Vilakkumaram Toddy Shop Kallara

Kerala is famous for its traditional Toddy shops across the state. But these shops are also known for serving a whole bunch of delicious Kerala cuisines. We made a visit to one of such famous Toddy shops in the Kottayam district in southwest Kerala to have our lunch. Vilakkumaram Toddy Shop is located at a place called Kallara and is blessed with green blushy paddy fields in the backdrop. A beautiful stream is flowing beside the restaurant and it’s surrounded by coconut trees. When we reached the food spot, we saw people cleaning the fish by the side of the stream. Apparently. the fish is caught using a net by the fishermen, Kari (Catfish) and Varal (Murrel fish) are very common in these parts of the world.

On the way to the toddy shop, we could see coconut trees attached with coconut husks with ropes. These coconut husks are attached to the trunks as if to form a step-like formation. Coconut climbers would find it easy for themselves to get to the treetops by this method. Earthen pots are also visible at coconut tree tops for collecting sap. Anyways, by the time we reached the food spot the cooking was almost finished. We couldn’t visit the restaurant kitchen as the owner was not available to seek permission. There is a separate space available for families to have their food. We could also see a Bamboo hut nearby and since it was occupied by customers, we picked a separate cabin.

Our vlog at Vilakkumaram Toddy Shop Kallara

It was astonishing the way the person who came to our cabin narrated the long list of food items available for us. The list of preparations includes Kappa (Tapioca), Appam and Parotta. We can have non-vegetarian dishes like Pork, Beef, Duck, Fish, shrimp, Chicken, Mussels and Crab. We choose to try out Kappa (tapioca) and along with that, I ordered Kari fry (Catfish), Manjakoori curry (yellow Catfish), Chemmeen roast (Shrimp) and Karimeen Fry (Pearl spot fish). My friend Sobin likes vegetarian recipes and hence we have also made an order for a tomato fry. As we were waiting for the food to arrive, we saw a board at the entrance with the writing “Alcohol consumption is injurious to health and drunk driving is punishable”. It’s been addressed to people coming in to have toddy.

Fish curry was awesome and it tastes really well. In fact, the fish curry gravy with Kodampuli (Malabar Tamarind) combines really well with Kappa. The meat of Manjakoori was soft and it felt good with the masala. Among the two fish fry varieties on the table, I found Karimeen Fry tastier than Kari. People should be careful about the bones while having Karimeen as it can cause throat discomfort.

Meanwhile, when I was having the food, I thought I should have accepted the separate plate offered, as it would have made it easy to try out each recipe. Chemmeen roast feels less spicy, the presence of Kodampuli and coconut pieces makes it delicious. I have also tried out some tomato roast to get the taste, it was also really nice as the onion pieces were sauteed well to get the flavour.

Toddy is served in small earthen pots and in Bamboo cylinders, it would be a unique experience for anyone who comes in to have some toddy. There is enough space in front of Vilakkumaram Toddy Shop to park your vehicles. We would have to move in 300m from the road to get to the toddy shop.