KOZHIKODE: “It is total dedication and sincerity that helped Paragon maintain top quality,” said Sumesh Govind, the owner of Paragon Restaurant that was recently ranked 11th among the 150 most legendary restaurants in the world, listed by Taste Atlas, an online travel guide.
The biriyani at Paragon was selected by the firm as an ‘iconic dish.’ “They have selected our biriyani, but we have five or six iconic dishes that are a hit among customers,” said Sumesh Govind. These include mutton stew, prawns dry fry, fish mango curry and mutton masala.
Started in 1939, Paragon has spread its wings outside Kerala and India. “We have restaurants in Dubai and will shortly open one in Bengaluru. In Kerala, we have outlets in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram besides the one in Kozhikode,” Sumesh said.
Paragon has bagged several awards at the international level, including the one instituted by Plymouth magazine. It was adjudged one of the best budget hotels in Dubai twice. “I hardly get time to spend time with my family as the restaurant needs full-time attention,” Sumesh said. Salkara Restaurant, Brown Town Bakery and Paragon Caterers are the sister concerns of the firm.
Figlmuller in Vienna, Katz Delicatessan in New York City are the restaurants that come in the first and second positions in the Taste Atlas list.