Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | NXg | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Photo: G. Moorthy

Embellished It is exotic; for eyes and taste buds

To play a perfect match to its name, the Bell Jumbo Restaurant near Kochadai is all swathed in red. Once inside this new restaurant in its cool ambience, the dusty roads just outside don’t bother your senses.

It is not only a red gate that beckons every visitor into the restaurant. It first leads you to a red wash basin and then to the food court, where food is served in red plates laid out on red tables and red fans thrown in all around, it indeed strikes the eye.

For children, the gate treads on a different path – to a small playground with colourful swings and slides.

It serves a good purpose as the children are kept happily engaged while the order is getting ready. All the play also makes the children tired that aggravates the appetite.

The menu is essentially divided into four compartments, South and North Indian, Tandoori and Chinese. The lunch time from noon to 3.30 p.m. is essentially meal time while dinner is served between 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian items are available here ranging from soups, to briyani and pulav and from tandoor, rumali and rotis to kebabs, chicken and vegetarian curry, and other fried items.

The three meals are categorised as veg meals for Rs.35, Bombay meals for Rs.45 and diabetic meals for Rs.50. The diabetic meals has a regular menu besides comprising papaya or mixed fruit salad, bitter gourd and other few vegetables, A. Palani, manager says and adds diabetic meals will be served only when the vegetables are available.

Though the variety is widespread, some items move very fast. For instance, the mutton sukka, the diced mutton preparation cooked over a slow fire, American chopsuey that comes as fried noodles topped with a tangy tomato sauce, the golden fried prawns or the Quail masala, a special dish of bell Jumbo.

Equally popular are the grilled chicken, Chinese and tandoori items, saag dopiaza, red chicken curry, mutton with lentils, Goa mutton vindaloo, mutton rogan josh to name a few.

Evenings look exotic here as lights lend an unusual appeal to the red background. The look of the place itself is very tempting and people walk in equal strength whether on a weekday or weekends.

“Our clientele is huge and includes people from all walks of life. Evenings and weekends are particularly dominated by families,” says cashier Rhenius. Many tourists en route Theni, Munnar, Bodi and Thekkady also drop in for a quick grab. The restaurant also extends outdoor catering services for functions.

The spacious parking space in the front and by the side of the restaurant adds to the feel-good factor of vehicle owners. Other notable feature of the hotel is the Halal food that is being served here.

The Jumbo Bell Restaurant’s food court capacity is 500 at any given time. This includes the 75 tables in the air-conditioned hall. “There is no other restaurant in Madurai with such a large seating capacity,” claims Mr. Rhenius.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail