FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD! I read each and every review concerning my Homestay made on “Trip Advisor” very seriously, digest and evaluate its contents, and occasionally, feel the need to reply. Like today!

I was indeed happy that the guests enjoyed their stay with us and gave us a generous overall rating - but at the same time wish to take them to task on their comments about our food – which they describe as being ‘rather plain and unadventurous’. I have had hundreds of guests staying over the past years and never have our culinary efforts been described in this way. Quite the opposite, usually praise is heaped on us for our imagination, the diversity of our menus, the actual food preparation and its timely and attractive presentation. We are well known for our culinary expertise and reference to this can be found in numerous published travel guides and journal articles.

About 95% of our guests are foreign and after some 14 years of experience, I find that many who stay with us really welcome a change in their diet. They mention that the consumption day after day or sometimes week after week of South Indian Thalis (although indeed delicious) can be somewhat monotonous. In response to these sentiments we have developed a wide range of Western dishes in addition to some from India and nearby Asian states such as China and Thailand. But, alas, during these years I have also observed it is virtually impossible to satisfy everybody!

The appreciation of food is as subjective and nebulous a topic as the use of the words ‘plain and unadventurous’ used by the reviewers.

‘Too much chilly’ says the husband: not enough chilly’ retorts the wife. As the saying goes ‘One man’s meat is another man’s poison’!

To minimize such problems we attempt every morning (before guests start their activity schedule for the day) to inform them of the contents of the menus planned and where appropriate we will amend meals according to their input. All my staff has been taught to either use fresh produce from our own organic garden, or buy from the local market - sometimes as often as twice a day to ensure absolute freshness.

Of course I cannot recall what we served these specific guests as we change menus daily - but question what dishes they actually found ‘plain and unadventurous‘? We are a lot more imaginative and adventurous in our cooking than most places you will find – anywhere - and add new recipes on a regular basis. Here is just a small selection of dishes in our repertoire to illustrate the types of food we serve.

Breakfast Was it the freshly made still oven warm bread served with homemade ginger and orange marmalade they found dull?

Lunch Maybe they found the freshly prepared iced Gazpacho Soup with vegetable croutons followed by a Pasta dish with broccoli – was that unimaginative?

Dinner At the end of the day we really go to town and have a very wide choice of menus. Herewith just a few examples that we feature on a regular basis: -

‘Chicken pieces marinated in fresh herbs and smoked over peanut shells’

‘Seer fish fillets steamed in a banana leaf’, cooked over the barbeque and served with a Hollandaise sauce with fresh orange juice and chives’.

‘Bananas fritters soaked in wild honey before being flambéed in rum’

‘Lightly grilled marinated Pineapple slices coated with icing sugar served with a sauce made from caramel, orange and chocolate..

I challenge anybody to describe such dishes as being ‘plain and unadventurous?

Yes! Of course we occasionally make mistakes, everybody does. Maybe one day our mushroom risotto may not have been as moist as it could be or perhaps the spaghetti was slightly overcooked – or then accidentally the boiled eggs were cooked a minute too long or the poached egg a little too runny – but overall, the plaudits we receive far outweigh any complaints.

TREMULOUS GUESTS Unfortunately many guests seem unwilling to be able bring themselves to report a problem face to face with the management whilst they are actually staying. If guests took more trouble to do so then the complaint could be looked at immediately, and steps taken to rectify it. By making constructive comments on the spot, the management is better able to identify faults and thus improve their product. This comment applies to ever operation in a hotel or Homestay such as ours – be it room cleanliness, blown light bulbs, electricity problems, blocked shower heads etc. Some guests (like these reviewers) would, rather than making a complaint openly, rather slink away into the shadows hoping that an imaginary ‘Potteresque’ type of Invisibility cloak would shield them from identification, but to ensure absolute total anonymity - they also hide behind a synonym. Only then do they feel secure enough to make a vague, but to me, derogatory comment. How am I able to effectively address their complaints if they make are made weeks later when they have returned to LONDON?

My own feelings after reading their comments are that our “Cardamom House” menu selection and standards are perhaps just a little too sophiscated and ‘up-market’ for their maybe more prosaic tastes. However it is not my intention to downgrade our well established varied and already highly popular selection of dishes and cater to the more mundane tastes.

So if you want to experience tasty, innovative and adventurous cooking, you will really enjoy our fare. If the diet you crave consists of meals such as hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, fried breaded chicken pieces etc. please don’t come here for you will be disappointed as we will not satisfy such cravings.

Bon Appetite.

Chris Lucas (Owner)