In the heart of Paris, where cafés are known for the aroma of espresso and the clink of wine glasses, a new kind of spirit is making its mark — kallu, Kerala’s own palm toddy. Of course, along with naadan cuisine.
Blending nostalgia with novelty, Kallu & Co. — said to be the city’s first Kerala restobar — is offering the ‘kallushap experience’ to France. Here, amidst the land of croissants and crêpes, Parisians can now sip toddy and savour pazham pori, kappa - meen curry, beef dry fry, kizhi porotta, and Angamaly prawns.
Kallu & Co. was founded by Alex Jerry from Chalakudy, Grishma Satpathy from Odisha, and Ashik Roy from Kanyakumari. Together, they created this “compact Kerala restobar” to fill what they felt was a void in the foodscape of the city.
“We came to Paris as students. Even then, we were entrepreneurs, running a digital marketing company. A major gap we noticed here was in Indian culture and food. Most Indian restaurants here serve only chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, naan, palak paneer, and vindaloo, and even those are toned down for Western tastes,” says Alex.
“There was no authentic Kerala cuisine available here. At the same time, we were watching the rise of traditional Indian cuisines abroad, with chefs like Vijay in New York and restaurants like Tamil Prince in the UK gaining recognition. This made us see the perfect opportunity. We spoke to chefs and did extensive research. Paperwork and logistics were tough, but seeing other immigrants who came before us succeed inspired us.”
Kallu & Co. opened its doors in June, determined not to be just another Indian restaurant in Paris. “France is a country where people spend a lot on food — about a third of an average person’s salary goes to dining out,” Alex notes.
“In Paris alone, there are over 2,000 registered restaurants, and around 500 of them are Indian. We wanted to stand out while remaining budget-friendly.”
To do so, they built a team passionate about Kerala cuisine. They hired Indian students and Malayali cooks in Paris, and trained them in the family recipes. “I wanted the menu to showcase the dishes I grew up eating,” says Alex.
The menu features specialties such as kappa, kozhuva fry, pazham pori, chicken 65, beef dry fry, ammachi’s chicken ishtu, chicken kizhi porotta, irachi puttu, idiyappam, Chalakudy pork roast, and Angamaly prawn mango curry — a “bestseller among French diners”.
“Kappa with fish curry was introduced as one of our Sunday specials, often served alongside Kerala biriyani. In France, kappa or tapioca is usually imported from African regions, with a variety called cassava also available,” says Alex.
The drinks menu is quite inventive, with cocktails like ‘Leaf Me Wet’ (with curry leaf), ‘Amma’s Wild Side’ (mango, green chilli, roasted jeera, and tequila), ‘Lassi Me Harder’ (mango lassi and vodka), ‘Kama Rasam’ (rasam with rum), ‘Filter Me Dirty’ (tequila, filter coffee, and milk cream), and ‘Pulli Out Game’ (tamarind syrup and bourbon). Among mocktails, ‘Soda Sharamth’ — made with nannari sarbath, green lemon, and soda — is a favourite.
Kallu (toddy) as its most exclusive offering, served in demi and tall glasses, as well as bottles.
“Parisians often ask for suggestions from the menu since they are unfamiliar with the cuisine. When they hear about toddy, they get curious. We serve it as shots. They love it and order bigger glasses. Many keep coming back for it,” says Grishma.
As of now, the team imports toddy from Sri Lanka as there are “challenges sourcing it from Kerala due to packaging and quality issues”. They hope to serve the original Kerala toddy sometime in the future.
“We source ingredients from Indian markets here, and all our masalas and sauces are made in-house. We stay true to the flavours, adjusting the spice for Malayali guests and making it more coconut-forward for French diners,” Grishma explains.
The restaurant’s desserts are already gaining fame. Nendran Flambé, made with caramelised banana, coconut, and a splash of Old Monk rum, became popular after a reel featuring Mohanlal cooking went viral. Other highlights include palada payasam and mango cheesecake.
Their Onam sadya was a defining moment — and, to their surprise, most attendees were French.
“By the second and third day, there were queues outside. French guests were asking for more aviyal, thoran, pachadi, payasam and more. We worked around the clock, 24 hours straight, to make it happen,” Grishma recalls.
Inspired by the success, they now plan to host a Diwali event and a Kerala-themed Halloween party. “We recently watched Lokah and loved it. We are inspired,” she laughs.
The décor too, has been meticulously handcrafted, with every element telling stories of Kerala culture. Alex’s favourite film, Manichithrathazhu, inspired the flooring, which reflects the checked patterns of the Hill Palace in Tripunithura.
The walls are lined with photo frames showcasing Kerala’s history, its first map, the origins of the Malayalam language, and its alphabet.
“We didn’t want to focus only on Kathakali, houseboats, or Athirappilly waterfalls. We wanted to show Kerala’s culture in a way that hasn’t been seen before,” Alex explains.
The space also celebrates women in art and the queens of Kerala. There’s a cinema corner featuring Malayalam actors and a nostalgia wall adorned with vintage advertisements of Poppins and Amul, old cassettes, TVs, and memorabilia.
The bar counter wall is covered with recorded cassettes of Yesudas, Janaki, and more.
The trio envision Kallu & Co. as a hub for both the Indian community and curious locals,“Watching these two worlds share a table and enjoy Kerala food has been the most rewarding part,” says Alex.
“Also, as our chief minister once said, kallu holds a lot more potential. Next time we return home, we hope to explore ways to take it to more places around the world.”
