What’s cooking inside this railway coach in Payyanur? Step into Kerala’s first coach restaurant

KANNUR: What if your next meal comes with a railway-coach experience, minus the journey? That is the idea behind Juju Express, Kerala’s first coach restaurant, which is set to open in the courtyard of Payyanur railway station on Wednesday. A three-tier AC coach has been transformed into a restaurant, offering diners the option of eating inside the coach or sitting outside on the platform. And unlike a train journey, there is no need to worry about missing your stop. Juju Express will operate round the clock.

The restaurant is the result of an idea put forward by three friends — Harikrishnan of Peruvemba in Mathamangalam, Sajid of Kanayi and Satheesan of Payyanur. They submitted the idea as a project report, and the Railway subsequently gave the project the green light.

The trio won the tender, while the Payyanur-based Juju International Hotel Group has taken over the operation for five years.

The kitchen will be headed by Executive Chef Nidhin and Sous Chef Darris, who will prepare the dishes for diners.

Getting the restaurant to Payyanur was an adventure in itself. The 37-tonne coach was transported from Mangaluru on a massive trailer before being unloaded at its new home. Mappila Khalasis were involved in both loading and unloading the coach.

The project has cost around Rs 1.5 crore, with the railway coach now serving as a 24-hour dining space at the station.

Coach restaurants are already a familiar sight at several railway stations across the country. Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus is home to the popular ‘Bogie Wogie’, while stations in Asansol, Pune, Nagpur, Delhi and Katra also have coach restaurants serving food.

The Railways is now looking to expand the concept across the country.

For Payyanur, the experiment brings a new kind of dining space to the railway station — one where the coach stays put, but the meal becomes the destination.