Panoor Restaurant, Near National Paints, Sharjah

Despite the conspicuous name board, Panoor is a humble restaurant with average ambiance. Somehow the interior looked very old and shabby. Kerala snacks wrapped in thin film on those big trays invited us in. We were hungry. Hence decided to skip the snacks and go a bit heavier. A waiter with a rather long face came to our table and announced that they have Biriyani and Chappathi. That's alright, because at half four in the evening, no one expect them to serve the full menu. But we were not satisfied and asked him to look inside the kitchen for something a bit more interesting.

He went inside the kitchen and came back to report that they have Kappa (Tapioca prepared in termeric, chopped green chilly and crushed garlic pods), the ultimate Kerala heavy weight snack. Well, we had to go for a plate of Kappa, Mathi Mulakittathu (Sardine chilly curry) and of course, some Chappathy. Even we thought that Biriyani was a tall order as an evening bite. We had ordered for Milk Tea as well. The tea came first. It didn't feel like one prepared with fresh milk. That unmistakable taste of horror, condensed milk, betrayed it. We were not happy about it.

Our utter disappointment was short lived as the Kappa and Mathi Mulakittathu were very good. Kappa was a bit dry, but tasted very good. Cooked enough, spiced up just right and with the proper yellowish colour. Two medium sized sardines in that very good gravy was of right saltiness, satisfactorily tamarind flavoured and the spices in it were well balanced. The gravy was of the right thickness too. But one thing lacked. The WOW FACTOR. Both the dishes were short of that special feel which makes a dish great from being just good. 

The Chappathies were not very good. They were very large in size and unbelievably thin. Machine made for sure. And not made from Atta (wheat flour), we suspect. That's cheap, you see. We were running short of the fish curry gravy as we entered in to the advanced eating mode of 4 Chappathies and Kappa. We wanted some more gravy and they provided it with a special smile. That special smile was so special that it would cost us something in the end. Right. When all the dishes were finished, we decided to notice those snacks once again and ordered Pazham Pori (Ripe banana slices coated in thin layer of dough and deep fried). Pazham Pori was as disappointing as the tea. They didn't use ripe bananas. The banana slices were very thick and hard. 

The surprise was the bill. Just 24 Dirhams. 24 for two to fill their empty stomachs with Kappa, Fish, Chappathi, Tea and Pazham Pori. Not too bad. The bill was so surprising that we looked in to it once again. Kappa was 5, fish curry was 6, Chappathies and teas were 1 Dirham each and the banana fry was one dirham fifty each. Very reasonable. But the real surprise was the extra charge for the extra gravy. Come on, that's a ripoff, even after considering that special smile. We latter came to know from a restauranteur friend that those Chappathies were ready-made in a factory and available in the open market for as cheap as 35 fills each. Not so reasonable then. Panoor is an average restaurant with average ambiance, average service, average price and just about average tasting food. Average. 

Rating Description

One Star: Avoid.

Two Stars: If you are really hungry and thats the only restaurant nearby, you may dine in there.

Three Stars: A very good restaurant in it's category.

Four Stars: Excellent cooking; worth a detour.

Five Stars: Exceptional cuisine; worth a special trip.

Restaurant Contact Number: 065352754

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