Flakes is
a bake house near Chottanikkara, on the Tripunithura-Chottanikkara road. My
visit there was purely not planned. I was on my way back from an exam, with my
friends, when one of them suggested this place.
The
place has average look on the outside, while the interior was a little better. Personally,
I have been to better bake houses. The main part of the building was the
bakery, and there was a partition that separated the bakery from the larger
dining area. I found it a little uncomfortable that all tables could seat only
around 6 people. There weren’t tables for smaller groups and since we were a
group of about 10-11, about 3 of us had to sit separately on this huge table. But
the tables and the dining area in general was pretty clean. The washroom
however was an entirely different story. The water flowed in a very thin and
weak stream and the basins were not cleaned well. This was the only problem
with the cleanliness.
Coming to
service, the waiters were quite polite, but that is not all that matters at the
end of the day. Our order took about half an hour to arrive. We had ordered
food that would usually be ready made at any hotel and yet the delay. But I have
to say, the bills arrived pretty fast.
 |
| Chicken Biryani |
Now coming
to the main part, the Food! I had ordered a plate of Chicken Biryani. I have
had different types of biryani, and I can assure you that the biryani I ate
here was nowhere near even half of the best biryanis that I have ever eaten. The
biryani was not at all hot to point out the first problem (considering that
they took half an hour to bring it out!), but I wouldn’t mind overlooking that
fact. Firstly, the rice used was the ordinary raw rice, rather than the usual
basmati rice that I have seen being used in every other biryani. This rice was
well cooked, but was a little on the dry side. Secondly, the masala, which is
one of the best parts of a biryani, totally lacked the spiciness and flavor that
clearly differentiates a biryani from its look-alike, ‘The Kabsa’. The masala
was so less in quantity when compared to the rice and had not mixed well with
the rice. Finally, the chicken pieces in the biryani, the most important part, weren’t
cooked properly at all. They were fully cooked, but they weren’t allowed to absorb
any of the masala that is present in the biryani. They basically were a bunch
of cooked chicken pieces (2 to be exact) in the biryani. I am more used to
chicken pieces that have been initially fried a little before being added to
the biryani. If not it is supposed to be a ‘Kabsa’. But this dish was nowhere
near that either. Now speaking of the condiments served along with the biryani,
the curd salad served was too runny and was low on salt. There was this thick
chutney (I am guessing it was mango based), that accompanied it. I loved this
chutney and it was the one thing that helped in flavoring the biryani actually.
After a biryani, I also ordered a Chocolate Swiss roll for dessert. It was a
little dry, but then the filling was very creamy. So I actually liked the Swiss
roll. Putting it simply, the dessert was much better than the main course
itself!
Concluding,
I would say that the Flakes, is a better bakery than a restaurant. Also, it is
a little overpriced, because the food doesn’t actually stand up to the quality
that can be availed at such a price. My friends had the same opinions since the
order they had placed too, were a little off on the quality side. The service
could be made faster because slowing the service down and yet serving cold food
is seriously annoying! If you w are hungry and have no other option, you could
go here. But, otherwise I would seriously not recommend this place to anybody,
because much better food and service can be obtain for almost the same rates,
elsewhere.
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