This 50-year-old-eatery in Thiruvananthapuram serves four varieties of gruel

A symphony of temple bells and nadaswaram rang out briefly as I stepped into Sree Guruvayoorappan Hotel at Gandhari Amman Kovil Junction, near Pulimoodu in Thiruvananthapuram. Fairy lights adorned the eatery’s signboard, with a few cascading down the orange walls of the restaurant, which was established in 1976.

Inside, the gentle clatter of steel spoons scooping up steaming bowls of kanji in varying shades echoed through the space as they struck metal plates. The restaurant serves an array of gruels made with chamba rice, wheat, millets, and black rice sourced from Odisha, each accompanied by cherupayar (green gram) thoran, pickle, toasted pappadam (chutta pappadam), and coconut chutney. Crispy fried fish can also be spotted on some tables.

“When achan (father) started the hotel, there weren’t many places in this area that served kanji. We wanted to offer something homely, and that’s how kanji became part of our menu,” says Rajeev Parameswaran Nair, who now runs the restaurant alongside his father, Parameswaran Nair.

Chamba rice kanji was introduced first. “We have a secret preparation for the thoran and chutney,” says Rajeev.

Around two years ago, the kanji varieties with black rice, millet and wheat were introduced. “The trend today is entirely different to what it used to be when we opened. The customers dictate what must be served at a restaurant,” he says.

The eatery serves around 200 portions of kanji every day from 6 pm to 10 pm. Chamba, the popular variety, costs ₹60 per plate, while the others are priced ₹80 for a plate. The kanjis are available on food delivery apps as well.

“Usually, it is the health-conscious who opt for kanji, but we also see parents bringing their children here just to experience it. They seem to enjoy it as well, especially since we offer varieties that are not typically made at home,” says Rajeev.

The restaurant also serves different varieties of puttu, including multigrain, wheat, ragi, corn, oats and so on

The menu also features a selection of snacks, including vada, pazhampori (banana fritters), ela ada, and various types of bajji (fritters), with recent additions such as pineapple bajji and rusk bajji. “A rusk bajji is better than a bread-based version because the rusk remains crisp throughout and does not expand when dipped in batter,” explains Rajeev.

Another intriguing addition is the egg kulfi, made by pouring whisked egg into cylindrical moulds coated with oil. As the egg cooks, it slowly rises within the mould, and once ready, it is lifted out using a wooden ice cream spoon, giving it the appearance of kulfi. A sprinkle of peri peri seasoning is added on top for extra flavour.

Decades of legacy

Parameswaran used to run the canteen at the Government Secretariat and later at the Government Industrial Training Institute at Chakka, before opening the hotel. He also ran another restaurant in the locality. However, all these ventures flopped, remembers Parameswaran. “That’s when I opened Sree Guruvayoorappan Hotel. I wanted to do better in the field I failed in,” he says.

Among Parameswaran’s prestigious customers was former president late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, while he was working at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre till 1982. Kalam stayed at the Indra Bhavan Lodge in Pulimoodu and used to have breakfast and dinner from the hotel. “He would have two chapatis or appams and some milk and leave in a rush. He was always busy, so he used to stand and eat,” says Parameswaran.

Among the hotel’s frequent visitors are politicians, artists, and musicians, among others.

The pilot of Munshi, a political satire television show running for the past 25 years was conceived at the hotel by its director Anil Banerjee, claims Rajeev. “This is my family business. It has a lot of legacy. Wherever we go, we see someone who has been to our shop,” adds Rajeev, employed with an MNC.

“The shop has been going the same way for the past 50 years and it has never been about just making money. It gave me enough to raise my children,” says Parameswaran.