A little Kerala, a lot of character and some seriously good food

Enté Keralam has relocated into a beautifully reimagined heritage house, bringing God’s own goodness to a space that feels as inviting as the food it serves. Terracotta floors, exposed brick, warm timber, brass pendant lights casting amber across former bedrooms turned into dining nooks, Kerala murals, and handcrafted installations give the interiors necessary character, while big windows open onto lush greenery. The move suits it. It feels as though Enté Keralam has finally found a home that matches its soul. And the food, which was always the point, is still completely banging.

Appam, parotta and Malabar prawns headline this comforting Kerala feast

Our meal begins with the Keeraleeyam, a creamy, tender coconut punch that is mild and velvety and exactly the right thing for a mid-afternoon arrival when the heat outside has been making itself known.

The Koon kurumulakittathu comes next and the table pays immediate attention. Dry mushroom pepper fry with crispy edges and a juicy interior, black pepper warm and present throughout, a generous heap of fried onions alongside adding a sweet, earthy crunch that keeps the starter interesting all the way through. Then the Paneer injipuli fry, and this is the dish we kept going back to. A modern take on the classic injipuli, the paneer coated in a glossy ginger and tamarind reduction, the tamarind doing most of the flavour work. Forget Korean fried anything for a moment and come find your roots here.

The Malabar konchu porichathu arrives whole: head, tail, everything. The natural sweetness of the prawn is lifted by chilli, pepper, and curry leaves. Some at the table ate the whole thing. Some played it safe with just the flesh. Both choices were right. The Mutta roast closes our meal with caramelised onion masala coating boiled eggs in a preparation that is savoury, mildly spicy, and delightfully sweet. We had it with both appam and parotta. The appam won for us personally. The appam deserves its own sentence before we wrap this up. The lacy, crisp edges are so light that chipping them away before they touch anything becomes its own small compulsive pleasure.

Meal for two: Rs1,500+. From 12 pm to 3.30 pm and 7 pm to 11.30 pm. At Enté Keralam, Anna Nagar.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.