Shivettante Kada in Cherai

Are you looking for a place to spend some quality time with your family and friends away from your busy schedule? Have you been to a beautiful beach where you could spend your weekend with your family and friends, enjoying the serene and tranquil nature of the coastal breeze bringing in soothing waves brushing the sandy turf beneath your feet? Cherai beach has it all, it’s one of the most visited beaches in Kerala attracting people from whole parts of the world. The shallow waters of the coastal area present the alluring feature of enjoying the beach without any fears. Shivettante Kada in Cherai beside the beach gives you the option to have delicious seafood meals with numerous recipes which makes it more attractive.

The city of Ernakulam or Cochin just like every other city seems to be so crowded with traffic and noise. This makes it unable to keep ourselves in the company of tranquillity which one should have every once in a while. When you move some 25km away from the heart of Cochin city, Cherai beach presents you with an atmosphere which would be an ideal place to enjoy the weekend with your family and young ones. The restaurant Shivettante Kada beside the beach is located on the way to Munambam. On the way to the spot, we drive through the banks of backwater lakes to reach the location. The Australian pine trees beside the beach keep you away from the scorching sun and help you enjoy the beach with the constant cool breeze from the sea.

Our vlog at Shivettante Kada in Cherai

Shivettan is the one who is in charge of the restaurant and it’s been open for 25 years. When we got to Shivettante Kada, we saw different varieties of fish frying on the tawa for the lunch. Kalanji (Seabass), Karimeen (Pearl Spot), Neymeen Slice (Kingfish) and Ayala (Mackerel) were some of the fish variants which were fried on the Tawa. Unlike deep frying which requires a lot of oil, tawa frying makes use of less oil and lots of curry leaves are used in order for taste. Marinated fish pieces were spread on the tawa for frying. Shivettan’s wife Jayanti was also helping with the cooking, she was busy with the preparation of Chemmeen fry (Shrimps). Apart from these they also serve Muringa (Oyster), Njandu (Crab) and Koonthal (Squid) recipes along with meals.

You can have food from inside the restaurant or you could use the extension made towards the entrance. There is also a small canoe built outside with tables and chairs in it to have your food. Apparently, the seafood varieties depend on their availability each day and that might cause slight changes to the menu. Earlier days saw Shivettan himself go to buy the seafood from the market but nowadays it’s been done by his sons. It was a small shop at the beginning and later it’s been renovated into the building we see at present. The dining area inside the restaurant saw a number of drawings of seafood items on the wall making it attractive for the tourists.

Kerala Meals is served with several recipes like Parippu curry, Pappad, Thoran, Sambar, pickle chutney and fish curry for gravy. Buttermilk is also available to be served along with the rice. We have also ordered some special items like Koonthal fry (Squid), Chemmeen roast (Shrimp), Natholi fry (Anchovy) and Muringa fry (Oyster). I choose to have Parippu and Pappad with rice. Along with that I used some fish curry gravy and the taste was awesome. In seafood varieties, Natholi fry (Anchovy) is the only deep-fried recipe on the menu. Earlier it was not so, many deep-fried dishes were available, but nowadays people choose to have Tawa fry instead and that resulted in change. Of all the recipes, Parippu, Chemmeen and Muringa were the ones I like the most.

I made a call to Shivettan before going and he informed me that weekends will be so crowded and it’s ideal to make a visit on weekdays. Also, there will be a rush from the afternoon 1.30 pm onwards. If you are planning to make a visit, it’s ideal to enquire about the rates before placing the order. Shivettante Kada in Cherai is by the side of the road near the beach and there is a parking facility available for the customers.