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In my previous post, I shared my experience of the Hyderabad to Coorg road trip. It was quite a drive and I enjoyed it. It was my first time on this part of NH-44 beyond Anantapur, so I was quite excited. In Coorg though, I didn’t do much as I was working. I rented an Activa and gave it to my parents who were exploring Madikeri while I was working from my hotel room. The only day I had off was Saturday. And I didn’t have any major plans except for aimlessly driving on the ghats and soaking in the beauty of Coorg.
However, one thing led to another and I was eventually at Tamara Coorg for lunch at The Falls restaurant. I wanted to try some authentic Kodava food and a few people recommended I visit Taj Madikeri, however, they were booked and weren’t taking reservations from visitors :/ As they say, one person’s loss is another person’s gain, I landed up at Tamara Coorg for lunch by the falls.
In this post, I will share my review of lunch by the falls at Tamara Coorg. Further, I went as a paying customer and wasn’t invited/hosted.
Drive To Tamara Coorg
Fortunately, the weather was amazing throughout the few days we were in Coorg and Saturday wasn’t different. It’s located in the interior coffee estate away from the main highway, so I was even more excited for the drive. And the drive lived up to my expectations. The initial stretch from Madikeri was fine enough, but as we started moving towards Tamara, the forests started becoming dense and the clouds started taking over the sky.
The last stretch of about a couple of kilometres is single lane, super-dense forest. The road is in good condition however, the width is enough only for one car. So I was just praying that no car came from the opposite direction. There was one though, but they’ve made lay bays at regular intervals so that helped. The roads have a few hairpin bends that are quite tricky and my Punch did stall a couple of times.
The final stretch though after entering Tamara has security guards who ensure that yours is the only vehicle on the stretch. So they have walky-talky and they stop vehicles if something is coming in the opposite direction.
10/10 for the drive. It was my first experience driving in such terrain but learnt a thing or two about driving on such roads.
Tamara Coorg – The Resort
Tamara Coorg is one of the popular 5-star luxury resorts in the region. Known for its bespoke setup amidst a forest and coffee plantation, Tamara has something that other resorts in the vicinity don’t. The property is spread across 180 acres nestled in the coffee plantation and a reserved forest. They have multiple cottages in the area with all the luxury one can wish for. These cottages provide amazing views of the forest range and each cottage has a different view.
The reception is located right at the entrance and from here you get a buggy that takes you to your cottage. While I’d like to walk and enjoy the trail to my room, it’d be better to take a buggy. They do have multiple trails made within the property where you can take a stroll and experience the property.
In terms of pricing, the per night charges for the cottage are upwards of Rs 16,000++ a night without food and can go well above Rs 25,000++ with all meals included. So yes, it’s expensive.
The Falls – Restaurant Review
While I was planning my Coorg trip, I was looking at resorts vs hotel stays in the city. Now, since I was going to be working most of the time, my parents suggested booking a hotel in the city where they could go and explore the city. Because most resorts have a standard setup (games, walks, gyms, food etc.) and my parents don’t do any of it, so got a hotel it was.
Since it was my free day, I decided to go on a lunch with family and I wanted it to be something local and a good experience. The setup at Tamara looked good, so I headed here.
Eat By The Falls – Ambiance
Built across a valley with a stream flowing underneath, The Falls is a unique restaurant when it comes to architecture and setup. It’s the only restaurant on the property serving a multitude of cuisines, from continental and Indian to Kodava and Italian. The wooden setup of the restaurant opens up into the forests on either side, so you can enjoy your food sitting amidst tall trees and the sounds of nature. They have a dance floor which is a a transparent floor that gives you a beautiful view of the stream underneath.
There are different seating setups at the Falls, but the most popular ones are at the edges where you can dine in the nature. There are extended portions of the restaurant with transparent ceilings that provide a beautiful setup. The furniture and choice of colours are pretty good and go well with the overall setup of the place.
Their bar, The Deck,is also attached to this restaurant so you get also sit and enjoy a drink there if you wish to. If I were to sum up the ambience in one line, this is the best ambience at a restaurant I’ve dined at until now.
Local Kodava Food
The restaurant serves both buffet and a la carte for lunch and dinner and outsiders are welcome too. The buffet spread is a typical 5-star type buffet with tons of items. The buffet area however felt congested and I’m sure when there are a lot of people, it might get super crowded. The buffet is priced between Rs 1700-2000++ which is cheaper than many such buffets here in Hyderabad. But we opted for a la carte and were quite clear that we wanted to try the local Kodava food.
We got an iPad with the menu and after going through it, I ordered quite a few things. My order included a Watermelon Feta Cheese Salad, Bamboo Yam Kebab, Kummu Curry, Mutter Paneer, Dal, Kerala Parotta, Naan, and Jeera Rice along with Iced Tea and a couple of other cocktails. Mind you, Kodavu food is predominantly non-vegetarian, especially pork.
So there are a handful of vegetarian dishes including bamboo shoots, mushrooms and many rice-based preparations like Kambattu (steamed rice balls), Noolputtu (Iddyappam) to name a few.
The Watermelon Feta Cheese salad was okay, I’ve had better ones and this surely could have been better. The Bamboo Yam Kebab was pretty good and had a smooth texture. It felt like a Yam galauti but it wasn’t that soft. There were pieces of Bamboo in it that were tender and had their distinct taste. Kummu Curry was a coconut gravy-based mushroom preparation that I loved. It wasn’t a very thick gravy, but it was quite flavourful. Mutter Paneer was nice, the mutter was sweet. Everything else was good in taste as well as quantity. The drinks were refreshing and slightly on the sweeter side.
While everything was on point, the speed of serving can surely be improved. I’ve had a la carte meals at other similar restaurants but this one was on the slower side. I don’t think I ordered anything exotic, but folks around me were getting their food delivered rather quickly. I don’t know if this was just this one instance, but that kind of affected the overall experience a tad bit.
Truly A Dining With A View
Lunch by The Falls at Tamara Coorg is surely one of the better dining experiences I’ve had off late. Everything from the drive to Tamara to the resort set-up and the restaurant itself was beautiful. I loved their setup and sitting in a forest literally and having your meal is second to none. The Kodava food choices might be limited for vegetarians, but there still are other choices. The food was pretty good in taste and quantity. The service however could be sped up a little.
Having said that, it’s a wonderful dining experience savouring good food and soaking in a serene ambience. If you eat out at restaurants at star hotels, then the prices aren’t too steep. I paid about Rs 5600 for a meal for 3 that included all the food mentioned which I felt was reasonable considering the food, setup and the experience.
If you’re visiting Coorg ever and want to have a unique dining experience, I’d surely recommend visiting The Falls for a meal. Trust me you’ll have a wonderful experience. You should also note that children below 12 aren’t allowed on this property, so make sure you are alone when you go. It’s a honeymooner property I’m told, so if you’re a couple, it might be worth a stay here too.
That’s about it for this blog post. I hope you found this helpful to plan your lunch here. Feel free to reach out to me for any assistance. Drop your thoughts in the comments below, tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM Atulmaharaj on Instagram, or Get In Touch.
Nice post 🌹🎸