might look like a classic pub, but things have been heating up since the beginning of May. Chef Mischa Tropp has taken over the kitchen with a new Keralan menu.
Located in the southern part of India, the state of Kerala is bordered by the sea on one side and mountain ranges on the other. “There used to be a big spice trade with Europe; cardamom, black pepper, turmeric, chillies. That has a big effect on the cuisine,” explains Tropp to SBS Food. “There’s also a lot of coconut, fish and seafood. It’s quite a tropical cuisine. You’d associate it more with Sri Lankan cuisine than North Indian food.”
Tropp’s mother is from Kerala, so he grew up eating a mix of traditional dishes and “organic, hippie food”. It’s not until a few years ago and a few research trips to Kerala that he really started understanding South Indian cuisine.
Chef Mischa Tropp is bringing some South Indian heat to Fitzroy. Source: The Rochester Hotel
After hosting , he has set up shop permanently at the Rochester.
Hot pub food
“While developing the menu, I kept in mind that we’re in a pub, so we want dishes that go well with drinking. There are lots of fun bar snacks to eat while drinking if you don’t want to have a full meal,” says Tropp.
When I’m in Kerala, I’ll go to the mountains just to eat egg bonda at roadside stalls with a friend.
You can’t go past the generous serving of egg bonda, one of the chef’s favourites. It’s a hard-boiled egg with onion masala covered in a deep-fried fermented batter; crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. “It was really satisfying to replicate this. When I’m in Kerala, I’ll go to the mountains just to go eat these at roadside stalls with a friend,” he says.
Another home run is the double-fried chips covered in a rich curry sauce. It’s a suggestion from the Rochester Hotel co-owner, Stu Moss, who is from the UK where chips and curry is a popular late-night snack. For something more adventurous, try the chargrilled duck hearts with recheado and sweet and sour sauce.
Chef Tropp's take on 'pub food' is refreshing to say the least. Source: The Rochester Hotel
A full table
When going for a full meal, make sure to ask your waiter for advice about which dishes go well together. “In India, you don’t just eat chicken curry and rice. You eat chicken curry and two or three different sides and pappadums and curd. It’s about having all these things on the table,” says Tropp.
The cabbage thoran is pretty much exactly the way my mum used to make it when I was a kid.
Let’s say you’re vegetarian and you want the pulishari (green papaya in curd with cumin and green chilli gravy), it will go well with the onion theeyal. If you really like meat, the roast beef tastes even better with the cabbage thoran as a side.
“The cabbage thoran is pretty much exactly the way my mum used to make it when I was a kid. It’s basically cabbage, coconut and green chillies, stir-fried. It’s really simple, but it’s probably one of the dishes that people like the most.”
If you don’t mind some heat, you’ll want to order the fish curry. “Keralan food is spicy and we didn’t want to dumb it down for people. It was important to me that people get an authentic experience,” explains Tropp, promising there are also plenty of options for those preferring milder dishes.
Seek advice about which dishes complement each other for the full Kerala experience. Source: The Rochester Hotel
Firefighters should order the fish curry. Source: The Rochester Hotel
So next time you want to switch your classic parma or burger pub meal for something a bit more exciting, you’ll know where to go.
202, Johnston Street, Fitzroy, VIC
Mon – Thu 2 pm – 1 am, Fri – Sat 12 pm – 3 am, Sun 12 – 11 pm
Images: Ben Christensen
