The Best Tea-Place in Fort Kochi
Text & Pictures: Lt Col D Purushothaman Pillay (Retd)
This simplistic cafe with a unique retro-feel is tucked away in a quiet corner of a silent by-lane, in the labyrinth of streets that abound the historical Fort Kochi streetscape. This double-vaulted, quaint tea-themed cafe is a throwback to the colonial times. It is also an absolute photographer’s delight. Starting with those little wooden boards with multi-coloured chalk inscriptions, talking about the fare for the day, placed along the adjoining street, against a wall alive with a creeping leafy green growth. The two simple yet elegant entry-exit doorways are skirted with an extension of the intricate olive green leafed creepers climbing the walls. Lying adjacent, is a cute window adorning brown latticework cane, which when open, reveals its unique violet glass rods, that affords a fluorescent violaceous glisten, as the sunlight filters through them.
On crossing the threshold one is welcomed into an airy, copious, high-ceilinged, red, slanting, tile-roofed space, built with warm, deep yellow walls that display many interesting tea-related black & white pictures, a few clocks and some wall-perches and recesses decked with other precious memorabilia. There are transparent glass tiles embedded amid the red roof tiles that allow cascades of sunshine, that bathe the cafe is a warm glow of daylight. A white wooden side-board holding teapots aplenty with some interesting tea-related reading and the several stepped galleries of teapots, organised in the many nooks and crannies of this eccentric eatery, completes the charming ambience of decrepit daintiness. The fascinating collection of the captivating teapots, come from different countries of origin, in a variety of shapes, in varying sizes, clad in multiple colours and made from miscellaneous types of materials ranging from the regular ceramic to the more uncommon bamboo, cane, wood, coconut shell, iron, copper, silver, enamel, brass among other metals. The many pots that randomly dangle, suspended from long hooks attached to the wooden tiling framework, in a whimsically outlandish manner, add beauty and character, to both the look and feel of this offbeat place.
Leaf tea in cute teapots with accompanying jugs of milk served on the converted tea-chest tables, with its neat white scalloped paper placemats and red-leather seats or that large glass-top inverted tea bush in the central space with black bentwood seating, is an experience one would not forget in a hurry. Among the various teas on offer, Jasmine, White Tips, Cardamom, Masala Chai, and Green Tea are great options. The teas are best savoured with their selection of Orange Cake, Waffles or Cheesecakes. For the patrons more famished, their Grilled Chicken Sandwich or Cheese Omelettes are the more substantial choices that I would personally recommend. If tea is not your preferred beverage, the Ginger-Lime Soda, is something very refreshing as an alternative to beat the humid heat. The best part of the deal is that, all these indulgences come at a very fair price that doesn’t bore a hole in one’s pocket. I have seen a lot of people who sit for hours, sipping their many cups of tea and nibbling on the short eats while leisurely catching up on their holiday reading.
Mr Sanjay the Manager, is a most dignified, tall and polite presence, who manages the day to day affairs. He ensures prompt attention to every guest on the premises, from the courteous staff immediately on arrival. Thereafter, he has also trained the staff to respect privacy and provide a discreet and unobtrusive on-call service to the patrons, who may wish to remain undisturbed.
This cute eatery with an aura imbued with an alluring shabby chic, is the place to go, if one wants to relish an unhurried cup of tea in a pleasant relaxing ambience. For many Kochi families, this is a regular port of call, every time they venture into that side of the neck of the woods. ‘Teapot’ is a definite must-do, when one goes to Fort Kochi.
Teapot, Peter Celli Street,
Fort Nagar, Fort Kochi, Kochi,
Kerala 682001
Open – 830 am to 9 pm every day.
Phone – +91 484 221 8035