karavalli - the gateway hotel

ambiance :

as you pass through the huge wooden gates , you are welcomed by a lush green garden , tiny waterfall , rustic shades , cool breezy air .

in the midst of this garden is a beautiful bungalow constructed in the traditional architecture of coastal south india .

you have 3 seating arrangements to choose from , in the garden / indoor area with ac / indoor without ac . whichever you choose i am sure you would love the ambiance and the smiling staff will make it more better.
my personal favorite was the gazebo in the garden area.

food:

as you seat in your table , first arrives a bowl filled with jasmine water to clean your hand and another small bowl having organic jaggery to clean your palate . this was so unique ...
the food is served on steel banana-leaf shaped plates covered with real banana leaves (bale ele oota).

we started our elaborate dinner with few coastal nibbles and cocktails to sip in between...

i was the only vegetarian in our group for the day . my friends enjoyed feasting on tiger prawns roast - fresh tiger prawns tossed in kerala spice mix
,, meen eleittad ,koli barthad ,kane kaidina . 
for veg there was pathrode , oggaraneda aritha pundi,pachakkai varuthathu,gobi kempu bezule.

me being from coastal karnataka , was curious to taste the dishes from my region and was skeptical about the taste . but when the food did arrive, i was super impressed by the authenticity of the cuisine they nailed. they tasted exact the way our grannys used to make which is a rare in restaurant style cooking .each dish offered a range of flavours that never failed to surprise .

the chef naren thimmaiah was happy to hear this and revealed the secret that chef's were actually sent to the kitchens of traditional homes to learn the authentic recipes from the place of origin.even the spices , raw material,herbs etc are sourced from the native region to maintain the authenticity . many dish was cooked on wood fire to retain the original taste and mechanized stone grinders have been added to preserve the robust flavors of the coconut rich masalas , which can be easily damaged by the high heat of mixes . hats off to the chef !!

for the main course, it was

allapuzha meen curry ,kozhi malliperlan,attirachy ularthu,mavinakayi mensukkai ,pachakkari stew ,urullakkizhangu roast,
the curries were served with a choice of malabar paratha, aapam, idiappam or plain steamed rice 
last but not the least was dessert . we were served
bibinca ,dodol 
elaneer payasam:, banana and caramel ice cream - 
each dessert was so unique , not overtly sweet or overpowering — a nice finish to a lovely meal ..
with great food, warm service, homely atmosphere and a rustic décor, karavalli is certainly worth a visit. i will surely recommend the gateway karavalli for your next dining experience.

i enjoyed the coastal cuisine served here. being from goa this cuisine was close to my heart. i enjoyed each and every moment spent here and the staff also treated us with extreme importance.

the ambiance was that of outdoor, indoor without ac and royal setting with ac. the with ac section looked extremely royal and you should dine there for a fine dining experience.

the food was served on brass plates covered with banana leaves. this totally made the food being served in traditional way.

do try tiger prawn roast. kane kaidina ( ladyfish fried) and seer fish curry were absolutely delicious. also the black pomfret pan fried in banana leaf was absolutely delicious.
the veg food was also good, but i loved the non-veg more.
the appams and idiapams were equally awesome.

malabar parathas were also good but i loved the appams. 
the cocktails and mocktails are good too. try the karavalli special cocktails here.

bebinca and dodol were just like that made in goa and eleneer payasam was just good. 
in the end we were served with banana caramel ice-cream and it was absolutely delicious.

i love my sea food and have always been in lookout for places which can help satiate my taste buds which crave for the fish and crabs. more so, being from north india i miss the authentic south indian sea food, but this was one place which satisfied the foodie in me completely. scrumptious food, stellar service and great ambiance. great hospitality too.

i'm recommending the gateway karavalli for your next dinning option. the food is authentic coastal cruise for sure.  

ambiance is wonderful feels like i've visited an old magalorean bungalow...seating options are also quite good gazebo seating, semi indoor and grand dinning. service was awesome...

my picks from the grand menu was drinks kariveppila sip cocktail, starters tiger prawns roast, oggaraneda aritha pundi,  koli barthad, curry kozhi malliperlan, allapuzha meen curry, pachakari stew, urullakkizhangu roast served with paratha, appam and idiappam, desserts bebinca banana icecream...

when you walk into a fancy restaurant it's a given that you will come back light on your wallet. it's also a given that the staff will be courteous and the decor will be good.

while karavalli checks out on all the above points, what disappoints is the food. i visited the place after many years and frankly can't remember when i visited last but i sure was looking forward to it.

what we had:

1. meen pollichathu - this was supposed be the famous karimeen you get throughout kerala, a full fish but for reasons best known it was served as fillets, 2 small pieces covered in a whole lot of masala cooked in banana leaves. it could have been any fish. not impressed.

2. the waiter suggested we have the fish curry and appam's next. the fish curry was nothing but red chilli powder and salt cooked into a thick-ish gravy with cube sized chunks of fish thrown it. i suspect the fish had just been thawed/boiled and thrown in as there was absolutely no taste. we avoided the fish and made do with just the gravy to get though. there is no point talking about the appams as they tend to be the same in most places.

the only saving grace was a cup of rasam brought to us in the end.

not sure if the restaurant caters only to overseas travellers but they really need to step up the quality of food. its a pity how sub standard food is passed off in such fancy overpriced places. it's cheaper driving down to kerala and grabbing a bite and driving back than being let down in your backyard.

think coastal fish dishes.. think karavalli.. the food texture and aroma is class apart. the ambience very old world ethnic. love the place. the waiters are well behaved and their suggestions with orderinng are always great!

being a vegetarian most people get surprised when i rate this restaurant very highly. the avial and pachakari stew are probably the best in bangalore. the service as always outstanding and courteous.

ask a bangalore foodie to recommend great places to eat fish, and the name karavalli is sure to come up. so here's my outsider take on it.

located behind (and is part of) taj gateway on residency road, this iconic restaurant sets the bar of expectations high from the moment you approach it at night. soft ambient lighting and an old-world, no-frills outdoor setting greets you, along with smiling happy staff. you can sit inside or outside, and we chose the latter, even the air conditioned insides seemed classier and more comfortable.

the food is served on steel banana-leaf shaped plates covered with real banana leaves. excellent idea, well appreciated!
 
decor and ambience: 4/5

the staff is friendly and well versed in the nuances of the dishes on offer, and the guy who took our order (boopathi) really seemed passionate about the dishes and what we should order. so besides insisting we want 1 crab curry, 1 fish curry, 1 prawns dish and one vegetable with appams and rice, we left the choice to him. and his suggestions were perfect. almost.

service and staff: 4/5

the taste of the food was different from what i’ve usually had from south india, so am assuming tastes are very different from the usual mangalore, kerala and chettinad cuisines.

i imagine cauliflower isn’t a favourite in this part of the country - because the recommended gobi kempu bezule was a disaster! dry, chewy and over-fried, it was tasteless and inedible. i would recommend you avoid this dish completely.

the second recommended dish was tiger prawn roast with appams. the prawns were large and the dish overall was delicious! the downside is that the appams were slow to arrive and that was a damper in what could have been a perfect prawn experience. i recommend you tell the staff to bring appams along with the dish, and 2-3 at a time, not in a slow sequence :-/

the karavalli crab curry was 1 of 2 dishes in our main course. the mud crabs were succulent, delicious and well priced at 1400 per serving. but the staff should have warned us that the curry was sweetish, because for crab-lovers like me, the sweetness killed the flavour of the crab itself. note: i personally prefer a contrasting spicy flavour that enhances the crab taste, instead of subduing it. so i won’t recommend this to those who love their crab hearty and stand out in taste.

the second main course dish we ordered was the allapuza meen curry - aka local fish curry. this to me was the most delicious of the lot, and went great with appams and steamed rice! note, highly recommended, but ask chef balachandran to make sure the pieces remain succulent, coz this river fish can get quite dry if not cooked for the right amount of time.

speaking of chef balachandran - must point out he seems passionate about his food and his job, and went around the tables enquiring about what we felt - even though he seems extremely shy. at the end of our meal, when we told him we weren’t ordering dessert, he insisted and gave us complimentary and delicious - banana and caramel, homestyle ice-cream! i highly recommend you order this when you go there.

food quantity: 3/5 
food taste: 4/5

in summary, ask more about the flavours of the dishes before you agree on recommendations. overall, i’d give the restaurant 4 on 5

great ambiance- check
gracious service- check
food that makes you wanting for more- double check

being a thorough kerala food lover, i was initially skeptical about dining in a place outside of kerala that serves the cuisine! 
but when the food did arrive, i was super impressed by the authenticity of the cuisine they nailed. 

if you have a big pocket and a big tummy and a loving for kerala cuisine, this is one of the places to definitely dine in. !

amazing food, ambience and service. - pomfret in banana leaf is a must try.  the seafood in general is spectacular.  on the pricer side - but worth every penny.

the garden of this restaurant is lovely with oodles of old world charm. the service matches the ambiance with smiling, courteous staff.

the food was a major disappointment, we showed up with great expectations after all the hype and they were not met. the tiger prawns were fresh but the masala was not tasty, the fish in banana leaf and tava fry were good, the crab meat and octopus sukka were inedible. we spoke to the chef after the starters and he apologized very sincerely, offered to bring us other specialties of the house and suggested choices. again, ok but not great. they shaved a huge chunk off our bill for the dishes we really didn't like.

wish i could rate this place higher because the experience and staff were awesome but the food was not. also, don't have the house cocktails, terrible!

fantastic restaurant and real nice staff. fish pollichathu boneless, koorg special chicken pepper fry and allepey prawn are must try.
the wine collection is also worth mentioning.
amazing food. authentic malabar, mangalore and going food.

i was welcomed with a surprise cake for the anniversary which they made during our time in restaurant. wonderful experience.

loved the ambience, south indian dishes especially good place for vegetarians

seldom have i gone to a restaurant two nights in a row while visiting a city.  i did that at karavali last week. quite simply a delightful place, a culinary journey from terecol to trivandrum. we were guided by omprakash (the restaurant manager) who is an impeccable host. the raw mango, fenugreek and curry leaves bought out the best in fish. then a medley of succulent meat with goan & mangalorean spices. we ended the evening with a combination of freshly made bebinca and ada-payasam.

kudos to suresh the gm of taj gateway, and thimayya (chef), who treat guests with old world hospitality. will keep coming back..

there ought to be umpteen reasons why karavalli has been touted as one of the must-visits in bangalore.

fortunately i did find one - it has a beautiful landscape! :d

we had some prawns curry and mushroom, both obviously cooked in coconut milk. and to go with this, some kerala parathas.

so, here's the thing. glistening knives and fork on a plantain maketh no sense to me. i must mention the complimentary rasam, the best of the day.

if you do feel fancy and want to impress upon mangalorean or kerala cuisine, you could consider this. food definitely is good, however prolly won't be on my must visit list.

vfm - burn.

(i should make that list pretty soon!)