Homely, rustic food shines at Itihaas restaurant in Thiruvananthapuram

Itihaas restaurant in Thiruvananthapuram offers traditional Kerala, Chinese, and Arabic cuisine with unique dishes and affordable breakfast buffets.

Itihaas restaurant located by Muttada Road at Paruthipara, opposite Thomsun Bakers in Thiruvananthapuram, resembles a traditional naalukettu (a house with an open central courtyard) in Kerala. An intricately designed white balcony railing stands behind the big bold red letters announcing the eatery’s name. The brick-tiled roof, slightly discoloured from age, shelters the building supported by concrete and wooden pillars. A glass shelf with snacks jostling for space and a steaming tea container welcomes the hungry customers outside the building.

Inside the restaurant, the wooden stairs and flooring add to the place’s rustic feel. Apart from wooden tables and chairs, Itihaas also has majlis-style seating arrangement and can seat around 100 people at a time.

After being seated, I was attracted by the snacks and aroma of the chai I saw upon my arrival. I asked for a plate of chicken samosas and tea, despite my (unwavering) loyalty to coffee. Two samosas were served on a sheet of tissue paper on a steel plate accompanied by milk tea served in a glass. Traces of oil left on the tissue paper as I grabbed one of the samosas left no doubts about whether the snack was healthy at all. But did I care one bit? Absolutely not!

The crispy and flaky samosa enveloped the shredded chicken flavoured with masalas that co-owner and chef Shafna Shifas, calls her own. The onions add a subtle sweetness, complimenting the rest of the filling. The pulverised meat has a bite to it, not getting overpowered by the rest of ingredients.

The tea was mild, milky and moderately sweet. Its taste reminded me of an Irani chai boiled to perfection in fragrance and flavour. Snacks start from ₹10, which include varieties of Malabar bites and even Mangalore bun, the puri-like deep-fried bun, originally from Karnataka.

This is the fourth restaurant owned by Shafna and her husband Shifas Sait. The other three are in Bengaluru and were started by the couple in 2016. “The main reason why we came to Thiruvananthapuram, is because I am passionate about this place,” says Shafna, originally from Peyad, on the outskirts of the city.

Shafna says, “My parents are great cooks, and my father used to cook Chinese food at home when I was a child. I have never had Chinese food tastier than that. Now my three brothers together run a restaurant at my native place.”