As the rain pours down, who doesn’t love gobbling up hot, fried snacks and a cup of strong, steaming tea? Hyatt Regency Trivandrum’s The Chaaya Pedia, a small tea stall set up right in the hotel’s belly, is brewing up something that perfectly suits the weather and brings back nostalgia into the hearts of many.
The pop-up, which aims to imitate the quaint old charm of a ‘chaaya kada’, comes fully packed with rustic glass jars, wooden counters, a makeshift structure complete with wheels, and of course the ever-present aroma of tea. The stall literally stands as a sensory time machine.
The goal of The Chaaya Pedia is to let the hotel’s guests, especially non-resident and foreign visitors, have a sneak peek into Kerala and its food culture. “We didn’t want our five-star identity to limit our guests’ experience of Kerala,” says a staffer.
The stall dishes out local delicacies like crispy pazhampori, nostalgic then (honey) mittai, crunchy murukku, achappam, ellunda, and the ever-iconic naranga (lemon) mittai, gas mittai, puli (tamarind) mittai, and mixture mittai. All are served in vintage-style glass jars that feel straight out of a 90s Malayalam movie frame.
“We have added a gourmet twist to the humble evening snacks Kerala swears by,” says executive chef Senthil Kumar. Parippu vada comes with fiery chilli chutney, pazhampori and sukhiyan arrive with a sweet honey dip, while kaaya bajji, molaggu bajji, onion pakoda, and mutta bajji are partnered with tangy tomato chutney. Uzhunnu vada hugs coconut chutney like an old friend, and even the flaky, golden puffs get their moment of glory with a simple swirl of ketchup.
The star of the show is of course the tea. Adicha chaaya, Kerala’s signature ‘beat and pour’ style strong tea, is brewed to bring out the flavours of our wayside tea stalls. So, this monsoon if you’re craving Kerala’s Chaaya Kada experience while lounging in a luxury lobby, you know where to go.
The fusion tea stall will continue till June 30
