‘We went for an Indian meal inside a Yorkshire pudding - it was a real showstopper’
Kerala Canteen opened a year ago in Leeds city centre, offering a range of South Indian cuisine. Kerala Canteen’s owner Bobby Geetha wanted to pay homage to his Keralan heritage alongside his Yorkshire roots by introducing his own version of a Sunday Dinner. Sophie Mei Lan took her family for a Sunday Dinner with a difference.
Kerala is often referred to as God’s Own Country, as is Yorkshire.
I’d heard good things about Kerala Canteen’s tapas-style Indian dishes, and the menu didn’t disappoint.
Kerala Canteen is tucked away next to The Wardrobe in Leeds, behind the BBC.
It's downstairs and feels cosy, almost giving out ‘log fire vibes’ despite there not being any fire, just a relaxing water fountain and artificial flowers lining the ceiling.
Friendly staff seated us in a booth as we perused the à la carte and the Sunday menu.
There’s everything from poppadoms and thalis to gunpowder potatoes.
I couldn’t decide what I wanted, so I went for the selection of three tapas dishes for £21.
The kids had biryani, my mother-in-law had a thali with mild spice, and my husband and father-in-law opted for the Sunday dinner option - Bobby’s twist on a Sunday roast.
Keralan cuisine is typically made of rice, a strong focus on coconut milk and oil as well as tamarind, ginger, and a blend of other spices.
My first dish of mini lentil popadoms was served with a berry pickle and spicy tomato chutney. I think the kids were disappointed as they’d been hoping to dip into a standard poppadom and pickle tray.
For me, it was a refreshing change. These lentil popadoms are crispier and more flavoursome. The condiments were unusual but delicious.
The berry achai was sweet and slightly sour, while the chutney had a powerful kick. For once, it was proper bold flavours rather than the usual bland dishes I’ve had from more westernised Indian restaurants.
I also had a dish of spicy battered cauliflower, which was a nice treat. Deep-fried cauliflower is a vegetarian's answer to deep-fried chicken.
The winning dish for me was my beetroot dosa served with a spicy butternut squash filling decorated with pomegranate seeds.
My mother-in-law had the mini thali, which didn’t have enough spice for me, as she had asked for it to be mild. Her paratha, however, was light and tasty.
Bobby then served up the giant eight-inch Yorkshire puddings.
He told us how he uses the same style batter for the Yorkshire puddings as he does the parathas.
The Yorkshire pudding is piled high with hasselback potatoes cooked in a blend of gunpowder spices, chilli tamarind cauliflower, and the pièce de résistance was the braised & roasted T-bone steak.
Bobby finishes this dish with his signature beef & bone marrow curry. Altogether, each filled Yorkshire pudding weighs around 2kg.
The price for this is £32.95 which includes a beer or soft drink.
It looked incredible, a real showstopper. I was just unsure if my husband and father-in-law would enjoy it as they don’t usually consume a lot of spice.
They were pretty much silent for the next ten minutes whilst they tasted all the layers and components.
My husband explained how the potatoes added a nice kick, complemented by the tamarind from the cauliflower, and then the delicious, bold meaty steak and gravy balanced it all out.
He said: “There are so many flavours in that one dish, but somehow it all goes together and it’s delicious.”
It was certainly a welcome twist on our weekly roast