So long, Kerala

As one of the laziest people on the planet, I frequently find myself thinking of stuff to write about, and then failing to write about it.

Honestly, the amount of content that existed in my head that never made it onto page, podcast or screen is quite frightening. A prime example is my local South Indian restaurant, which I could've written about when I moved to this town almost ten years ago, or at any point in the intervening decade, but, as usual, I did not.

Now the Kerala has closed. Apparently for good. Which is a shame because it really was excellent; quite possibly the best restaurant of any kind in the local area.

 

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It all came very suddenly. A post on social media a few weeks ago that it was closing that night, possibly for good. And that was that.

 

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A few years ago it moved from one location to another, a couple of hundred yards up the road - again quite suddenly, which sort of gives me hope that it might reappear. I'm already missing the place.

The clue really ought to be in the name, but this was proper South Indian food. You didn't go there if you wanted a British tandoori type meal, which owes more to Bangladesh and Pakistan than to India. 

Lots of seafood, lots of coconut, delicious sauces - creamy, mustardy, plenty of fenugreek. All executed to a supremely high standard, and not that expensive either.

Big, crispy dosas to start off, with refreshing chutneys and hot sambar. Watching other diners not know how to eat 'drumstick' correctly (you scrape the flesh off the skin with your knife) and chewing it indefinitely like some sort of Cochini cud!

My mum - who has been to that part of India many times - declared it to be the most authentic dosa she'd ever had in this country - and she lives in Tooting which is not short of similar places to eat. 

The seafood - tilapia, tiger prawns, squid - always tasted fresh and delicate, but never overwhelmed by the curry in which it was cooked. Then you had vegetables like the green beans thoran which were deliciously al dente, flash-fried with coconut and garlic.

And the bread! Oh, man, the paratha! So light and flaky, with millions of layers, almost like the inside of a croissant, and just perfect for dipping in those rich creamy sauces. 

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You can understand why I liked this place. And I really should've written a few words about it earlier! 

The thing is, the Kerala was very rarely crowded. I wonder if Caterham isn't maybe the right sort of place for such a restaurant. Did people go in expecting the aforementioned 'Traditional British Tandoori' rather than an authentic taste of Kochi, and ultimately leave disappointed because they didn't quite get it?

There is another branch, apparantly, in Reigate. Maybe I should visit it and do a review before it goes.