KOCHI: Mention the word 'pothichoru' - the lunch consisting of boiled rice, traditional vegetable preparations, spicy omelette or chicken curry packed in a lightly tempered banana leaf - and it is sure to evoke nostalgia, making one crave its unique flavours and signature aroma. Now gourmands in Kochi have every reason to smile as Oru Pothichoru, an online initiative by entrepreneur Lajesh Kolath and team, brings variety meals wrapped in a banana leaf at your doorsteps.
Started in March this year, the start up has gained momentum in the city with a spiralling number of orders and positive feedback. "I wanted to bring a good food culture among people," Lajesh told Express. "I was working as a business consultant and I faced difficulties in getting delicious meals at an affordable rate. This inspired me to start this initiative."
He said people either have to step out in search of good restaurants to get 'homely' meals or they have to compromise by hogging biryani or other stuff. But with Oru Pothichoru, they just have to place their order on www.orupothichoru.com before 11 am and the packet will be delivered to their address, he added.
Lijesh highlighted that with the passage of time, the number of orders has seen a huge rise. "The other day, 75 orders were sold out and that too by 9.30 am. It only shows the initiative was the need of the hour," he said. According to him, most of the customers belong to the working class, though they have started to receive orders from houses too.
The food delivered through Oru Pothichoru is prepared in a professional kitchen in Chottanikkara and it is brought to the team's office in Palarivattom in a hot bag for further distribution. Lajesh said the quality of food and timely delivery are their prime priority. "We prepare the dish depending on the availability of vegetables and meat. There is no fixed menu in the vegetarian meals and in non-veg packs, an omelette comes along with chicken curry or fish fry," he said. But due to some logistical challenges, their delivery time needs a bit of an improvement, he added.
Lajesh said they currently serve various locales, including Kakkanad, Kaloor, Palarivattom, Panampilly Nagar, Vyttila and Edapally. "We are planning to start a new kitchen in the city and expand the service to Marine Drive, M G Road, Tripunithura and Thevara as we receive a lot of enquiries from these areas," he said. The team is all set for a revamp of their website and launch an app soon. Both of which are expected to ease the procedures and make their initiative more customer-friendly.