Artist and sustainable consultant Ambika Balraj turns to Kerala’s seaside city for inspiration, where history, art and diverse flavours are woven into daily life
Though I was born in Chennai and grew up in Delhi, both my parents hail from Kerala, and we would pay a visit every summer. Around 2021, my husband and I packed up our house and moved to Kochi.
While I’m still a sustainability consultant, Kochi constantly inspires my work as an artist specialising in traditional Indian art forms, especially Kerala mural painting. In Kochi, art is everywhere, and you try to understand where it all comes from.
Art meets everyday life
There’s a big art scene right now. Many local artists use their work to talk about the larger society, which is interesting as a creative person, to really see the different ways people represent themselves and what’s happening in Kerala and the world.
You’ll see part-gallery, part-café spaces where local artists display their work, like David Hall in Fort Kochi (1/264 Napier St; @davidhallartgallery_cghearth). While they do great desserts and brunch, I love it because you can just sit, draw, chat with artists, and be around people who encourage art. At most of these places, the food is decent, the coffee is great, but the conversations are even better.
The Kochi-Muziris Biennale (kochimuzirisbiennale.org) has brought global attention to this city and has given local artists a platform. And Fort Kochi truly comes alive when the biennale is on. Outside the fort, there’s this cute hub in Panampilly Nagar with new-age, funky fashion and I love the small-batch silk organza sarees at the boutique Itiha (56/3274A Main Ave; itiha.co.in). It’s almost like you’re walking into someone’s house, and they’ll drape the sarees for you.
Local flavour
For me, food is a huge part of my life. Luckily, it’s hard to find a place that doesn’t have good food here because it won’t sell. Traditional food doesn’t always look pretty, but it always tastes good. One restaurant I really love but people don’t seem to talk about is Grand Entree (Chalikkavattom, Vytilla; grandentree.in). They roll out a table filled with seafood, so the whole family can enjoy it, and it’s insanely affordable.
My go-to is Karthiyayini (14/407 Kundannoor – Willingdon Island Rd; @karthiyayini.kochi) for a simple lunch: rice with sambar (lentil-vegetable stew), one or two vegetables and fish curry served on a banana leaf. Over in the northern suburb Aluva, Sulthan Veedu (17/136 Choornikkara; sulthanveedu.in) does mouthwatering chatti choru, a rustic meal served in a clay pot that demands you to get messy with mixed rice, curries, veggies, pickles and fish or meat. There’s so much flavour packed in there and you need to mix everything together with your fingers.
Global gastronomy
I see a lot of young kids who learned their craft overseas returning to Kochi. The food scene is growing and now everyone wants to know more about other cuisines. I love Café De Bangkok (54/1285 MP Pylee Rd; @cafedebangkok.kochi) for their lobster, and they organise Thai festivals and Korean bingsu parties.
I’ve also discovered this amazing Portuguese grill house called Rochas Café (Kakkanad Pallikara Rd; @rochascafenbistro), which blends ancestral heritage and modern culinary practices. Chef Zerita Rocha makes her own beef brisket. Just remember to pre-order because smoked meat takes time.
