Are you a hungry traveller hunting for authentic food in Nagercoil ? Want it to be light on your tummies and pockets as well ? ‘Tower Mess’ comes to your rescue. Being located at the heart of the Nagercoil town, Tower Mess provides healthy and home feel fish meals, priced reasonably. Around 200 people visit here for lunch, mostly travellers, pulled in by the quality meals they provide.
Though I had been here umpteen times,it has been a while since my last visit. So after a day’s work, I decided to stopover here to quieten my growling stomach.To my surprise it was the same simple and clean place with five tables having four seats each.The owner was quick to recognise me with a wide smile and had me seated. The green banana leaf was put across with kootu,poriyal and pickle sided. And now, hot steamed rice was piled up on the banana leaf like a mountain and the brownish meen kuzhambu was poured on the top and it slipped down as erupted magma from the volcano and a round fish furry was topped to my delight. Not only the place, the food too maintained the consistency in taste and flavour.The meen kuzhambu here, has a unique essence, thanks to the addition of ginger paste, which aids in digestion besides. Finished the feast with a glass of creamy, spicy buttermilk .To be honest, I felt very light on the stomach and no bloating.
Mr.Joseph, the owner, started it back in 2008, inspired from the mess setups in Chennai during his college days where food feels home like, free from colour powders and tasty ingredients. Recipes are given to the chefs by him limiting the ingredients and never compromising on the taste. To make it affordable for everyone, price wasn’t much increased. Breakfast starts from 7:45 A.M. and lunch is served till 4 P.M. to serve the late comers, predominantly medical representatives. “Customer satisfaction is the ultimate priority” says Mr.Joseph and it is their word of mouth, else he wouldn’t have made it up to here after a rubber business failure. He has customers from Madurai, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin and serves them specially with fish curries with the taste of their own land to make them feel home.Customers and localites here fondly call him 'kaaka' and 'bhai' .
So travellers and late lunchers roaming around the town, Tower Mess never upset your tongue and gut .
