Munch

Kera-la-carte

What: Kerala (South-Indian) 

Price: $13.00–$21.00

When: Lunch and dinner, Tuesday–Sunday

Can a curry be profound? Take a friend and find out. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s a fact that a hot curry can do wonders on a wet, windy, or otherwise shitty day. The warming gravy—a galaxy of spices and aroma—through which, like planetoids, float tender chunks of meat and vegetables. There are few things that can get you back on your feet as quickly. I’ve already waxed lyrical about the curries at Little Penang, which are a steal. But most curry orders will set your bill above $20 from the outset, and that’s before the inevitable question of roti arises. 

However, should you find yourself short on cash and curry, and on the far end of Courtenay Place, there’s a little kitchen that can set you up well. I will preface, to get a good deal here you’ve got to cheese it a little bit. Well… paneer it. 

Kera-la-carte is a small, South-Indian restaurant tucked in a few shops down from Kaffee Eis. Their interior has a worn-in chic atmosphere, with beautiful woodwork next to children’s colouring-in pages of Brahma and Vishnu on the wall. It felt like a restaurant with a community. On the table one over from us were four men who looked like this was their evening plan; their two tables were laden with plates and glasses, of which they kept ordering more while we were there. 

I say ‘we’, because you do need an extra person (and their wallet) to make this a good deal. The plan was to split a starter and a main ($13.00 and $18.00) between the two of us, which somehow came to $14.50 per person (inexplicably but helpfully, their prices deviate slowly downwards between looking at their menu online, in the window, and at the table—the same dishes online are each a dollar more). I thought this might be a stretch to fill two people, but it was worth a try. 

We started with the Paneer Pakora, on the basis that they’d be a denser dish than, say, bhaji. The plate itself was very pretty, with six dusty yellow squares and a handful of fried curry leaves alongside, on a shiny dark-green platter. The chickpea batter was lightly spiced with a smokey masala that had notes of charred mustard seeds and turmeric. It was a little powdery but not unpleasantly so, and with an addicting crunch that had me eating all the battered curry leaves too. The paneer itself was more plain, lacking the salt I always expect until I remember it’s not halloumi. Dipped in the sweet mint sauce, they were a nice bite to start with. 

Soon after, our Dal Tadka was served, a glorious warm yellow in its white bowl. The bowl itself was well-filled and the accompanying rice was generous, which began to assuage my doubts of being full—both of us ended up scooping a couple platefuls each. The dal’s flavour was complex and impressive. A fresh, gingery brightness opened the palate, which widened as a fired, smoky depth—similar to the pakora—emerged. This was matched with quiet notes of  sweetness from the onion, and a gentle chilli heat that warmed my whole face. All of this fanfare and undertones swelled together in a rich and creamy, almost pudding-like, yellow lentil gravy. 

This meal really surprised me, no less by its depth of flavour as its value. Lentils over rice is always a safe bet if you’re after a full stomach, but even between two this meal did well. Not to say that I couldn’t have eaten the whole bowl myself, but it was still a satisfying dinner to share. Building it out with a plate of pakora always helps too. 

The menu here is extensive, so there are plenty of possible variations on this theme. The 8-piece pakkavada vegetable fritters could be a good starter, or their different fried chicken offers, for a few dollars more. Any carnivorous mains quickly push the mid-twenties price range, but the cauliflower Gobi Manchurian or the Mutta Chikkiyathu scrambled eggs are good value too. 

Kera-la-carte gets a final bonus point for offering an overwhelming gluten-free and dairy-free menu, as well as equal amounts of vegetarian and vegan meals as meat-based. It’s rare to see so many accessible meals that don’t require substitutions or relegate the vegetarians to a salad, without also being a deep flush, green cleanse, detox realignment that tastes of grass. Just rich, delicious, healthy food that offers a bit of something for everyone to eat.