Add at least 15 minutes to a visit here so you can consider the many routes your meal could take. All will traverse Kerala, in India’s south-west, but will you stick to the waters with a well-crusted fish fry of invigorating spice? Or embrace the region’s vibrant vegetarian dishes with a sadya, arrayed on a banana leaf?

Okra tossed with mustard seeds and turmeric sits beside tangy sambar dhal and dense pumpkin flecked with taut black chickpeas. Made of mashed tapioca, sunny yellow kappa acts as a sponge for the riches of a dark, ginger-heavy goat curry.

Just footsteps from the Yarra, the space, splashed with turquoise, pink and gold, is nearly as vast as the menu, and service can become strained. But there’s hardly a more fitting spot for glimpsing the laidback lifestyle and tropical tastes of this coastal state.

Good to know: Sadya is only available Friday to Sunday.

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