Upturn Of Fortunes
Text: Sabeenose Paul
Sri Muruga Café, a small Kerala style eatery, located close to the mini bypass junction at Petta, Kochi is flooding with customers predominantly for its unusual menu combination of Sweet Banana Fritters (called Pazham Pori or Ethakka Appam in Malayalam) and spicy beef curry (called Nadan Pothu Erachi Curry in Malayalam). This classic combo is attracting hundreds to the café and making the road-side food joint immensely popular. And, today many hotels and restaurants around the city are also dishing out this unusual combination of menu. The ever widening reach of social media is behind the upturn of fortunes of this small cafe.
The culinary culture in Kerala is going through an overhaul because of novel online food communities. Individual and group of food reviewers who are commoners, or rather foodies are volunteering to share their culinary as well as eating experiences from various food-joints and restaurants across the town through social networking platforms. One such group that is making heavy ripples across the city is ‘Eat Kochi Eat’ (EKE).
This popular community which was created by an IT professional, Karthik Murali, now has over 1 lakh members. Sri Muruga Café’s super combination is now one of Kochi’s favourite dishes because it caught attention though Murali’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Eat Kochi Eat which was popularised by this techie has followers, young and old alike. They explore hotels in an around the town and discuss their culinary experiences through social media. These discussions drive people to delve into the realms of every food corner of the city.
Eat Kochi Eat has played a significant role in success and popularity of many restaurants and eateries in Kochi today.
Madhu was running a small restaurant in the outskirts of the city. He served spicy and tasty fish curry meals for lunch in his small but neat joint. This place was anonymous to many until it gained fame through the posts and reviews of EKE. The restaurant has turned out to be a hub for foodies now. The story is similar with the Puttu kada at Kumbalam, which is known for its traditional hot steam-cake. Jeff, the Biriyani hangout and restaurants like Vellakanthari, Periyar, Palaram, and many more, tell a similar story regarding their exotic dishes ranging from local to continental cuisines.
“There were no online platforms where food was genuinely discussed,” said Murali. He discloses the history behind the inception of EKE. When he arrived at Kochi for job, he had to eat frequently from the local restaurants. Food from similar restaurants became monotonous to him. Being a foodie, he started exploring food corners in and around the town. This prompted him to start a group among his friends and colleagues. Everyone in the group started sharing their food experiences and very soon it attracted thousands of food lovers in a short time span. Today, it is a massive group of nearly 1.6 lakh members.
“They have different destinations in mind, some wants to know the places where they get tasty food while some seek places where food is affordable, and some searched for variety in dishes,” said Murali about his followers.
He added that many restaurants have started approaching them to review their food menu. “We focus on reviewing the overall experience rather than just the food,” he said. This includes star hotel restaurants to road-side eateries. If a dish is approved by the review committee, we will discuss it in the group, including it’s price. That is how Eat Kochi Eat evolved into the favourite community not just for foodies but also for the food bloggers, corporate chefs, restaurant owners, cooking experts and the like.
They have different destinations in mind, some wants to know the places where they get tasty food while some seek places where food is affordable, and some searched for variety in dishes
Eat Kochi Eat members meet during all seasonal festivals like Onam, Christmas, Diwali etc. A sumptuous feast accompanied by fun-loaded activities in an apt venue is also an opportunity for the foodies to meet other gourmets. For previous Diwali, EKE members explored Bikash Babu Sweets, a popular Bengali sweet shop in Kochi.
People who are in the food business also become a part of the group to promote their business. Recently a member of the group introduced the concept of pothichoru. Kerala meal wrapped in smoked banana leaf for lunch, where affordable lunch packets reach customers in instantly. He announced this initiative through the group and it garnered applause. Another success story is of a member who started making homemade pickles and chutney and marketed through the group. Even restaurant have owners started introducing their new dishes through the group.
The month of August witnessed the humane face of Eat Kochi Eat. While Kerala was affected by flood, the members of EKE volunteered to collect and distribute food and other essentials to various parts of the state. Thousands of people benefitted out of the initiative.
Eat Kochi Eat continues its success journey through the hearts of millions. Through the high ways and byways of the culinary map, Eat Kochi Eat keeps on exploring the food joints, the success recipes, the distinct food style and the savouring tale goes on.