Lunch buffet at Kokum

I dont think a lot of people have heard of Kokum yet. Its an upscale south Indian style fine dining restaurant located in Viman Nagar.I have been there a few times for their weekday lunch buffets and have come away quite satisfied with the experience. Not that I am terribly fond of Andhra or Tamil style of cooking, but at least the buffet at Kokum allows you to sample some of the best dishes that the south of India can offer. Priced at Rs.275 for the weekday lunch, this buffet is definitely value for money.

One of the things that draws me to this place is the ambience. The wood and dark green colour theme with the traditional lamps at the centre give a very comfortable and soothing feel to the restaurant. After you load your first plate with some typical appetisers from the south like chicken or fish fry and dry mutton and fill your soup bowls with crabmeat soup or whatever are the soups of the day, you can sit back and relax in the cool atmosphere. There arent too many starters or salads to spoil your appetite and you can start off on the main course in your second round to the buffet.

I am not well versed with the south Indian names of the dishes on offer, but I was told by a good friend of mine who is knowledgable in this style of cuisine, that the main course includes dishes from all the southern states. Fortunately, the staff is there to guide you through the buffet if required and the English descriptions are also written below each dish. I have never sampled the veg courses here as I am not too fond of them especially cooked in south Indian style. However the chicken, fish and mutton dishes in the buffet have always been very well cooked and the taste has been to my liking. Typical of the cuisine, they are a little spicy, but if you enjoy spicy food, you will love these. The dessert section is not very vast unlike some other buffets, but all the desserts are worth trying. Again I am not fond of the payasam, but the chocolate balls, butterscotch pastries, fruit salad and the tastiest vanilla ice-cream I have ever had is a very satisfying end to the buffet.

I have never tried a la carte here as the dishes seem to be expensively priced, but I am inclined to try that the next time I go. Or I would love to try their dinner thalis sometime which are also very good I am told. All in all, Kokum is not a place which I would frequently visit as I am not terribly fond of south Indian cooking, but the lunch buffet is worth a visit if you want to experiment or try out something new, at a comparatively low cost.