Hortus

We’re shifting geography a bit – to the Queen of the Arabian Sea – Cochin. Hortus is located on the third floor of The Avenue Center Hotel in Panampilly Nagar. Think of the area as Cochin’s version of a love child of Indiranagar (which has a past, and still tries to fight commercial infiltration), and Koramangala (which is increasingly looking like the future). Houses and fancy eateries continue to coexist in a tense standoff. But let’s digress a bit more before we think of digest.

A quick history lesson on the name. It is named after Hortus Malabaricus, a a 17th-century botanical treatise published during 1678-1693 on the medicinal properties of flora of the Malabar coast. Authored by Hendrik van Rheede (the then Dutch Governor of Malabar), Itty Achuthan (a herbalist and Ayurveda physician), Ranga and Appu Bhat and Vinayaka Pandit . The drinks at Hortus are based on ingredients mentioned in the 12 volumes (500 pages each) of this tome. Neat backstory, but I would really like to meet the person who read the 6000 pages, and the drinks he/she used during the process!

Anyhoo, what we have today is a cocktail bar that’s pretty af. Tropical decor elements, elegant furniture, and what is supposedly the longest I don’t think the pics do justice.

We chose the Dutch Punch and the Merchant of Muziris. D’s drink, the former, is gin-based with mango oleo, malabar spice broth, lime acid, and coconut cream. Smooth drink with a few spikes, D definitely liked it. My drink, named after the old trading port was basically an Old Fashioned, but uses St.Remy brandy, with a dash of roasted peanuts and Rojak syrup (a salad dish of Javanese origin), in addition to the aromatic bitters. The flavours were too subtle, but given it was based on a favourite drink, I wouldn’t complain!

Food is mostly small plates, but you have some variety, especially when you consider that it’s a cocktail bar. We had the Zuke Chicken, which had gochujang chili and soy, and was quite yummy. The main course – Thai Linguine (chicken), was a bet. The marriage of cuisines is always an experiment, but this Thaitalian mix of pasta, chili, coconut cream, and kaffir lime actually worked. And don’t go by the look of it, it is quite filling.

We were left lighter by a little over Rs.2750. The drinks were pricier than Bangalore for comparable places, but I am guessing it fits into Cochin’s demand-supply equation very well. The service was courteous and pleasant. If you’re in town and want a different hangout from the star hotels, this would fit the bill.

Hortus, 3rd Floor, Avenue Center Hotel, Panampilly Nagar Ph: 0484 4118000