Pondicherry (a.k.a. Puducherry or Pondy), in southeast India, was one of the last stops on my 1-month trip around India. I’d been travelling around with two friends, Tali and Nick, starting from New Delhi and going through Ajanta, Ellora, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Goa, Hampi, Mysore, Munnar, Alleppey and Kochi. I love travelling as much as the next person but there does always come a point where you’re physically quite exhausted from being on the move so much. Sometimes a little rest and relaxation doesn’t go amiss, especially if the temperature outside is over 35 degrees. By this point, T had left us to go back to England for the start of the university term, so N and I were trying to drown the sorrows of losing the third point to our triangle in good food. And lots of it. (Well this wasn’t really the reason but any excuse to overindulge our tastebuds will do… Sorry T xoxo).
Our daily after-dinner conversations often went something like this:
N: “Ok so we’re going to have x for breakfast and y for lunch. What should we have for dinner?”
Me: “Well maybe we should save y for dinner and have z for lunch? Then a for tomorrow’s lunch?”
N: “Hmm… ok so x for breakfast, z for lunch and y for dinner. Then b for breakfast, a for lunch and c for dinner?”
Me: “Sounds like a plan.”
Breakfast, lunch and dinner sorted for the next 48 hours.
Where we stayed in Pondicherry
Pondicherry itself is such a relaxed and colourful place. The houses and architecture in the French Quarter (it’s a former French colony) are clean and well-maintained. We stayed at Aadhaar Guesthouse, run by a French lady called Coco. We paid 375 rupees each for a private room with en-suite (about $6 each). All the furnishing was really quaint and colour-coordinated and there was even a double-decker roof terrace with sunbeds. You could also borrow bicycles to cycle the 5 minutes into busier parts of Pondicherry town (watch out for the packs of stray dogs that become aggressive after sunset). I’d definitely recommend it.
The Meals
A lot of the food options in Pondicherry have French roots. Indeed, there seemed to be more French restaurants than Indian (I love Indian food but it was nice to have some variety after a month of similar dishes). We ate well every meal, apart from at one restaurant called Les Chefs (although it still had a 4.5 rating on TripAdvisor – a website I need to follow less blindly). The enthusiasm and hospitality of the chef was very endearing though, which definitely made up for the actual food on offer. I’d say you should go, if only for the service. I had a grilled prawn dish and the chef came over several times to make sure we were enjoying our meal. I hadn’t had much of the rice served on the side as I wasn’t particularly hungry (and it was quite soggy and oily). I felt bad though and took a few bites when the chef came over to explain that I should pour the ‘lemon herb butter dressing’ over the rice that he had cooked with ‘oregano, black pepper, salt and butter’. Even though it was just white rice soaked in melted butter, the chef eagerly watched me try his creation, visibly relaxing as I gave him an encouraging smile, mouth full with saturated fat and simple carbs. He reminded me of children who play make-believe games, play-acting as chefs and inventing wonderful recipes embellished with foreign-sounding, complicated words. It was really genuine and the service was so attentive that we nodded when they asked for a good review on TripAdvisor, although I didn’t actually plan on writing one. Maybe that’s why the review score was so high.
We were in town for Gandhi’s birthday on the 2nd of October. Perhaps unrelated, we unwittingly stumbled across an elephant chained outside a temple in Pondicherry’s French Quarter (Lakshmi?). It was sad to see her ‘blessing’ people, repeatedly placing her trunk on people’s head in exchange for coins, with giant iron shackles on her feet. The wild elephants we saw on en route to Top Station from Munnar were so much more carefree, chasing each other playfully on the hills.
I digress. Onto the food.
Artika Cafe Gallery – a good breakfast option in Pondicherry for Western food (sandwiches and the like). They do tasty lassis and coffee too, as well as hosting a small collection of artwork in their mini-gallery.
Palais de Mahe – this was our treat-yourself option for dinner. It’s a large hotel with the restaurant on the second floor and a large balcony with several al-fresco tables set up. The cuisine was mostly Indian, with a focus on fresh seafood, and the service was very attentive. We ate here for our last meal in Pondicherry, definitely ending on a high. Don’t forget to order dessert – one of the best desserts I’ve had in India was the brownie with drunken-orange, a rich but tart combination that slowly melts in your mouth and oozes down into your tummy.
Surguru – a solid Indian breakfast option. The masala dosas are delicious and inexpensive, and they serve a large variety of various vegetarian fare. I love a good dosa with plenty of small silver bowls filled with various curries and chutneys. Variety is the spice of life, as they say.
La Villa Helena – another treat-yerself. This time for lunch. Most of the tables were set outside in a large open courtyard and there seemed to be a lot of French expats there, enjoying the food, wine and sun. The food was fresh and you can take a look at the options on offer here.
Cafe Xtasi – yes, in Pondicherry, no, not in Ibiza. Dubious name choice aside, they do decent pizzas (quite large too) if you’re craving some affordable Western food.
Cafe des Arts – to shop or to eat? This cafe-cum-vintage boutique presents this dilemma amidst aesthetically pleasing racks of colour-coordinated clothes and low wooden tables. There are some vintage big-name labels, especially amongst the leather section, that you can snap up for about $70, as well as various books, posters and small trinkets. There’s a little open courtyard too, in addition to the tables inside. The food is good, especially the smoothies and the lassis, and you can get a decent breakfast sandwich here to start the day. It’s a good environment to relax in for a couple hours, or get some work done. I was also very pleased with my purchase of a vintage silk blouse that I found hanging on the rails.
New Banana Cafe – comfortable, relaxed vibes on a rooftop. The food wasn’t outstanding but it was a good place to recharge our batteries before heading out to battle the sun again.
Villa Shanti – we only came here for drinks but were enticed inside by the shady courtyard restaurant and bar set up. Upper levels on the balconies are guest rooms. The drinks were good (a little pricey) but neither N nor I were particularly enticed by the food menu.
[Photo credits to Nick]Feeling hungry? Check out some authentic Keralan recipes here
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