Get A Taste of God’s Own Country At The Malabar Food Festival At Jamavar, The Leela Palace

If you’re in the mood for some coastal delights, then Jamavar at The Leela Palace is the place to be. Curated by Chef Purushothama Naidu, the Malabar food festival is a delightful amalgamation of all the best bits of Malabar cuisine (complete with pickles, papads, chutney, banana chips – the works).

Malabar Magic

We started our meal with Idicha Moru, the quintessential drink for any meal in God’s Own Country (we’re not going to lie, the spicy buttermilk was too good to just have one glass) and prepared for the feast that awaited us. The Vazhapoo Cutlet made with banana flowers was one of the vegetarian starters we tried and we were excited by how flavorful and well-infused the cutlets were. In case you are a fan of fish, Jamavar also has a tuna option in the form of the Choora Cutlet.

One of the dishes that we absolutely couldn’t get enough of, was the Meen Varthathu – masala-fried pomfret, and dare we say, some of the freshest fish we’ve had in the Ooru. If you’re holding out for a delicious chicken dish, then we’d suggest the Poricha Kozhiyum Varutha Ulliyum – the crunch of the wings combined with that black pepper spice was a winner for us!

Next, it was on to the mains! We decided to opt for a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries as well as a number of staples to go with it like Ari Pathal, Appam, and (of course) the ubiquitous boiled red rice. The Pineapple Puliseri was a brilliant take on the traditional yoghurt curry, and the Vendakka Mappas took us down memory lane (when perhaps we didn’t care too much for ladyfinger).

Prawn lovers, you cannot miss out on the Chemeen Moilee – a delicious aromatic coconut curry that was on point in terms of look, flavor, and smell! Of course, we couldn’t miss out on trying the Thenga Aracha Meen Curry with a classic tamarind base that went perfectly with the Kappa and the boiled red rice. We also had to have the Eraichi Stew (with appam, obviously) and the Eraichi Ularthiyathu which tasted as good as we had imagined with the black pepper heat and shards of coconut.

No meal is complete without dessert, and we couldn’t wait to try out the Palada Payasam which wasn’t too sweet and made for a delicious end to the meal. However, the true hero of the dessert selection was the Unnakkayi a Kerala banana fritter stuffed with dry fruit and coconuts – a testament to Chef Purushothama’s skills. So, if you’re looking for the place to satisfy your Malabar cravings, head to Jamavar pronto, because this delightful tribute to Malabar cuisine won’t be around forever!

Date: Until August 24th 2018

Place: Jamavar, The Leela Palace

Timings: Lunch and Dinner

For Reservations: Call –  080 3057 1344