First published in Bangalore Mirror
Over the years, the Kerala toddy shop menu has rapidly grown in stature from being mere ‘touching’ partners during drinks to a whole cuisine in itself. Hence you can imagine our delight on seeing an outlet that promises “authentic Kerala shaap cuisine”, especially when it unabashedly calls itself Shaap! Before we go further, let’s get the linguistics out of the way. ‘Shaap’ in this context does not mean a curse, it’s just the way ‘shop’ is pronounced. To be noted that after a trip the ‘shaap’, people are prone to cursing and swearing! The outlet, we realised when we got there, has been refurbished – from its previous café avatar. However, it’s a job that has been reasonably well done. From the signboard that has been done in the toddy shop style, and the thatched coconut leaves on the walls, to the posters (movie quotes and pop culture), the Balarama comics (not Hindu mythology, it’s a popular kids magazine) on the shelf and the use of a non-Malayali labour force, it was absolute Kerala! An entire blackboard-finish wall has been dedicated to the menu, and we couldn’t wait to start!
The Kappa Mullagu was the first dish we tried. The tapioca was cooked just fine, but the spice quotient of the chilli-onion mash was lower than expected. The vinegary tart of the other dip could only do so much. The Irachi Fry Shaap Style elevated the standards quite a bit – superbly cooked beef with curry leaves and chilli for lip-smacking flavour! The awesomeness continued with the Chicken Coconut Fry – tender chicken with coconut slivers. The day’s special was Kallummakkaya – that’s mussels with pepper and mustard. This, though tasty, was quite the bait and switch as we realised that we needed to fish around a lot to find the few mussels among the onion! The Natholi (anchovy) fry added some crunchy texture to the mix and disappeared soon after it reached the table! We also wanted the Karimeen Pollichathu but that wasn’t available. The portion sizes are of the small plate variety, which means you can try out quite a few dishes.
Unfortunately, toddy is not served, so we had to make do with Neera (sweet toddy) – that’s essentially ‘toddy’ before fermentation. The tender coconut flavour was unmistakable, but the overall consensus was that some other elements had been added, which took away the natural tone of the drink. We also tried the Sambaram, which is mildly spiced buttermilk with ginger, chilli, curry leaves and onion slices. The essence of the drink is the buttermilk’s sourness, and in that respect, this version failed. We missed the ginger too!
We were finding it difficult to choose from the many main course options available! But the task was made simpler as soon as we began ordering. The Chicken Malabari was not available; neither were the Pothi Choru, Duck Roast, Neymeen Mulakittathu. Just naming them so that you can feel the anguish too! Both the appam and egg appam were quite underwhelming, and once again, the save was made by a beef dish – Irachi curry. The puttu also missed the spot – very powdery with no trace of the slight moistness that makes for the perfect consistency and texture. The Kadala curry we tried with it was also only average. While we were deciding the next course of action, we finished a Kerala Special Omelette, but couldn’t figure what was special. We then decided to give another appam a chance – kallappam – supposed to be made with a hint of toddy. This was rather predictable from the performance of the Neera, and the egg curry was an oil well that couldn’t carry the team either.
The Pazhampori (banana fritters) is billed as a starter, but the discussion was made redundant since it wasn’t available. We tried ‘Love Letter’ (Elanji) – crepes with a sugary, grated coconut filling. This was extremely well made and made sure we ended the meal well.
Everything above cost us a little under Rs.1500. A meal for two should not go beyond Rs.600. The overall ambiance does succeed in getting the the Kerala ‘feel’, and the beef dishes were really good. But we didn’t like most of the main course, and many of the things we asked for weren’t available. That took away a lot of the charm. The service is friendly and prompt, but they are a bit strapped by the lack of understanding of some dishes. Their communication line with the kitchen is also a bit broken. All things considered, the place needs some more shaapening to be happening!
Shaap, #83/4, 13th Main, Indiranagar, Ph: 080 49598061