Italian cuisine didn’t tingle Durga Unnikrishnan and Sandeep Balachandran’s taste buds when they visited Milan for higher studies. Being ardent foodies, who loved to have a riot of flavours in each bite, they passionately craved dishes they grew up with. Years later, one simple conversation they had in Milan about spices resulted in The Aurum Cloud, a cloud kitchen.
In 2020, cloud kitchens were the talk of the town. Aurum earned a name for itself by specialising in gourmet ways of preparing naadan cuisines. Fast forward to 2022, it transformed into a fine restaurant.
“When we present ourselves as an outlet that serves premium Kerala food, we are often asked one question — how can naadan food be considered fine dining? I would say, why not? Kerala food recipes are complicated with lots of ingredients. Fine dining is not always about the exotic food,” says Sandeep.
The familiar dishes are not given any trendy or whacky names to make them interesting. Everything is kept simple. “It was quite challenging initially since we are serving dishes that everyone grew up eating. However, I understood that if the quality is maintained, nothing should be of concern. Good food will have takers,” says Sandeep.
Sandeep brings out Idiyappam konju nirachathu. The multiple layers of idiyappam, stuffed primarily with prawns and masala, are baked evenly. Here the masala has a sweeter note. After a bite or two, the flavours remind you of a well-prepared biryani. This dish can be relished only if one drops by the restaurant, Sandeep says.
Up next is the scintillating beef ribs. Though the flavours are similar to that of the beef roast, the texture of the slow-cooked meat brings a huge difference to the table. The meat falls off the bone. But pulling out small pieces of meat from the bone is a bit difficult.
From head chef Ashamon’s kitchen comes Aurum’s popular Syrian beef varattiyathu. While wrapping the beef tenderloin pieces in a flaky porotta, one can already feel the kick of the spices. Having tenderloin in a Kerala beef recipe is a relatively new idea in Kochi.
If you feel like naadanism is getting too strong, there are chicken wings too. Instead of barbeque sauce, the wings coated in a curd-based sauce make it finger-licking delicious. Attirachi kanthari served with fluffy appam is another treat. The succulent mutton pieces simmered in coconut milk, bird’s eye chilli and herbs are softer than cotton. The dish is less spicy thanks to the coconut milk.
Usually, it’s hard to find good vegetarian dishes amid a galore of meat and seafood recipes. However, Aurum does have impressive options, and one of them is the banana-fig stew. The delicious stew is sweetened with fruits. It’s a total bliss when paired with an appam.
“Aurum means gold in Latin,” Sandeep says. “The idea was to reflect a gold standard in cloud kitchens,” he smiles. And the same idea is reflected in the interiors as well. The black and gold dominate the minimal designs.
Amid all naadan main offerings, the desserts also don’t disappoint. Ilaneer pudding, though available elsewhere, is hands down one of the best in Aurum. The wobbly pudding melts into your mouth with each bite. One leaves the restaurant with the feeling of having indulged in a completely gourmet experience.