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A little bit of Rajesh, a little bit of Reshmi, and a dash of innovative thinking, spiced up with a persistent dream and garnished with personalised service — Gud Fud is ready to serve.

Rajesh and Reshmi met during their stint at Casino, Willingdon Island.

As a couple, they knew that working together in the same department wouldn’t be allowed in any hotel set-up — incentive enough for them to start off on their own.

They gave life to their dream two years ago and named it Gud Fud, in keeping with the SMS rage. They hit upon the idea of serving low-fat and oil-free food — the mantra in today’s society.

Smoked, grilled and barbecued preparations are their specialties. They serve all meats except pork. And here’s the stealer: all meats, fishes and paneer go through a baister. The baister is a machine which removes about 97% of the fat from whatever.

You will find no lime in your finger bowl because Rajesh and Reshmi are sure your hands will be grease-free after eating at Gud Fud. Gud Fud, by the way, is bang at Manorama Junction in Ernakulam, opposite the Choice building. [0484-2318612]

“Oil is just a medium for cooking, and we steer clear of it because it’s against the concept we’re promoting,” says Reshmi.

And if you’re under the impression that low-fat and oil-free cooking equate with tasteless food, drop in at Gud Fud.

Gud Fud is not multi-cuisine in the traditional sense of the word. The flavours used in Indian, Chinese, Continental and Arabic cuisine play a significant role in Gud Fud’s cuisine. Their idea is to assay with combinations of these flavours.

For instance, the Tahini Tandoori is a mouth-watering blend of the Indian tandoori masala, the Arabic tahini sauce and chickpea paste — its tangy, exotic flavour is much sought after.

“We want to break away from the monotony of stylised hotel service,” says Rajesh. “Our goal is to make this into a place where you could come seven days a week and expect something different on the eight day.”

Customers are treated like guests. Rajesh and Reshmi make efforts to figure out the flavours and spiciness they prefer — and cater to their tastes. That’s the magic of personalised service.

“Reshmi and I bring out the best in each other,” says Rajesh. “If we can open a restaurant from scratch, create recipes and manage the show, there’s no need to involve anyone else,” he adds.

But they do look to their families for support and encouragement. Their parents have been their backbone right from the beginning.

Rajesh’s father, Mr Vijayan Menon, feels his son has made the right decision in beating all odds and starting off on his own. He has immense admiration for Reshmi and Rajesh who slogged it out during the first few months to get Gud Fud going. “There were times when we never saw them for days together,” Vijayan Menon says. Reshmi’s father, Mr Shivkumar, who runs Hotel Regency in Trivandrum, also lent a hand in setting up Gud Fud.

Their mothers are cooks par excellence. Rajesh and Reshmi look to their mothers for valuable opinions on their preparations. “The whole family enjoys cooking and eating,” says Vijayan Menon, “ but I prefer traditional vegetarian preparations, without garlic.” So the family waits for a time when Mr Menon is out of town to run riot with all sorts of experiments in the kitchen.

Though there aren’t any rigid demarcation of roles, Rajesh leaves matters of décor, cleanliness and house-keeping to Reshmi. “She definitely has a better eye for colours and design,” admits Rajesh, “and I trust her choice.”

“I’m more involved with the cooking and the preparation of food,” says Rajesh, “but I tend to have a one-track mind as far as presentation is concerned. Reshmi is the one who experiments with presentation.”

Gud Fud is open from 12 noon to 3 PM, and from 6 PM to 11 PM. There is quite a crowd for lunch, but most people generally hurry through their lunch. Customers who come in the evening seem more relaxed.

Youngsters who eat at Gud Fud generally go for the meats, while others are drawn to it because of the low-fat concept. Rajesh and Reshmi have also tried their hand at blending teas and some of them are very popular. The teas are served black, with no cream whatsoever.

The menu is not very telling, but that’s intentional. It just gives you the name of the dish and its price, with no details of what the preparation is all about. “That’s because there’s no one way of making a particular dish,” says Rajesh. But not to worry, once your meal is on the table, Rajesh will tell you exactly what you’re eating and how it has been cooked.

The teas are priced at 10 rupees: a plate of mushroom (or paneer / chicken / sausage) skewers will cost you 30. A regular meal (four soya-bean flour chappathis, smoked rice, chicken, a side-dish and salad) costs around 60 rupees, and is enough to placate a growling stomach.

It takes about twenty minutes for an order to get ready. But you have perfect hosts waiting on you. Also, the customer can actually see his meal being prepared.

Tina George