Kappa Chakka Kandhari – The newest entrant to the Chennai food scene, recreates the nostalgic taste of Kerala in a ‘neo’stalgic aura.
The brightly lit huge space, situated right on the busy streets of Haddows Road in Nungambakkam offers you the hidden treasures of Kerala. If a Malabar Biriyani or a Kerala Meals or a fluffy Porotta is your only definition of Kerala cuisine, stay away! Out of the Box menu at KCK is skewed towards the traditional grandma delicacies, which is hard to find these days even in it’s place of origin!
The Food Story
The ‘Idierachi‘, a deep fry preparation of dried and crushed beef was spot on with right amount of spices.
The famed couple from Sri Muruga Cafe, Thripunithura which went viral over past few years – ‘Pazhampori & Pothu Curry‘ was next in line. It was a no complaints-no compliments Pazhampori with the best in class Pothu Curry; Undoubtedly the best beef curry I had from Chennai. Go for it, if you are a beef eater.
‘Vattayappam‘, the mildly sweet fermented rice cake was the star of the evening. The best Vattayappam I had in this 36 years of food journey. You can either eat by its own or can mix with the spicy ‘Mutton Chaps‘.
The well mashed ‘Kappa Vevichath‘ was perfect. Mix it with scrumptious ‘Tharavu Mappas‘ and have it for an instant foodgasm!
‘Pathiri‘ finds it’s partner in ‘Ramapuram Kozhi Curry‘ and both gelled well. ‘Ramassery Idli‘ served with ‘Idli Podi’ and ‘Sambhar’ was liked by others in the table; am not much of an ‘Idli’ng person.
Ended with a orange flavoured ‘Goli Soda‘, ‘Guava Temptation‘ and ‘Pazham Nanachath‘. The sheer pleasure of opening the Goli Soda with the thump takes you back to your childhood, but at a price of ₹60.00 per bottle! Guava Temptation, Red Guava Juice with a spicy Kanthari in it is quite refreshing. Pazham Nanchat, dried banana mixed with jaggery and coconut is good.
It was told that all the ingredients were brought right from Kerala and cooked here in small quantities/ batches by traditional home cooks. The taste of each and every gravies, be it chicken/ mutton/ beef/ duck, kind of certifies that. They even have a specialist cook just for the Ramassery Idli!
The Aura
The bright dining area, overlooking the open kitchen is neatly stacked with different seating options – chairs, benches and high chairs. Even with so much of action happening right in front of you in the Open Kitchen, not even a trace of smoke or irritant air. Awesomely designed!
The Service Quotient
Booking over their FB page was prompt and the table was ready upon arrival. Keeping in mind that they are just 4 days old and still in their trials, the service was good. I am sure that few hiccups like delay in some of the orders and minor error in the bill will just be a one-off case during this infancy period.
The attentive partners who finds time and energy to visit each and every table to explain their ‘dream‘ and get the feedback is a not so common gesture.
The availability of Valet Parking makes your life easy, in otherwise busy area.
The Dent
Most dishes priced under ₹200.00 in the menu gives you a pleasant surprise. But, be ready to get surprised again with the serving portion ;). Remember, one portion is for a one person.
But then, it’s insane to expect an economical affair from a proper fine-dine restaurant in such a prime locality. A total of ₹1.7k for the items mentioned in the post for 4 of us finds perfectly fine for the QUALITY they serve.
The Greedy Me
Would like to:
1) Eat that soft Pathiri with Tengapaal (Coconut Milk)
2) Eat that Koorka with traditional Pork preparations
3) Drink piping hot Strong Tea along-with
4) Eat more of Malabar snacks apart from Unnakai and Koyikaal (Kolli Fry)
5) See clay pot tumbler/ copper tumbler on the table which gels well with the other serving utensils
And
6) Drink that goli soda for half the price 😉
Overall a very satisfying dinner for our family. Do taste it out for sure, if you have the craving for some traditional Kerala food.
Keep up the set standards! Cheers!!
10, Haddows Rd, Opp Shastri Bhavan, Thousand Lights West, Nungambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600006
..Food for Thought.. 
my goodness.. the pics are really tempting
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Food were even better
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