Indian spicing. Owners Ramesh and Kalpana serve delicious North Indian fare in a lovely, casual atmosphere: whitewashed walls and simple pine benches and tables arranged around a terra-cotta Nandi (a sacred Hindu bull). Its simple “village”-style cooking is very good, and wonderful value: sample the delicious murg mussalam (whole stuffed chicken) or a meal-size thali (platter) and mop up the juices with alu paratas (unleavened whole-wheat bread stuffed with potato). If, on the other hand, you do want to try traditional Keralite cooking, and combine the experience with a dazzling location on the edge of the water (literally, when the weather’s good, the tables are set up on the jetty), the restaurant at Hotel Fort House ( 0484/221-7103) has a rock-solid reputation. That’s largely thanks to owner Nova Thomas’s Portuguese-influenced dishes (her great-grandmother being of Portuguese descent) like pork vindaloo—though we’d definitely opt for the Kerala-style grilled tuna, or the highly recommended seerfish pollichathu, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled.
If you’re wanting an exceptionally romantic night out, you should reserve a space at Le Coloniale’s in-house restaurant, Mountbatten (noon–3pm and 7–10:30pm), where there isn’t really a menu, but you can order just about whatever you want—chef Raju is good with Indian (north or south), Italian, French, and Keralite dishes, but it’s best to chat with him first to decide what you’d like. The seafood is excellent, and you can rely on Raju to come up with a sumptuous set menu, too. If you want to sample something out of