2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
A five-star tea stall in Kerala capital
As the rain pours down, who doesn't love gobbling up hot, fried snacks and a cup of strong, steaming tea? The Hyatt Residency'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.
