Essence Restaurant - Trivandrum

We not only enjoyed the delicious food here, but also the excellent services and the beautiful outside view. The food was definitely worth the price we paid.

We were able to enjoy a delightful lunch at this restaurant thanks to Karan. The restaurant offers stunning views and is the ideal setting for a private meal for our group of four. We relaxed, indulged in conversation, and savored a delicious lunch while taking in the beautiful sea views. A special thank you to the staff at Niraamaya for their excellent service.

The Essence Restaurant at the Niraamaya Retreat Heritage Resort in Kovalam is famous for its Southeast Asian seafood cuisine. Recently, my party of four had dinner there. The restaurant is located on a ledge along the pathway to the beach. It is a small, round open-air platform covered by a conical dome with seating for about twelve, mostly for couples. The open kitchen has a glass case displaying fresh seafood on ice. Our waiter led us to our table, the only four-seater available. Despite the warm evening, the fans and sea breeze made it comfortable. We started with Kingfisher beer, Mimosa Blue Lagoon cocktails, and iced tea with lemon for me as the designated driver, which took some time to arrive from the bar further down the slope. For starters, we enjoyed Calamari Kratiem (spicy fried calamari) and Green Papaya Salad Som Tam Thai style. For the main course, we ordered a seafood platter and Mahi Mahi Haw Mok Fish Beef Gochujang Bulgogi Korean style, all of which were fresh and flavorful. The service was quick, as there were only one other couple dining with us. We ended the meal with Tender Coconut Ice Cream, though it wasn't as good as what we have at Mumbai's Natural Ice Cream. The only minor issues were the flying insects attracted to the lights - they should consider using wire netting on the open sides. Additionally, I had to walk to another restaurant above to input my PIN for payment by credit card, as they did not have a handheld device. The bill came to Rs. 1500 per person including taxes, which is pricey compared to 5-star hotels but worth it for the excellent meal we had.

The ESSENCE RESTAURANT in the Niraamaya Retreat Heritage Resort in Kovalam is known to aficionados for its sea food & SE Asian cuisine. We had dinner there recently in a party of four. The Restaurant is situated on a ledge down the pathway to the Beach, a fairly small round open air platform covered by a conical dome. It had seating for about a dozen, mostly for couples. There was an adjoining open kitchen, fronted by a glass case which had fresh fish & seafood on ice.The smiling waiter led us to our table, the only four-seater available. It was a warm evening, but the fans whirling above & the sea breeze made it tolerable. We started off with Kingfisher beer, Mimosa & Blue Logoon cocktails, & some Iced Tea with Lemon for me as the designated Driver, which all took some time coming from the Bar further down the slope. For starters we had Calamari Kratiem (in a spicy-fried form) & Green Papaya Salad Som Tam Thai-style, both of which were quite tasty.For the Mains we ordered a Sea Food Platter (with a choice of Lobster at higher prices), Mahi Mahi Haw Mok Fish & Beef Gochujang Bulgogi Korean-style, which we all shared. The fish & seafood were fresh & the beef cakes medium & tender, all spiced up as we'd demanded ! Very appetizing, & we all relished the food. The service was quick, as there were only one other couple dining along with us.We rounded off the excellent meal with Tender Coconut Ice Cream, which was good but not as good as what we have at Mumbai's Natural Ice Cream, which we felt has better flavour & texture.The minor annoyance were the flying insects attracted to the lights, they should consider wire-netting on the open sides. The only other irconvenience was that I had to walk up to the other Restaurant up above to key in my PIN to pay by credit card, as they did not have a hand-held device. The charges came to Rs.1500/- a head including taxes, pricey & on par with the 5-star Hotels, but value for money considering the excellent meal that we'd had.

Thanks to Karan we had an opportunity to have lunch here at this restaurant. It offers breathtaking views and the perfect spot for a private meal for the four of us. We just sat back, enjoyed our conversations, had one of the most delicious lunch while watching the sea. Also a big thank you to the staff at Niraamaya.