On a misty afternoon, I step into the Zodiac Room at Shinkows where time seems to pause. Even today, the legendary chilli chicken remains the star at the landmark Chinese restaurant that was started in Udhagamandalam in 1954. The décor with glowing red lanterns, gingham checked table linen, and antique handmade wall art featuring Chinese silk embroidered panel tapestry is inviting.
Chinese decor at The Zodiac room
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
Back to the chilli chicken. It is batter-fried lightly, then tossed in house-made sauces for a signature sweet-sour-spicy balance. The natural flavours, enhanced by authentic Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques, makes the fluffy chicken shine through, lending the dish its iconic status. “Chilli chicken is different everywhere,” says Liao Pao Chun (Powks), the 78-year-old owner, adding with a smile: “This one is ours.”
While their two sons now live abroad, but visit for a few months each year, the couple continues to run the restaurant, living in the rooms upstairs. They avoid frozen meats and source the meats locally. Vegetables come fresh from the market. Earlier, they even grew celery and flowers in their garden. Every sauce, such as the chilli sauce, Szechuan, soy, tomato, is made in-house. “Everything is fresh,” says Powk’s wife Kuo Chiai Yun(Linda),75. Their day begins like clockwork from 6.30am and goes on till 11 in the night. “We have been following this routine for 61 years,” says Powks. Linda laughs, and adds, “People get bored. But we are used to this. We enjoy it.”
For generations of people who grew up in the Nilgiris, Shinkows is memory, nostalgia, friendship, and comfort served on a plate. Boarding school alumni— Tahir Rahmatullah, Alfred Ramachandran, and Regi Abraham — now in their 40s, speak fondly of visiting Shinkows, a weekend ritual during their school days.
Liao Paochun (Powks) and his wife Kuochiao Yun (Linda) with their son Liung
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
“We would go to the boathouse, catch a movie, and have lunch at Shinkows,” says Regi. While one of them recalls that American chopsuey as his childhood favourite, another one picks the sweet and sour pork, while the third friend still orders fried rice and chilli chicken without fail. ”I grew up in the Nilgiris and cannot imagine Ooty without Shinkows,” says Tahir adding, “The portions used to be huge when we were in school. That mattered the most!”
Chicken noodles and chilli chicken
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
Another iconic dish appears on my table. “Sliced mushrooms and chicken soup, number five,” announces Stanley Sebastian, 73, who has been a part of the service team for 20 years. The hearty soup is perfect for the cold weather. While I try the yangchow fried rice, a delicious wok-fried rice dish along with mixed vegetables, eggs and chicken, Stanley remembers that actor Sivaji Ganesan used to be a regular visitor, a time when film shoots happened aplenty in the hills. “Many film stars like Rajesh Khanna, and the late-actor Vivek loved our food. I have served many politicians and VIPs here. Tourists from Kerala often pack chilli chicken to eat on the drive back. The owners treat us like their children,” says Stanley. They all eat together like a family, and the open kitchen, spotless and bright, is a source of pride. A senior kitchen staff SP Thiyarajan, who has been with them for 33 years, calls his colleagues family as he dunks chicken pieces in a special masala. While the chicken noodles is mildly spiced, and cooked with fresh ingredients and tender chicken pieces, the Chinese chopsuey with crisp noodles, cooked vegetables and chicken tossed in a light, comforting gravy leaves a lingering taste.
The Shinkows story began in 1948, when Powks’s father Lia Shinkows who had migrated from Guangdong province to Calcutta as a 12-year-old, bought a shoe shop in Udhagamandalam. Later in 1954, he bought another space, an adjacent pharmacy and started Shinkows, handing over the kitchen to his wife, while he continued the shoe business.
Boarding school alumni, Tahir Rahmatullah, Alfred Ramachandran, and Regi Abraham, at Shinkows
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
“We used to serve Continental food like cutlets and steak because there were many Europeans here,” recalls Powks. Breakfast was big back then. Later, when his father passed away in 1964, a young Powks left school to help his mother run the restaurant. He never returned to China. “We worked here. We lived here. This was life.” His wife Linda arrived in Udhagamandalam in 1971. She remembers, “I cried so much in the beginning. It was so silent, so dark after 7.30pm. But, gradually I learned everything. I watched his mother cook. Now I love this place, the weather, the life.”
As Powks recalls his childhood in Udhagamandalam, he says “It was always cold. Students had to wear pullovers through the year. Traffic was minimal and boating cost just ₹1 for an hour. The lake was clean. Buses ran only at fixed times. Today, it is congested, warmer, and packed with pavement shops and tourists.”
Sliced mushrooms and chicken soup, yangchow fried rice and Chinese chopsuey
| Photo Credit:
SATHYAMOORTHY M
Many customers including locals and tourists often queue up at Shinkows for the ambience, the people and the taste. “The owners are always in the kitchen. That makes all the difference. And, everything tastes as it did decades ago,” says Tahir, adding, “That’s the taste I grew up with. That’s home.”
A meal for two costs ₹800 approximately. Located at 38/83, Commissioners Road, Elk Hill, Ooty Udhagamandalam. Open for lunch from 12.30pm to 4pm and 6.30pm to 9.30pm
Published – December 26, 2025 03:47 pm IST
