Kerala Canteen: MasterChef star brings affordable Indian cuisine to Leeds at new small plates restaurant

Kerala Canteen, on St Peter’s Square, was already welcoming a steady stream of lunchtime customers when it opened its doors for the first time earlier this week.

Blending tradition with innovation, the tempting menu of small plates encourages diners to mix and match dishes in a tapas-style, offering a chance to try unique flavours and combinations.

It is the latest addition to the city’s culinary landscape from chef patron Bobby Geetha, who has worked in some of the world’s top kitchens and is behind The Light’s internationally-inspired eatery Fleur, and head chef Abdulkhadar Allingal Siddique, who has seen his fair share of Michelin-starred restaurants.

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Bobby, a quarter-finalist on the BBC’s MasterChef: The Professionals explained his vision for the new venue. “We wanted to put our own stamp on Keralan cuisine,” he said. “It needed to be unique, it needed to be different.”

Inspired by Kerala’s toddy shops - vibrant community spaces where locals gather for food and drinks - Kerala Canteen is introducing people in Leeds to an interpretation of Indian dining that they’re unlikely to find elsewhere in the region.

But the flavours aren’t the only surprise. At a time when many are struggling, the team have committed to making exceptional food affordable.

“Restaurants are struggling and closing down everywhere, but if we are careful, we can still do well,” said Bobby. By keeping prices low and scrapping the service charge, the menu has been designed to ease the financial strain on diners without compromising on quality.

Head chef Abdulkhadar echoed this sentiment: “The restaurant is all about small plates, which will help people to manage their budgets - especially because most of our dishes are below £10.”

The focus on affordability extends to a loyalty programme that allows diners to earn points for free meals and a generous 50 per cent discount on food throughout its first month.

It was important for the duo to celebrate food from their home state, while reimagining it for a modern audience. Bobby explained how he drew parallels between Yorkshire and Kerala.

“Yorkshire is known as ‘God’s own county’, and Kerala is known as ‘God’s own country’ - so our tagline is ‘from God’s own country to God’s own county’. There is beautiful natural resources in Kerala, just as there is in Yorkshire. We just needed to tap into that. I want to bring rhubarb onto the menu when it comes into season, for example.”

Several of the restaurant’s signature dishes reflect its inventive spirit, including the bone marrow and beef curry.

Bobby continued: “We use flat iron steak, the best cut possible, and cook it using a Kerala toddy shop recipe with sautéed bone marrow and ginger. You can’t get that anywhere else. We wanted to go for the premium cuts.”

Abdulkhadar revealed that his favourite on the menu is the crispy curry leaf calamari, a nod to his love of seafood which comes from his hometown of Kottayam. It is served with a rich and flavourful curry mayonnaise.

“Cooking is my passion,” he said. “If I make good food, I can read the customer’s faces and know that they are satisfied, which is the best thing about the job.”

Leeds has long been a welcoming city for Indian cuisine, as Abdulkhadar, who has lived here since 2014, explained. “I love it here because of the people - and they love all sorts of different food. It’s a great city for Indian cuisine.”

For Bobby, the city offered an opportunity to stand out by doing something different.

“My starting point for Kerala Canteen was to go around the city and look at what other restaurants are doing, asking what isn’t already available,” he said. And the answer was clear: Leeds was ready for a restaurant that pushes boundaries - but, crucially, has affordability at its core.