Just Kerala, Andheri East

Just Kerala's or JK's attempts to be a slice of God's Own Country in the commercial madness of Andheri East and succeeds on atleast 3 parameters.
1) The food does give a feel of Kerala (rustic Kerala, I would like to add, JK's is not recommended for fine dining) - The menu is large and decently comprehensive. The regular restaurant in downtown Cochin does not have a more elaborate menu than the one you get here. You also get the regular Malayali vegetarian meal replete with the essential Avial, Fat Boiled Kerala rice and Papad.
2) The service is superbly and painstakingly slow. Do not go to JKs if you want to spend 30 minutes on your lunch. You will be lucky if they serve your order within 45 minutes to an hour. You may treat this as a criticism but I think it just makes JKs more authentic.
3) JKs is also a bar. Go there on a weeknight and order a beer. Down a couple and seeing some stout, Malayali people devouring Avial and Appam in the surrounding tables - you will be forgiven for thinking that Andheri East has turned into downtown Cochin.
JKs is located on the 2nd floor of Samraaj hotel and is not a place you would like to take the lady you want to impress on your first or for that matter any date. Do not get me wrong, the place is clean, there are no demons, it is just that the place has a very masculine hard core feel to it. I think it actually does a great job of mimicking the authentic Mallu restaurant. The waiters are attentive but the service as I mentioned is excruciatingly slow.
The food is however great when it arrives immediately. I have not sampled the meal but going by the way the meal gets devoured at most tables, it must be rather good. Our favorite order has been the Egg Roast which is really tasty, a couple of hard boiled eggs served on a bed of a coconut, tomato and onion masala. They also have a range of very tasty Chicken and Mutton dishes all tasting great but with a distinct coconut twinge. Do not go to the restaurant if you do not like authentic coconut based Kerala cuisine. The last time we were there we ordered the Chicken Varutharachathu - a spicy coconut ground gravy - absolutely delightful. The star offering of JKs according to me is the Kerala Porotta which I think is far better than the Appam served at JKs. If you do not know what a delight the Kerala Porotta is, you can go to JKs and become an immediate fan of the concept and the preparation.
Overall a good place for male bonding over drinks and the culinary joys that God's Own Country has to offer. Its also a decent option for a long office luncheon.
A meal for two at Just Kerala will cost you approximately Rs 550/- without drinks.
How to get there: JKs is on the 2nd floor of Samraaj Hotel. The hotel is on Chakala road connecting the Airport road to Andheri Kurla, just off the highway. If you are driving from Bandra to Kandivali take the 2nd right under the Andheri flyover on Western Express Highway. You will need to take a right at the first signal. Hotel Samraaj is 50 m to your right.