Calicut Notebook – Too Much Hoopla?

What do you generally do when amidst your shopping stroll, you are hit by serious hunger pangs, are craving for sea food and spot a Malabar restaurant right next to the building you are shopping in? We were buying clothes for Little A a few weeks ago and decided to dine at Calicut Notebook in Al Qusais since we were in no mood to drive to Karama or Bur Dubai where our usual dinners take place on the weekends. At the same place where Calicut Notebook stands now, stood Bay Leaf restaurant which was our usual hangout place, especially for their inexpensive lunch buffets.

As I was making my way inside the restaurant I noticed a huge crowd (mostly Keralites) outside already waiting  for their names to be called out. Noticing the amount of people and hustling bustling of waiters with plates in their hands got me curious and hungry at the same time. The sever taking the reservations looked perplexed, tired and inattentive and I almost had to shout him my name and the kind of table I preferred but by the blank look on his face I sensed he didn’t seem to understand what I spoke. Luckily, there was another well-dressed gentleman at the counter who assured me that I will be called within 20 minutes. I left from that noisy situation very uncertain about what’s in store but still hoping the food at Calicut Notebook delivers as much of a taste as the popularity it has gained amongst the masses.

We got a table after 30 minutes and as I seated Little A on the high chair, the ambience and interior reminded me a lot of Bay Leaf. There were a few changes here and there but most of the sitting arrangement and decor remained intact including their attractive fish aquarium which is a big hit with all the children. We couldn’t wait to dig in! First came their complimentary water melon juice and Chira salad that had diced cucumbers, capsicum, carrots, olives, beans, corn, chickpeas and mint mixed in lime and seasoned with salt and pepper.It went down our  hungry stomachs as quickly as possible while we still struggled our way through their menu. The menu is thoughtfully categorised but a bit difficult for non malbaris (like us) to understand. A server came to our tables and was of no help. Since our tummies couldn’t stop growling, we ordered for Chicken Pandanas (because it’s photo on the menu excited us) and a combination of fish starters – Blanket Fish Pallet and Fish Fillet Ilayil Tawa.
Chicken Pandanas arrived first and the look of it started enticing our taste buds. It is basically a fusion of Thai chicken dish marinated in concoction of seasonings and spices hinting the flavors of Malabar; then wrapped in special pandan leaves and deep fried. It was fancily knotted and the chicken inside delivered the promise it made. The chilly vinegar sauce was a perfect companion to the super tender chicken.

Next came in our fish combo. Blanket Fish Pallet was a stuffed roll of fish fillet marinated in yoghurt and spices. It tasted heavenly but was a bit dry to our mouths. When we asked the server to bring green chutney to our table, he turned us  down saying they don’t make chutneys in their kitchen which I felt was very unusual for a South Indian restaurant. It would have otherwise accompanied Blanket Fish excellently.

Fish Fillet Ilayil tawa is a spicy marinated fish fillet grill wrapped and served in banana leaves. The leaf splendidly accentuated the flavors in the fish and as we unwrapped the leaves, we were hit by an aroma that made our hungry tummies moan more louder. The fish was soft and juicy. We, husband and wife, are big fans of pomfret and were a bit disappointed when we were told it was not available but hammour served in the fish combos satiated our greedy souls.

We still had to order main course and were very indecisive because it was very challenging to communicate with our server. We asked him to bring us Mulakittathu but he discouraged us saying it is very spicy. That way he almost kept saying no to every gravy dish we wanted to

order claiming we wouldn’t like it since it was made in typical Malbari style. Weren’t we there to taste the authentic Malbari cuisine? At one point he literally tested our patience and we finally left it on him to provide us a fish curry that paired with Appam. While we still waited for our main course to arrive, we were amazed the rate at which people kept walking in the restaurant even at 11 pm. And when the gravy arrived we were mighty impressed with his choice. When asked for the name of the gravy, he just explained to us it was a classic fish curry made in coconut milk and blended in Indian spices in typical Malbari style. The curry was spicy, well flavoured and the fish was cooked to perfection that paired well with sweet appams.

We also ordered for Chinese Chicken Noodles for Little A which was nothing but an Indo-Chinese dish that was enjoyed to the core by little noodle-lover.

We were delightfully pleased with the food that we ate at Calicut Notebook – good food priced reasonably; but what did not impress us was their service and maintenance. The table that we were offered was near to the kitchen and the staff would come to dump in the used steel spoons and forks in a big bowl;4. The loud tingling sound of steel while chewing the delicious food didn’t go down too well for us. Also, the restaurant needs to up their service and hygienic standards – servers weren’t keen or took initiative to explain to the non keralites like us what the dishes are all about; the area near the kitchen was not clean, whole restaurant was poorly air conditioned and also the bathroom’s floor was wet and had used tissues lying all around.

So if you are going to Calicut Notebook, go for their food and not for the ambiance. When you are finally there don’t expect a romantic atmosphere that you would otherwise prefer on a date night because this place is noisy and bustling with people, mainly on weekends. Since it is so close to my house, I may go there again but on a weekday.

Calicut Notebook on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CalicutNotebookRestaurant