Thrissur@10 Restaurants

 If I stay at a hotel, I look forwards to the free breakfast but, sometimes, it's not such a memorable experience. In fact, our research on the Internet, prior to our visit, had warned us that this would be the case at Elite Hotel. Nevertheless, we had at least one breakfast and one dinner there.

The ambience is not bad at all but, somehow, Syamantak does not attract too many diners.

I chose a Poori Bhaji and I'm pretty sure I wasted more than half of it.

The South Indian Poori Bhaji can be delightful. This one was not.

My husband had a plate of idli-vada. And he, too, was not inclined to rave about it.

Both the Idli and the Vada are very popular dishes. Yet they're both very hard to make to perfection.

I noticed that some Thrissur restaurants and, in fact, many restaurants around India, tend to have a decorative placemat. This one has some activities to keep the little ones busy.

This placemat has some info about tourist places in Kerala, a food scrabble, a join the dots and a find the words game, as well.

Syamantak was dolled up for Christmas but, even then, there were few fellow diners. 

Wondering what to do for lunch, one day, I asked at a fancy place: where do I go nearby for a proper vegetarian lunch? Prasada, they said. I soon found it and the ambience is quite alright but the food is nothing special.

The oil in which the poppadom was fried was stale and the dessert and other dishes were just so so.

Luckily, there were many restaurants in the vicinity. Right across from Elite Hotel is a small eatery which seems to specialise in Puttu. 

I think it was called Akshaya Palace and you can see the Puttu making gadget in the foreground.

Besides Puttu, the place also dished out a halfway decent coffee but with the Indian Coffee House just a few yards away, I only used it off and on.

Akshaya Palace gets pretty full at times and is a fairly decent place to sit around and chat.

Another restaurant, just across the road from Elite Hotel, is Pathans. I kept reading it as one would the synonym for the word for the Pashtun people.  Until it was explained to me that it's a Kerala name!

  

At mealtimes it was quite crowded with many families sharing food and bonding. There was one scene, in particular, which was very memorable to me. A father was dining with his two children: a little girl and a little boy. He was really spending quality time with them, passing them choice bites from his plate, attending to an occasional fuss with as much love and care as any mother.  

The podi served with the idlis was quite nice. On the whole tasty but not the winner.

The place is quite old fashioned and, thus, cute in a quaint sort of way. Dressed up for Xmas with all the popular Chinese made decorations.

I didn't notice anyone heading into the Air Conditioned part of the restaurant.

Turning to our smartphones for help, we came up with some more places to eat at.

A very unassuming little place!

I tried to get something of interest from the manager who was amused. I wonder if he'll get to see his photo online!

We had what seems to be the regular thing to ask for in such places: a biryani and a parotta with meat fry.

I never got around to having a proper meal at my beloved Indian Coffee House but I frequently went there for coffee and, sometimes, toast and butter. However, at mealtimes, it gets really full and the service is brisk and caring.

Always quite low cost and quite tasty!

There are at least two outlets in Thrissur. One was pretty near Elite Hotel. 

The other was larger and as lively. It's elating to see so many people from all walks of life satisfying hunger, alone or with friends or family.

We also visited Ambady, going by its online reputation but, alas, they were about to close up for the day. However, to go by the chutney, this is a place for foodies to visit! 

Tucked away at the end of a small dark lane!

For some reason there is a large mirror on the wall of the school opposite the entrance to the restaurant. 

My most cherished memory of eating out in Thrissur is this place: Hotel Kudumbashree. It's a kind of women's cooperative run eatery and, apparently, has branches all over Thrissur and other places in Kerala. 

One of the fine ladies at the helm!

Last but not least come the runners-up in my book: Hotel Bharath! Always full, with brisk service and tasty fare, it's little wonder that locals flock in to feast. 

Just next door to Elite Hotel!

I even had a meal there and can safely assure you that it was value for the money (Rs. 80). But it's mostly eat and run as there's always another hungry soul waiting for you to finish.

Most meal places in Kerala have a jug of sambharam and one of rasam at each table.

We also had a breakfast or two there and even a chole dish which was fiery! Most people were going for North Indian dishes. 

People in Thrissur seem to prefer a light meal for dinner. This lot was very tasty!

And the winner is Sulaimani 168. This restaurant has to be on the Must Visit List of any traveler to Thrissur. 

A Taste of the Traditional, a Feast for the senses, an encounter with Vaikom Muhammad Basheer  

There are, of course, a great many places I have not visited and I look forwards to input from readers about places to eat at in Thrissur.