Around My Kochi!: August 2014

Teapot – Fort Kochi

The Best Tea-place in Kochi!

Commentary & Photos by – Lt Col D Purushothaman Pillay (Retd)

This simplistic cafe with a unique retro-feel is tucked away in a quiet corner of a silent by-lane, in the labyrinth of streets that abound the historical Fort Kochi streetscape. This double-vaulted, quaint tea-themed cafe

is a throwback to the colonial times. It is also an absolute photographer’s delight. Starting with those little wooden boards with multi-coloured chalk inscriptions, talking about the fare for the day, placed along the adjoining street, against a wall alive with a creeping leafy green growth.

The two simple yet elegant entry-exit doorways are skirted with an extension of the intricate olive green leafed creepers climbing the walls.

Lying adjacent, is a cute window adorning brown latticework cane,

that when shut, would hide its unique violet glass rods, that affords a fluorescent violaceous glisten, as the sunlight filters through them.

On crossing the threshold one is welcomed into an airy, copious, high-ceilinged, red slanting, tile-roofed space, built with warm, deep yellow walls that display many interesting tea-related black & white pictures,

a few clocks and some wall-perches and recesses decked with other precious memorabilia. There is also a wooden staircase, that leads up to an elevated mezzanine level, which affords more privacy and a different view of the setting.

There are transparent glass tiles embedded amid the majority red tiles that allow cascades of sunshine, that bathe the cafe is a warm glow.

A white wooden side-board holding teapots aplenty with some interesting tea-related reading and the several stepped galleries of teapots,

organised in the many nooks and crannies of the eatery, complete the charming ambience of decrepit daintiness. The fascinating collection of the captivating teapots, come from different countries of origin, in a variety of shapes, in varying sizes, clad in multiple colours and made from miscellaneous types of materials ranging from the regular ceramic to the more uncommon bamboo, cane, wood, coconut shell, iron, copper, silver, enamel, brass among other metals. The many pots that randomly dangle, suspended from long hooks attached to the wooden tiling framework, in a whimsically outlandish manner, add beauty and character, to both the look and feel of this place.

Leaf tea in cute teapots with accompanying jugs of milk served on the converted tea-chest tables,

with its neat white scalloped paper placemats and red-leather seats or that large glass-top inverted tea bush in the central space with black bentwood seating,

is an experience one would not forget in a hurry. Among the various teas on offer, jasmine, white tips, cardamom, masala chai, and green tea

are great options. The teas are best savoured with their selection of orange cake, waffles or cheesecakes. For people more famished, their grilled chicken sandwich or cheese omelettes are the more substantial choices that I would personally recommend.

If tea is not your preferred beverage, the ginger-lime soda, is something very refreshing as an alternative. The best part of the deal is that all these indulgences come at a very fair price that doesn’t bore a hole in one’s pocket. I have seen a lot of people who sit for hours, sipping their many cups of tea and catching up on their holiday reading.

Mr Sanjay, a most dignified, tall and polite presence, who manages the day to day affairs, ensures prompt attention from a courteous staff on arrival. Thereafter, he has also trained the staff to respect privacy and provide a discreet and unobtrusive on-call service to the patrons, who may wish to remain undisturbed.

This cute eatery with an aura imbued with an alluring shabby chic, is the place to go, if one wants to relish an unhurried cup of tea in a pleasant relaxing ambience. For us as a family, this is a regular port of call, every time we venture into that side of the neck of the woods. ‘Teapot’ is a definite must-do, when one goes to Fort Kochi.