Almost every Malayali is familiar with the crispy Pappada vada (Pappad fritter), with even many a song immortalising it. It is so common yet tempting that a former banker has zeroed in on it to name her new venture. Minu Pauline, who bid adieu to her job with a multinational bank to follow her interest, followed her passion and opened a typical teashop on MG Road in Kochi. In tune with the concept she has aptly named it ‘Pappada Vada Adhava Oru Nadan Chayakkada (Pappad Fritter aka a native teashop).
It will be a unique joint for traditional snacks and ethnic dishes and of course piping hot tea and coffee at reasonable rates.
“Our approach is simple. We are trying to serve the best ethnic dishes of the state and region created hygienically and served with passion. We intend to provide mouth-watering dishes in a clean environment at affordable prices,” says Minu who had worked with an airline and an educational institution before her stint with the bank.
The snacks include a variety of ‘vada’, ‘baji’, ‘valsan’, ‘sukhiyan’ and more. Her ethnic food combos include ‘puttu - nadan chicken curry’, ‘kappa-meen curry’, ‘kanji- payaru’, ‘idiyappam-kadala curry’ and the list goes on.
“Our prices range between Rs 4 and Rs 75 from the title snack to the ‘Thalppakettu kozhi biriyani’, a delicacy of Dindigul in Tamil Nadu.
It will be a standing cafeteria as we see in metros such as Bangalore. This glorified ‘chayakkada’, as she calls it can accommodate 30 persons at a time. “Free home delivery will be provided in a 3-km radius,” she says.
The rates are much less and the former banker is gearing up to sit at the cash counter, knowing well that she is taking a calculated risk.
“I am sure that initially the profits will be marginal. But we plan bulk production and extend our service by opening three more branches in various locations of the city.
She is also planning to start a retail fish store ‘meenchatty’, which she had even dreamt of before the ‘Pappadavada’ launch.
The concept is receiving acceptance in social media as its official facebook page has won over 3,000 likes within a short period, says Minu.
The shop which opened on Wednesday will be open from 8.30 am to 1 pm under with the assistance of 10 staff members, including three chefs, not to mention the strong backing from her businessman husband Amal Nair and her brother-in-law.