5 /5 Kotch: If you are near Tunbridge Wells and want something that isn’t curry and that will challenge what you think you know about Indian food, you need to try this.
I’m not an expert on South Indian cuisine by any means having only been to one Keralan restaurant in London before but this was a taste sensation.
The advice on what to order was helpful - including what not to order given what we had already ordered. They advised us against adding more dishes - rather than upselling like they could have. I really appreciate that when I am unfamiliar with the cuisine.
We had the Avoli Pollichathu, Chilly mushroom, channa masala and beef fry with some porotta on the side and tea to wash it all down.
Everything was so flavourful. The fish was amazing, the flesh so sweet and tasty. The beef fry was excellent. The mushrooms were great and if you like black bean sauce dishes you’ll love this because they have that vibe and hit that flavour palette. The channa masala was excellent - sorry Manoj, better than your mum makes!
Did not know we had such a gem so nearby. Went before the current iteration and it was good but this is sensational.
The tea was a real treat, too.
Only complaint (and it really is a minor niggle) is there is a tad more salt than I would prefer. This will not deter me from coming back.
