As I push the glass door open and make my way to the newly-opened Karthiyayini Kovai, I am hugged by warmth, familiarity, and the aroma of fish curry simmering in coconut oil. Karthiyayini, run by the couple, Jajina and Vinoo Vijayan in Kochi, brings its hearty, Kerala-style lunch to Coimbatore complete with fish fry, fish curry and an impressive spread of specials including kalanji (Asian seabass) fry, crispy tiger prawns and squid roast marinated with kanthari or birds’ eye chillies.

The 120-cover seafood restaurant has casual, community-style seating that instantly puts you at ease. Fresh fish is the foundation of the dishes here, which is why they picked Coimbatore for their first restaurant outside Kerala. “I always manifested it. To have Karthiyayini outside home,” says Jajina, adding that their branches at Cherthala and Nedumbassery in Kochi, see a huge turnout from seafood lovers in Coimbatore. “They drive down regularly for our meals. Their feedback about lack of seafood in the city motivated us to take the plunge.”

Her partner Vinoo Vijayan reiterates that Coimbatore had to be a natural choice. “Our USP is fresh fish. We can bring it by road from Kochi here in under four hours. There is more to seafood than vajram fry. We want to introduce the mind boggling variety that is out there including thirutha (grey mullet), kalanji, seer fish, snapper, tiger prawns, and squid.”

Jerin Rajan, Jajina’s brother, who leads the Coimbatore operations, says good roads, infrastructure support, and connectivity played a big part. “For the last six months, we have been working out the logistics. Our kanthari chillies, coconut, oil and naadan vegetables comes from Kerala. A team of chefs from Kochi was here for six months to train the team here,” says Jerin.

I begin my meal, served on fresh plaintain leaf placed on a plate with steaming hot Kerala red rice and chemmeen (shrimp) curry. Then come chemmeen chammanthi, and tangy fish curry, along with plump, soft prawns tossed in fiery masala, raw banana kootu and karichakka (butterfruit).

From squid and prawns to neimeen (seer fish) and karimeen (pearl spot), each dish is prepared in different styles and flavour profiles. While the juicy kalanji fry won my heart, the Alleppey-style creamy, mildly spiced, and tangy tharavad fish curry made with sliced mango pieces is a star dish. “Tharavad fish curry can be made with karimeen (pearl spot), neimeen or pomfret. Made in our ancestral homes in Cherthala, near Alleppey, it is time consuming, but worth it,” says Jajina.

Over their signature crunchy tiger prawns dusted in an dry grated coconut garnish, Jajina talks of carrying forward the legacy through a personal approach. “I started in a humble way after the pandemic and gave myself three months time, and I survived. And, we are here today. It was my father-in-law who recognised my passion for cooking. Most of the Central Kerala recipes are drawn from every day cooking at my maternal home. As my roots are in North Kerala, those influences show in my cooking. For example, while making Thalassery-style biryani,” she explains.

Jerin says the Kochi outlet draws diners from outside the State, including film personalities passing by the city. Actor Nani loves their seafood biryani. Actors Sivakarthikeyan, Jeyam Ravi, Atharvaa are fond of tiger prawns and squid roast. “We saw a rush of tourists from Andhra eager to try out Nani’s favourites,” he recalls.

An offering on the weekends include the airy and soft ghee puttu that can be teamed with fish curry and seafood biryani. Though Jajina calls herself a natural cook, who goes by instincts and measurements by hand, an SOP is already in place for her most-famous thirutha (flathead grey mullet) curry. “I look out for new dishes and recipes during my travels across Kerala, especially the Malabar region. I skip big restaurants and instead prefer small outlets operated out of homes, chatting up with ammammas there for tips. We serve over one thousand meals at our Kochi outlets and when guests say the food reminds them of their mother or grandmother, it makes my day.”

Jerin talk’s of Jajina’s passion for innovating dishes, for example by adding a kanthari chilli marination to elevate the taste. When he told her that people in Tamil Nadu have rasam and curd with meals, in just a couple of days, she came up with an instant rasam recipe. But, with a robust twist. Check it out while there.

Located at Kings Complex, 44/2, Sungam Bypass Road, Shanmuga Nagar. Open only for lunch. A meal for two costs ₹1500 approximately. For reservations, call 7339623222

Watch: Karthiyayini Kochi comes to Coimbatore