Kerala
Connections
Shelagh
Davies stayed in fine style at
the Brunton Boatyard in
Cochin, and at the Coconut
Lagoon in the backwaters of Kerala
near Kumarakom.
My friend "J" and
I have just returned from a trip
to Kerala, the main purpose of which
was to trace tangible memories of
my Scottish grandparents who lived
as one of the tea planter families
in the High Range, part of the Cardamom
Hills in the southern Western Ghats.
We were more than successful, and
the memory of finding my grandfather's
grave among the moss-covered headstones,
surrounded by tall dark trees and
encroached upon by wild bushes and
flowers on the gently sloping hillside
overlooking Christ Church in Munnar,
will endure forever.
Having
filled our hearts in Munnar, we continued
on and enjoyed the rest of our holiday,
this time filling our senses in a
more gastronomic manner - by exploring
a little of Keralan cuisine.
 Our
first culinary experience was at
the Brunton Boatyard Hotel in
Kochi, formerly known as Cochin,
on the evocatively named Malabar
Coast. Steeped in the beguiling
history of an ancient sea-port into
which sailors and traders have entered
from the Arabian Sea over many centuries,
the architecture in Fort Cochin,
where the hotel is located, displays
a fascinating mix of cultures - Portugese,
Dutch, French, Jewish and British
influence evident in an eclectic
mix. Kochi is still a thriving coastal
city of traders and shipping businesses.
As its name would suggest, the Brunton
Boatyard was once a shipyard, sited
in a perfect position looking out
to the Arabian Sea. It is one of
small group of top-quality hotels
which, until only a few weeks ago,
(as explained to us by Mr. Erine
Louis, Manager), were owned by the
Casino Group but now comes under
the acronym of CGH Earth Hotels.
The building created out of the ruins
of the boatyard has been constructed
precisely using authentic local designs
and building materials. The style
is very spacious and traditional
- cool, open spaces, natural materials
and lots of fine wood, with elegant
but simple soft furnishings.
There
is a choice of restaurants, all directed
by Executive Chef Sanjay De. Chef
Sanjay, a man of great passion for
his craft and who still has room
for many other interests, was gracious
enough to help us through the dizzying
list of temptations on the menu of
the History Restaurant. In 2003 he
hosted a ten-day gastronomic event
during which he set out to "lay siege" to
the ancestral and colonial homes
of Kochi in order to discover the
true culinary secrets and influences
of the region. He has successfully
included many of his "conquests" in
the dishes offered, while at the
same time adding samples of many
other types of Indian dishes.
The
Brunton Boatyard
1/498 Fort Cochin
Kochi 682001
email: brunton@vsnl.net
Click
here for Shelagh Davies' review
of the cuisine at The Brunton
Boatyard
The
idyllic charm of The Coconut Lagoon
at Kumarakon
Our second
feast was taken some days afterwards
at the Coconut Lagoon - an
exclusive haven with a unique cultural
heritage, located in the backwaters
of Kerala near Kumarakom. It can
only be reached by boat and the accommodation
is in "Tarawad" cottages.
Our cottage, though traditionally
built of wood and furnished in an
understated but elegant manner, had
welcome air-conditioning in the large
bedroom. Our bathroom, on the other
hand, was a charming surprise. We
opened the door from the cool bedroom
and entered a little walled courtyard
virtually open to the elements. A
large banana tree was growing out
of a little pebble-strewn garden
with the shower in one corner and
the loo and basin in the opposite
corner. It was fun to use the "facilities" after
sunset and watch the stars twinkling
in the sky above. Our cottage overlooked
a backwater and from our verandah
we sat and watched the occasional
wooden canoe punt by and listened
to the birds singing. The grass around
the cottages is quietly munched by "mow" cows
- once they have efficiently trimmed
a part of the lawn, they are led
to the next coconut tree, there to
be tethered once more to continue
their "mowing".
We were
there during the busiest season for
tourists, but in spite of that, the
staff were calm and efficient. The
general manager, Subrahmanian, and
his deputy Dinu always had time to
talk to us and other guests. Our
days were spent either relaxing by
the swimming pool or lying in a hammock
gazing over the vast Vembanad Lake
with its fringe of coconut trees,
and, in the evenings, we enjoyed
dining in the two restaurants within
the resort.
The
Coconut Lagoon
Kumarakom
email: coconutlagoon@vsnl.net
Click
here to read Shelagh's review of
the cuisine at The Coconut Lagoon
Casino
Group Hotels has a useful website
Our trip
to Kerala was seamlessly organised
by Kerala Connections - www.keralaconnect.co.uk
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