CHAKHUM AMA : A Manipuri Kitchen - A Review

CHAKHUM-AMA : A Manipuri Kitchen

🏠 Sagolband Meino Leirak Machin (Above Ranjana Emporium)

💼 Restuarant; Manipuri Cuisine; Ethnic Restaurant

🕒 10:30 AM - 7:00 PM

           The evolving trends of food & beverage operations have never been slowed down. Even in a hill surrounded remote city like Imphal, there has been some appreciable up-gradation in its food & beverage service scene. Just some 3 years ago, Imphal was neither familiar with the term "Dine Out" nor "Coffee Culture". Today, every look and corner of the city has a number of restaurants and coffee shops evolving out to feed the trend followers of the present time. Today, in Imphal, one can find a number of resturants, ranging from fast foods, Indians, Manipuri to Continental, Thai, Japanese and so on. While most of these restaurants are running quite successfully, some of them having high profiles with their own unique styles and images, I can still see the lack of promotion of our own ethnic dishes on the whole fabric of our food & beverage service sector.

       Ethnic cuisine has always been a strong tool of promotion & marketing for the tourism sector of the region. Only one or two restaurants in Imphal has been able to provide standard manipuri dishes. While the establishment like 'Lakshmi's Kitchen' succeeds to provide traditional meitei dishes, the newly established "Chakhum-Ama" stands out as a unique manipuri ethnic restaurant from the rest for more reasons than one.

The Ambience

       For 'Chakhum-Ama', the ambience is one of its main highlight. The aqua blue wall paintings, the pastel flooring and the woody furnishings and decors are something that can shoothe any guests on first sight. Just like any standard restaurant, 'Chakhum-Ama' has tables set with standard dining pads, cutleries, cruet  set, bud vase, napkins and chairs with comfortable upholstery. With a spacious service area, the restaurant has approximately 28 covers. Therefore, even if 'Chakhum-Ama' is a local ethnic restuarant, it has that aspects, which will give guests, the experiences of a fine dining restaurant.

The Food

            'Chakhum-Ama' offers mainly the traditional non-veg dishes of Manipur, usually in a 'Thali Menu' ('Chakluk' in Manipuri). Normal days offers Chicken, Duck & Pork meal, along with 'Shareng Dish' on Sundays. The Pork dish was one of the best I've ever had my entire life. Along with meals, the menu also contains some simple beverages like lemonade, green tea, crushers, etc. I would really want more fish options in the menu, being fish an important part of local Manipuri gastronomy. Also, it would really be great if they make some space for Vegetarians in the menu.




The Service
          As of the service part, 'Chakhum-Ama' has adequate wait staffs to serve any incoming guests. As of my experience, the wait staff served me in quite an elegant way. Being a newly established place, the manager personally approached and assisted the whole service process which was quite fine. So, when I asked the wait staff  for more "OOTI", she doesn't seems to notice what "Ooti" was. I pointed at the bowl, she said "Oh, that dal dish". It is really awkward for a Manipuri Cuisine Restaurant of having a Wait staff who doesn't know the name of the Manipuri dishes they are serving. Another set back is, I have to wait 25 minutes for a fried fish, which was tiresome. A bit faster service will be a big set up.



The Price
          The prices are quite acceptable and affordable comparing the food they are serving. The average spending amount per head in ordering a meal (chakluk) and a beverage will range from  ₹270 to ₹300.


         'Chakhum-Ama' is one of the very few restaurants in Imphal, that offers Manipuri dishes with a fine dining experience. I would recommend it, if you want to have a classy Manipuri lunch or early dinners with your friends and family. 





My Over-all Rating :

Wrote on personal experience by:
Kiran Singh Thangjam
Student - Tourism & Hospitality Management, CESD, MU
Kiranthangjam007@gmail.com
*All Photographs taken originally by the author