IN REVIEW

ISLAND HOMESTAY, COORG – AN OFFBEAT STAY NEAR MADIKERI

By Jade Dsa Images by Jade Dsa

This monsoon season, I visited Coorg and stayed at 3 properties during my 8-day trip – the first of which was Island Homestay. After an 8-hour drive from Goa to Coorg, I was looking forward to a couple of days soaking in the silence, and this little Airbnb, which is situated in Napoklu, ticked all the boxes. Incidentally, this work-cation in Coorg was my first getaway since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

ABOUT ISLAND HOMESTAY If you haven ’t been to Coorg before (it was my first time, too), you may not know that here, accommodation is all about the homestays. There are 400 registered homestays in Coorg (and thousands of unregistered ones), along with a dozen or so hotels. Staying in a homestay or an Airbnb in Coorg is not only value for money, but gives travellers a chance to experience Kodava hospitality, try authentic Kodava cuisine and live like a local, surrounded by coffee plantations. The Island Homestay guesthouse is a quaint little space located along the banks of the river Kaveri. The property retains a very organic and simple look to offer you the real feel of living in Coorg. It introduces guests to an exclusive experience of living in nature ’ s company. Tucked away in a quiet corner, the serene homestay is an ideal location if you are looking to indulge in a basic and simple living experience. The hosts go out of their way to make you feel comfortable, which is always such a heart-warming part of staying at homestays like these. HOW TO REACH The Island Homestay in Coorg is about 50 km from the Kannur Airport and you can easily find your way there via a cab, although it is best to travel via a self-drive car in Coorg. It is about 22 kms from Madikeri – which is the city center, and the road leading towards the homestay tapers into one riddled with potholes, so you truly feel like you ’ re going offgrid. What sets the Island Homestay Guest House apart is its location – on an island, away from any urban or modern distractions. The island is surrounded on all sides by the river, except for

one portion where your vehicle enters. You can go kayaking in the folds of the majestic Kaveri, swimming in the river, or hiking on the island. ABOUT THE PROPERTY If you are looking for a rustic escape from your fast-paced city life or a holiday on a budget, you ’d like this property in Napoklu, Coorg. Most of the property is covered by forests and you will always have the water a few meters away. For guests, a simple BBQ area by the river offers space to sit out in the open, weatherpermitting. Adjacent to the two bedrooms on the property is a small lounge area that holds a table, a TV, and a few pieces of decor. This is where you ’ll have your meals, converse, work, watch TV, play games – and generally spend all your time. The stay is best suited to backpackers, nature-lovers, bachelors, and young adults traveling in a group. Whether you ’d like to party all night, play music or watch a movie, you have the place to yourself to do what you enjoy. THE ROOMS There are only 2 rooms at The Island Homestay and even if you are one or two travellers who wish to occupy only one room, they block both rooms so that you can truly enjoy your privacy on the property. The rooms are pretty bare –with only a bed on one side and a mattress on the floor on the other side. Replacing the mattress on the floor with something more functional such as a cupboard, work table or couch would make the room much homier. THINGS TO DO ON THE PROPERTY While I’ ve already touched upon the fact that you can go kayaking and swimming during your stay at Island Homestay, there ’ s a bit more you can plan to do. The owner takes guests on a short jeep ride through the jungles and coffee plantation to another part of the island, from where you can sit on the river banks. If the sky is clear, you can enjoy hours sitting on the banks of the Kaveri, basking in the beauty of nature. The bliss of disconnecting from work and focusing on your own needs is incomparable. Listen to the sound of birds, feel the water touch your toes or just let the cold breeze invigorate you as you relax with a book For those who work when they travel, I should caution that the network here is not the best. During my stay, the phone network (both mobile network and data) would mysteriously turn off every day at 10 PM due to an issue with the mobile tower nearby. There is Wi-Fi on the property which works fairly well during the day, and there are also certain spots on the property where you can be assured of phone signal to make or receive work calls. THE FOOD We were well taken care of by Santosh (the caretaker) and his wife (the cook) who ensured we were fed well from breakfast through to dinner. From chai and dosas to biryani, and from evening snacks to Coorg ’ s famous Pandi Curry and Baimbale (Bamboo Shoot Vegetable), we enjoyed our homely meals cooked on the property. Being a homestay, you will need to inform the caretaker of what you would like for your next meal in advance and you will have your meals cooked to your tastes.

MAMA MISO - A PREMIUM PAN ASIAN DINING EXPERIENCE

By FNH TEAM Images by MAMA MISO

Mama Miso brings Pan Asian food to the coastlines of Goa giving the natives as well as the tourists and travellers of Goa a unique and enthralling dining experience. Serving a delectable selection of dishes, greatly inspired by the Asian street-food culture, Mama Miso will take you on a whole new culinary adventure like never before.

Enjoying an Asian beer or a Sake after a day full of exploring the beaches and streets of South Goa is as good as it can get! Their Tea Bar also showcases a variety of teas and coffees, along with classic Asian drinks as well as whimsical cocktails like the Asian Pearl Mule, Bees and Flowers, the Umami Mary, and many more such drinks, making sure there ’ s something for everyone. The Live Kitchen is one among its many interesting features. This culinary art form where the customers can watch as their food is being prepared and also interact with the chefs makes for a very intimate dining experience. Mama Miso offers multiple seating areas for every mood, from a beautiful garden seating that makes for the ultimate spot to dine al fresco to a deck that gives you a stunning view and of course the classic indoor seating, coated in pastel pink makes for a warm and serene atmosphere to peacefully enjoy your meal. With dishes like Rock Shrimp Tempura, Crispy Chilly Lotus, ButterGarlic Miso

Lobster, and many such mouthwatering options, you are going to be spoilt for choices. Mama Miso will find its way to the traveler ’ s itinerary with its handcrafted offerings. It’ s trendy, it’ s chic, it’ s fun modern Asian dining, removing the frills but keeping the thrills of delicious authentic dim sum, sushi, and small plates, setting an all-new benchmark for Asian Dining in South Goa. Mama Miso has beautifully brought together Chinese simplicity along with Japanese aesthetics, merging to create the perfect space, made even better with scrumptious food and a welcoming and comfy ambiance to soothe and recharge your stomach and your soul.

GOOD TIMES WITH SALUD- GREAT FOOD, GREAT DRINKS, GREAT VIEWS!

By Aditi Malhotra Images by Armaan Malhotra

Salud is a Spanish expression of wishing good to one another, especially before drinking. But this Salud is full of goodness all along.

If you are looking for a beach facing restaurant and lounge to relax by and enjoy good food, Salud is the name. And if you are looking to have a fun time and dance the night away, Salud still is the name. A perfect hangout place overlooking the Arabian Sea from the Vagator Cliff, Salud not just offers mesmerizing views during the daytime, but also serves a delectable spread of global cuisine. While the vibe during the daytime is pretty chilled out, it changes to a happening party spot by the night where you can let your hair down. The center area in front of the stage is literally huge and can accommodate quite a few people dancing to the tunes of their DJ. It’ s absolutely clutter free, and I loved the way they have placed their furniture on one side along with the bar, while keeping the whole of the center and other side absolutely open. The outdoor seating too is comfortably placed with no tables clinging on to each other and giving you a sense of privacy even in the vastness of the place. With this balanced approach, Salud becomes a great place to spend some amazing time with family and friends anytime of the day. I visited it for a sundowner, and I don ’t think, the words can properly justify the views, the breeze and the overall ambience that I experienced. We seated ourselves on a table which was directly facing the seaside and trust me I can look at this kind of a scenery all day without getting bored. And when you have great food for company, what else can you ask for? Coming to food, their menu serves a great selection of global cuisine, with Italian, Asian, Continental, and Indian cuisines finding a prominent place, there is something for everyone. They don ’t use a physical menu

anymore and you must scan through the menu via a QR code and place your orders. For starters we order a chilly paneer, chicken tikka and chicken seekh kebabs. The chilly paneer was super delicious and absolutely on point with its spiciness. We liked it so much that we thought of trying the chicken version too and hence ordered a chilly chicken as well. That too turned out to be great. The chicken seekh kebabs were well made and you instantly can make out that they were prepared in house from the scratch. The chicken tikka was a little undercooked and we had to send it back but I have to say that it did look delicious enough. Coming to mains, we ordered chilly garlic noodles, grilled fish and a portion of paneer lababdar with tandoori rotis. The chilly garlic noodles were beautiful, they felt like love in each bite. And given the fact that noodles are my favourite food, and I don ’t generally like them everywhere, these were amazing. They somehow gave me a very homely feel to it rather than that of being prepared at a restaurant. The grilled fish with a delicious lemon butter sauce, a side of grilled veggies, mashed potatoes and rice was a complete meal in itself and is definitely worth it. The fish was beautifully cooked and the sauce was just perfect. It indeed made for the kind of dish that I absolutely love. Coming to the winner dish of the evening, it was the paneer lababdar. I have to admit that I haven ’t eaten a better one in a long long time. It was perfectly spiced, the paneer cubes were soft and the best part, it actually had a great quantity of paneer. Mostly restaurants serve paneer in a very limited quantity, and one is usually left with more gravy than paneer, but this one was really balanced. It has a good portion size of both the gravy and paneer. Combined with hot and crisp tandoori rotis, it made for a soul satisfying meal. A special mention for the warm hospitality at Salud, each of their member ensures that you have a comfortable and memorable time. From greeting you with a smile, to being dedicated to serve, the services of the staff at Salud are commendable. So don ’t wait much, if you haven ’t been to Salud yet, this article is the only signal you need. I am sure you will have as pleasant experience as I did.