For all those who are not quite acquainted with Jaffles, let me clarify that I have not misspelt Raffles, the exclusive hotel chain, or Waffles of the maple-syrup fame. Jaffles is the exotic name given to the ubiquitous cheese-garlic toast (spelt ‘tost’ in the menu) served at the Hawah Beach Restaurant at Kovalam, Kerala.

This restaurant is a large establishment by Kovalam standards. It is right on the beach, the view of the crashing sea is superb and entertaining if you include the sight of really chubby foreigners frolicking in the waves. During the monsoons the patrons of the restaurant have some excitement thrown in, as there is the constant thrill of having your table washed away by the sea or rain. A minor aberration in the otherwise excellent cuisine is the chocolate pudding which tastes like chocolate-flavoured baby food.

Hawah Beach (I can cautiously presume that the genius behind 'Jaffles' has also named the restaurant. Do join me in giving a V sign) has a healthy foreign clientele. This is probably due to the maitre'd, Shibu. He singlehandedly welcomes you to the restaurant, makes the jokes, takes your order, rallies your verabal assaults about the time taken to serve food, serves the food eventually and makes the bill throwing in whatever discounts he fancies. And what can you say to a guy who replies, "We're catching the chicken," when asked why the Chicken 65 has not arrived. Threaten to cancel the order and he will plead that the cook will kill him. By the way, the foreigners get a bear hug. I'm not complaining.

For your information Hawah Beach screens an English movie (on the house) every evening at 7 p.m. If something called 'Jaffles' and a free English movie doesn't compel you to head for Kovalam, what will?