Indian Dinner at Kerala, Munich

This October, I was so lucky. I got to travel to Germany, one of my favorite countries, to visit two of my favorite people (Ronja and Zan), all to attend a world-famous festival full of happy drunk people: Oktoberfest. Ok, I had to pay for it, so it’s not like I was gifted the trip or anything, but I still was lucky to have Ronja already in Germany and Zan serendipitously disembarking a Mediterranean cruise the exact day I touched down in Munich, with no plans ahead of her. Hence, one Thursday night I found myself with two of my best friends in Europe, in search of a good dinner following an afternoon at a bar.

Somewhere online before my trip I’d read that Kerala served amazing Indian food, and since it was close to our Airbnb apartment, we walked over. It was warm and cozy inside on the chilly autumn evening, and slightly dark, which I liked. Groups, families and couples all seemed to be enjoying their time together. Our meal began with beers and papadum, the traditional Indian starter of a thin, crispy seasoned dough (more like crackers than bread).

Since Zan studied abroad in India and the menu was in German and Indian (Ronja speaks German and English but wasn’t terribly familiar with Indian food), we just let Zan order for us. The first item to arrive was a playfully long dosa, a stuffed, fermented crêpe made from rice and lentils. It was served with chutney and was good, but was outshone for me by what came next.

Apologies to any of you about to jump on a plane to Munich at my recommendation, in search of this inconspicuous and out-of-the-way Indian restaurant, but I can’t remember exactly what our two other dishes were, so you won’t be able to replicate our meal exactly. One was chicken and one was vegetarian. Even after looking at the menu online (the dishes are named in Indian with German descriptions, and as I haven’t taken German since freshman year – of high school – I cannot understand hardly any of it), all I can tell you is that our vegetarian dish was primarily chickpeas, which I usually feel apathetic towards but these were so delicious, I was scooping seconds onto my plate like a madwoman.

We greedily mopped up the sauce with naan, which was also tasty but was really more of a utensil for the delicious entrees (the beautiful rose petals were just decoration!).

There was also basmati rice, of course. It came on one huge plate and was too much for the three of us. The price was reasonable, the food was amazing and the ambiance was perfect for three friends catching up overseas. I would most certainly go back the next time I find myself nearby.