“Ende ammachi” is all I had to say after finishing the eight piece Kerala Thali. Walking up to the restaurant at 136 O’Conner Street the smell from the restaurant transported me back to the days that I spent in Kerala in my younger years. This beautifully lit glass walled restaurant in the heart of downtown offers a delicious bubble to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The kitchen headed by Joe Thottungal presented an impressive array of dishes that satisfied every taste bud, each one representing the multitude of awards Mr. Thottungal has been presented with. The service was top notch, with neither us, nor any other customer being left unattended through the night.

I ordered the Lamb Thali which was accompanied with some Kerala parotta and rice, which arrived shortly after the samosa starter was presented. The menu offered a variety of Kerala dishes including Alleppey Salmon Curry, Naddan Kohzi Curry and of course Biriyanis offered in your standard varieties. The parotta definitely stood out to me as being the most authentic ones I’ve tried outside Kerala. My only suggestion would be to replace the papad with our traditional papadum with an option of Matta rice too!

On a side note I think this may have been the first restaurant that actually had plates that caught my attention, details like these are what sets Thali far above the mediocre bar.

Thali is now definitely on my list of restaurants that I have to show my parents (this is your hint to get yourself here ASAP!). With everything that has been going on in the world recently, Joe Thottungal and his team at Thali took me one step closer to God’s Own Country.