Come for the '90s vibe, stay for meat chops @ Balan Chettante Kada

The quaint streets of Mattancherry are home to one of the area's most popular food spots: Hotel City Star, more fondly known as Balan Chettante Kada.

- NANDITHA ANAND

The quaint streets of Mattancherry are home to one of the area's most popular food spots: Hotel City Star, more fondly known as Balan Chettante Kada. Established over three decades ago, this small eatery draws a wide range of people, from loyal regulars devoted to their porotta and mutton or beef chops, to die-hard foodies who travel great distances just to see what the fuss is all about.

"We don't sell dishes like biryani here. Our menu only has porotta, idiyappam, vellayappam, puttu, and many curries to go with it. The most popular item here is meat chops. People from various places come to try it out, along with a few regular customers," says P N Balan (fondly called Balan Chettan), while managing the cash register and a long queue of customers waiting to pay.