This visit to Karaikudi North and South Indian Food Restaurant was actually my first proper Indian food meal. I had once tried Indian food at Spice and Rice (closed down) which was a very simple one and another one was at Sri Ananda, this was more to local style Indian food.
I am glad that I was invited to be part of the food review session with other food blogger. This had given me an opportunity to know more about Indian food and also a chance to taste it because there’s no one at home is interested in Indian food except me. I like eating food of different places. =)
Karaikudi Restaurant serves North and South Indian Chettinad Cuisine. Chettinad is actually a part in the south of India and Karaikudi is the capital of Chettinad. Chettinad cuisine is more likely south Indian food but Karaikudi serves both north and south Indian food. The difference between north and south is way of cooking and the different spices use. From what I’ve known, south Indian food is more spicy than north’s.
Let’s into the food part. We got a few starters to try out. First, we got this Vegetable Soup (RM3.00) It’s a homemade vegetable soup cooked in Chettinad style. It’s not like any of the Western’s soup which is very creamy, this is not. At the bottom of the soup, you’ll find a lot of vegetable cutlets and be sure to drink it when hot, it’s not good when it is cooled.
This Bitter Gourd Chips (RM6.00) is something that caught my interest. It look like potato chips to me, it’s just that the colour it not same, but it does tasted crispy. It’s sliced bitter gourd marinated with spces and de-fried. The bitter gourd pieces were really fine cut until very thin, it’s pretty. First bite is a little salty and later you will taste the bitterness after a while. For me, it’s not very bitter, I like bitter gourd.
Chicken Cutlet (RM6.00) is something that looks like chicken nugget but after you got the first bite, you will know it’s nothing feels like a chicken nugget that you eat in McDonald’s or KFC. It’s actually boneless pieces of chicken marinated with egg and bread crumps and then deep fried. The meat is soft. It’s better to dip it in ketchup.
Squid Fry (RM8.00) is another deep fried dish. It’s just squid fish dipped in spicy batter and de-fried. It tasted a little bit Indian but it’s still squid afterall, maybe it’s my type of food, it just feel simple to me. But if you are a squid lover, you should order this to try out. =)
Here comes something more familiar which is the Chicken Briyani (RM9.50). The rice used is not like any of our local rice, it’s basmathi rice and is cooked with spices. Hiding under the rice is a piece of drum stick. You can try eating it with the curry chicken sauce so that it wouldn’t feel so dry. Another thing is, there’s an egg served on top of the rice.
Naan is another food that I believe some of you guys know what it is. This is their Kashmiri Naan (RM6.00) with dry fruit stuffed in it which is famous among the kids. You should aware that this tasted sweet and it’s better not to eat with any sauce because you won’t taste any dried fruit afterall. There’s dried coconut in various colour in the between the Naan.
Looking at the photo of above dish, I think you got no idea of what it is. I didn’t know at first too only after the man introduced it to us. It’s Chicken Kothu Paratha (RM9.00) which is their prata bread cut into very small pieces and cooked with chicken.
This colourful dish is what they called the “Indian Pizza” which is just a nickname for it. It’s nothing feel and taste like pizza. The real name for this dish in their menus is Chettinad Special Dosai (RM4.00). It’s very thin and with assorted vegetable mainly chopped coriander, onions, potato, chili flakes on top which made it looks colourful. Eat it when it serves so that it’s wouldn’t turn un-crispy after some times.
Next, we got some little dishes that serves well with rice or naan or perhaps eat-for-fun.
The above is Ladies Finger Pepper Fry (RM7.00) I like the crunciness of this vegetable after it’s fried. The ladies finger is sliced into tiny peices and saute with pound black pepper. Tasted a little bit spicy not you won’t feel hot.
Chettinad Potato Masala (RM6.00) is cybes of potata saute with special masala. A very simple sweet vegetarian dish and good to serve with the naan.
I like eggs. The Egg Podimass (RM4.00) is good. I don’t know why it is called Podimass but it’s just scrabled egg cook with onion, salt and pepper. There’s also tiny cut chilli so you might spicyness if you get a bite on the little cut chilli.
Kadai Vegetable (RM9.00) is assorted vegetable cook with rich gravy.
Here’s something spicy, to some food blogger there, it’s spicy; but to me, it’s not. Hehe. This is Mutton Chukka Varuval (RM18.00). I got no idea what it means, I only know the word, mutton. It’s diced mutton saute with chettinad spices. People told me lamb is smelly but in this dish, the smell is not very strong, in fact the smell of spices and pepper covered over it.
Coming to the end. We got a coffee and sizzling brownie as desserts.
Let’s start of with the sizzling brownie (RM10.00) first. I got to say that it’s delicious and I like it a lot. However it makes my cloth smelly because of the sizzling oil spilled into the air. It’s not an Indian food but their very own recipe with freshly baked chocolate brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate suace and cashewnut served on hot sizzling plate. You taste something special when you put it into your mouth as one part is very hot and another part is very cold. Eat fast or the ice cream melts fast.
Next is a small cup of Chettinad Coffee (RM2.80). Fresh coffee bean powder and steamed with boiled water to prepare a decoction and added fresh milk. It’s not coffee like any of our Old Town, Georgetown or local Kopitiam, it’s Chettinad style, that what I can say. Taste nice to me too, I don’t really know how to describe a coffee, but it’s good. One thing to say is, the taste of milk in the coffee is heavy.
The restaurant is a halal restaurant and what makes is so special is that 95% of the spices are from India. There’s another branch at Hillside, Tanjung Bungah but you will get a difference experience here at the Market’s Street outlet. It’s worth trying out if you like Indian food or if you have not try any Indian food before, you can check this place out. =)
Market Street is Lebuh Pasar in Little India in Georgetown.
