Kerala Mess: A taste of God’s own country in Bangalore

Bangalore, with its opportunities, has lured people from all corners of the country into making the city their home. Malayalees, who constitute a good chunk of this migrant populace, have become a colourful and vibrant part of the city’s tapestry, enriching it with various shades of their culture. And nowhere is it more pronounced than in the city’s cuisine, that sports a range of simple, homespun dishes from Kerala, cooked in that ubiquitous coconut oil.

Students and working singles from Kerala will recount their travails of combing the length and breath of the city just to be able to dig into their staple appams, puttu, meen curry, meen porichuthu, and the like. Owing to such great demand for homely food, the city has, over the years, witnessed the mushrooming of several small eateries serving tasty, value-for-money Kerala fare.

No-frills and strictly functional, most of these eating joints, simply known as Kerala Mess, have perfected the art of dishing out a slightly modified version of what Mom would cook at home, and enjoys an eclectic array of clientele that ranges from the globe-trotting IT professionals to famished-and-homesick students. Homes, Moti and Keraleeyam at Indiranagar, Kavitha Mess at Bhuvaneshewari Nagar and Kerala Mess near Dharmaram College on Hosur Road are some such places.

What separate these small eateries from other regular Kerala restaurants are the price tags and the nature of the menu; it is something that a Keralite would have at home every day. A meal here costs a measly sum and consists of unlimited rice, sambar and mooru curry. You can also opt for fish or chicken meals where you will have to pay extra for your fish fry or chicken curry. With your meal comes a complimentary serving of papad, achar, vegetable uppeari and dal or avail, fondly called “side”; and all these to wash down with a glass or two of lukewarm jeera water or the traditional warm karinghali vallom.

Besides the regular meals, you also have the option of digging into an a la carte fare. Choose from the array of delights on offer that include biriyani, various curries of beef, fish, chicken and mutton, and several vegetarian dishes. Be it rice with nadan masala chicken curry or Kerala parothas with beef curry or kappa with fish, each mouthful is a taste of the land, so endearingly referred to as God’s own country.

Thriving on a low budget, these eateries, rarely flaunt their wares and all publicity happens strictly through word-of-mouth. The best way would be to check out with your Malayalee friends, who will happily oblige.

So head to the nearest Kerala Mess and before you finish your first meal, you would have already planned your second visit!