The Toddy Shop | A taste of Kerala in Delhi
After such a long time The Hauz Khas Village has finally got another real gem in The Toddy Shop. Located in the same building as Bootlegger, The Toddy Shop serves the exotic, flavorsome and rich food of Kerala. The café owned by partners- Anup, Lubna and Randeep, is three months old now. They earlier ran another café in the village by the name of Ziro.
The muted colours of the walls and beautiful lighting makes the restaurant look really nice. The place has a section for live shows. The simplicity and the colour scheme run throughout all the elements of the restaurant (the colour of plates-to the walls). The only thing I felt is that they can put localized pictures in those beautiful white frames. Also, I feel the same for the music. Although I like Beatles, however, a song from Avial can also make me happy.
On the occasion of Onam, I went there for dinner. It was my bad luck that I missed the Sadhya Meal which they had organized especially for the festival (the restaurant had reservations made in advance for the last three days). The restaurant was busy and we waited for more than an hour to get a table for two (clearly people have instantly liked the place).
After a long wait, we finally got the table. Naveen, the very efficient and friendly service guy took our order. We were very hungry and my foodie brother was slurping looking at the food on other tables. We Ordered for:
- Malabar Kozhi Korma
- Pothu Erachi Varat
- Malabar Parotta
- Appam
- Kesari Halwa
I have always been a huge fan of Malabari food. I couldn’t wait to try the food. The food arrived on our table without much delay.
Pothu Erachi Varat (Authentic Kerala Spicy Beef Fry) was what we were most excited about. If you get a starter like this, you know you are in for a joyride. The cuts were juicy, tender and they were seasoned with the yummiest spices. It seemed to be everyone’s favorite and rightly so.
Malabar Kozhi Korma, (Malabar Chicken Curry with coconut milk) will make you lick your fingers. We ordered both Malabar Parotta and Appam (thin steamed bread made out of rice batter) along with it. It tasted heavenly with both the breads. Although the Malabar curry and Parotta are the classic combination, you must try it with Appam too.
Then arrived a hot cup of Kesari Halwa (Saffron flavored sweetened semolina). It was good and had nuts and raisins. Though this one wasn’t bad, but I have had better Kesari halwa. Maybe after the yummy main course I expected more.
The best thing about this place was that everything tasted distinct, rich in flavour and authentic. Anup (co-owner) is from Kerala and he has got his mother’s recipes into the commercial kitchen. And I always feel a Mummy’s kitchen is always the best Kitchen.
We had also ordered for Aila Mulakittathu, a spicy Mackerel Curry (fish). But we found it to be too tangy for our taste. The owners were extremely benevolent to not charge us for that.
The bill came up to Rs 1175 inclusive of all taxes. They also do home delivery. This place will not make me miss another favorite of mine, Tamarind (in Kolkata).
Oh just in case you’re wondering what does Toddy mean anyway? It’s the name of local liquor you get in Kerala. Speaking of which, they will soon get their liquor license. Another reason to visit the place.
It was 10:45 PM when I left the place. Anup, Lubna and Randeep were visibly exhausted. They’ve had a big day, hopefully a day to remember, as for me it surely was one.
Visit The Toddy Shop, as the food here is exceptional.