Of Kappa and Curry

The food itself, of course, is the main reason we will return. Our kappa (steamed and mashed tapioca) was served with a meen (fish) curry that looked dangerously spicy but was, in fact, well-balanced in heat. The rich, oily flavour of the surmai (king mackerel) cut through the sourness of the tamarind-based curry and paired very well with the mildness of tapioca. We also had a set of three fluffy dosas with one of the best chicken roasts we’ve had in a long while: the meat was soft and well-cooked, and masala it was coated in was well-fried and aromatic.

This is a restaurant which offers more options for meat and fish eaters than it does to vegetarians, but you can’t go wrong with the set vegetarian meal they offer at lunch. Our generous heap of rice was accompanied by sambar, avial (mixed vegetables with coconut), cherupayar thoran (mung bean stir-fry) and pineapple pachadi (pineapple lightly cooked with coconut and yogurt). Except the sambar – which could have used a little more tamarind and asafoetida – everything was pitch-perfect, and, together with crisp pappadams, made for a very satisfying meal.

Address: D-29A, Acharya Niketan,
Mayur Vihar Phase 1
Meal for two: Rs 800