Fish lovers, get ready for a date with some special fish cuisine. The Mushroom Restaurant, located near the Alappuzha South police station, has a succulent variety of dishes on offer.
Started four years ago, by twins Aseem M Sali and Aneez M Sali, the restaurant, which has a seating capacity of 100, has been famous for serving a wide variety of grilled foods, especially grilled fish. The restaurant is considered to be the first to introduce the Al-faham Arabic cuisine in Alappuzha.
It is set in a hut-like building, with strips of bamboo and striped curtains, with dim lights and a children’s play area. There is white sand all over. An area in the middle has been set apart for customers who love to eat in candlelight.
Foreigners enjoy the candle-light dinner more than the locals. There are 15 varieties of rice and the foreigners love rice items. “But they don’t like spicy foods much,” says Aseem, and adds, “Dinner is our specialty. We have customers from all over the world who have given us good feedback. They enjoy the ambience, and the food is cheaper than other hotels in Alappuzha. Of course, we never compromise in our quality.”
The restaurant, which works from 12 noon to midnight, offers Grilled Fish items, which is a must-try. Fish Tandoori is also a best-selling item. We may heard about Al-faham chicken and Al-faham beef, but Al-faham fish is also very popular. Interestingly, you will get all varieties of grilled and tandoori fish. You can even get fish weighing 5 kg as ‘king fish tandoori’. Other dishes include grilled prawns, prawns tandoor, tiger prawns tandoor, chicken tikka and lobster tandoori.
Apart from the fish delicacies, the restaurant also offers Chinese, Arabian, Continental, traditional and exotic local preparations. This can be cooked as grilled, spicy, garlic, butter garlic and salt and pepper. You can make your choice. The price ranges from Rs 40 to Rs 3000. Students from nearby colleges and office-going people feel comfortable with the rates.
Out of a staff of 22, several of them are from Kolkata, including the chef. Slowly, the restaurant is developing a reputation. Articles have appeared in foreign magazines and travel guides. It has got good ratings in TripAdvisor, and is listed in French travel guide, Routard France.
“The ambience in the evenings is what makes us stand out,” says Rajith Rathiyappan, the marketing adviser. “And we are planning to start a restaurant soon in Kochi.”
The restaurant offers home delivery service within 5 kms, irrespective of the size of the order. But after 5 kms the order should be a minimum of Rs 500. “The catering services are turning out to be popular,” says Aseem.
The Mushroom people are planning to participate in the upcoming food fests at Alappuzha. The most exciting is what they are planning to do, by way of candies for children, at the food fest, to be held in connection with the 125th anniversary of Leo XIII Higher Secondary school.
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