Go and eat at Kari Apla and give this lovely young Maharashtrian/Malayalee couple the support they deserve!

Kari Apla is a tiny restaurant serving Kerala and Maharashtra inspired dishes by the husband and wife pairing of Mathew and Ebani. I know Mathew from his days at Comorin where he always showed great promise and his wife was part of the initial team at Bastian with Kelvin Cheung and Boo Kim. The name isn’t just a play on the Malayalee Kari and the Maharashtrian Apla (our) but also on the idea of “our curry”, the home curries that inspired this couple when they were growing up. 

Angamally prawn pepper roast

Kari Apla is a tiny, self funded restaurant with just 20 covers. Some table seating in the outdoor area and really cool Japanese style counter seating at the kitchen counter. The menu is also small by Indian standards which is always a good sign for me because it means that it’s a kitchen that focuses on doing things well rather than try and please everyone with a wide number of generic dishes. Sharpness and focus are always positives in my book. 

Avocado thecha and batata papad

The first dish of avocado thecha and batata papad was actually the weakest because it was the only dish that was made with the Bandra audience in mind. Every other dish leaned into their regional origins rather than away from it, so we ended up with dish after dish that was bold and punchy and robust and cooked with honesty and soul.

Suriyani prawn fry

The Syrian Christian prawn fry we had immediately after the avocado immediately made us recaliberate expectations because it was completely unapologetic, not necessarily in terms of spice, but in its robustness, in the way the flavours coated the prawn and in the firmness of the cook on the prawn. 

Kadala curry hummus

The kadala curry “hummus” wasn’t a traditional hummus, but a wildly rebellious one that packed enough heat and depth and flavour and a whole lot of Maharashtrian “kasa Kai” attitude forcing you to take notice.

Karwar prawn curry 

The Karwar prawn curry was silky smooth with subtle tamarind sour notes and really soft bhindi. The pork pepper roast was so tender than peppery that I could imagine an Angamali grandmother beam with pride. 

Warm banana bread with filter coffee ice cream

And the desserts… just spectacular. The tender coconut pudding reminded me of Kappa Chakka Kandhari and the warm banana bread with filter coffee ice cream (inspired by train journeys eating pazham podi and drinking filter coffee) was so good that Sid ended up with two helpings.

Kori sukka

Because this young couple has no marketing budget they haven’t been able to really spread the word about this really lovely place. No PR. No launch event. Just good food. Because it was Sid and me, they kept trying to convince us that they would comp our meal. And of course we refused. Because it is a joy to see a young couple follow their dreams, put their money where their mouth is, work hard and create such good food with such honesty. And it is our duty to support such people and not seek out freebies. 

Haleem… just for Ramzan 

In many ways Kari Apla reminds me of the early days of The Blue when Seefah and Karan quit their big fancy jobs and started their own little place in Bandra and served the best Thai food in the city. From those humble roots Seefah has gone on to become one of India’s best restaurants. If Mathew and Ebani are able to find the same success, it really will be a wonderful story founded on love and dreams.

Kerala fried chicken 

So please go to Bandra. Go to Kari Apla. Please eat some wonderful food. And please pay your bills and give this couple the support they deserve. 

Tender coconut pudding 

We ate:

1. Avocado Thecha, batata papad

2. Suriyani prawn fry

3. Mangalorean Kori sukka, coconut bhakri.

4. Kadala curry hummus, chilli crisp, fennal and coriander seed lavash.

5. Hyderabadi haleem, nimbu pudina pav

6. Kerala fried chicken 

7. Angamali pork pepper roast with scallion and green chilli parotta

8. Karwari prawn curry, steamed Ambemohar rice.

*Desserts*

1. Tender coconut pudding.

2. Warm banana bread, filter coffee ice cream.