Hungry for more - from sushi to biryani

Ernakulam-native Ajay V Udayan and Fasil Ales bonded over food, to be more precise burgers from McDonald’s. The friendship, which began with their shared love for food, has now turned into one of the most popular food vlogs on Instagram. The 23-year-olds hit it off during high school. “Ajay and I were classmates. We connected because of our shared interest in food. As 14-year-olds, all our exploration was limited to travel from Aluva to Edappally, and that too to try out McDonald’s. As time passed, despite our limitations as teenagers, we managed to travel places,” says Fasil, who is studying at Union Christian College, Aluva.

The two stand out with their choice of food. “When all our friends pick the usual tried-out dishes, Fasil and I always go for something off the track. Sometimes it would be a flop. But still, we would be happy knowing that we introduced a new dish to ourselves,” says Ajay, who is studying at SCMS School of Engineering and Technology, Karukutty.

The duo remains unique through the vlogs of Hungry Cochin. That includes places that would offer breakfast for Rs 10 and some select joints serving Bhutanese dishes, and octopus specialities!

The idea of starting a food page was random, they say. “Since we used to travel places to try out different eateries, our social media accounts were mostly dominated by images and videos of food. It was our friends who suggested starting a page exclusively for food.”

This was when vlogs were beginning to pop up. In the past four years, since its inception, Hungry Cochin has been consistently posting its findings. “Our motive has always been to become a reliable source for others to find new places and dishes. Food is something that has to be shared, introducing good food to others is what we find happiness in,” says Fasil.

Besides getting invitations and suggestions from others, going out and exploring unknown places, they find on their travels is their preferred mode. From biryani, fish Alfahm, Egyptian shawarma and sushi, they have covered a myriad of cuisines. The youngsters’ vlog expedition is quite mouth-watering. Flavours of Hyderabad and Bengaluru have also been featured.

“We have a series where we feature many restaurants from a particular place. People sometimes refer to our two-year-old Hyderabad series even now,” says Ajay. Though each vlog is special, the duo considers their journey to the Edayil hotel in Kozhikode to be the most memorable one. They gush about the upma and beef combo. “We are not upma fans, but ended up having six plates. That combination made the journey worth it,” says Fasil.

Started just out of passion, the youngsters claim each of their expeditions has helped them gain more knowledge on food. “Our vlogs are meant for the common man. The information that we share and the places we feature can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life,” says Ajay. When asked what makes them go ahead with the vlog page, they say, “It is definitely because of our loyal followers, the motivation to do more and better comes from them.