SHEER delight spread over my friend’s face as she slurped up through a straw marrow from a hunk of mutton bone at Kayra in Bangsar.

“It tastes like heaven!” she exclaimed.

Marrow is not my thing, but I relished the tender, scrumptious mutton meat that soaked up all the spices during the slow-cooking process.

Kayra is all about Kerala cuisine. Traditional dishes are its mainstay, but it also tries to be innovative and contemporary.

The Kerala Dahi Puri is brilliant. Small puri balls filled with crunchies and a sweet yoghurt and tamarind sauce are perched atop shot glasses filled with tomato rasam.

A bite of the crispy puri gives way to a burst of sweetness, followed by a peppery tartness when you down the rasam.

The Dosa Tacos with shredded masala chicken did not turn out so well, however.

The taco shells are overfilled with crunchy noodles, making eating a messy affair. Also in them are potato masala, capsicum and chopped fresh tomato. I could barely make out the meat underneath.

The tacos, topped with a sour cream dressing, would have been better with just a light sprinkling of crunchies, so that one can fully enjoy the flavourful chicken and creamy spiced potato masala.

The Beetroot Pachidi with yoghurt, mustard and fried curry leaves is refreshing, striking a balance between sweet and tart.

The julienned beetroot lends a lovely magenta hue to this side dish, which is good even on its own.

Fish moilee is a famous curry said to have been influenced by the Portuguese, the first Europeans to arrive in Kerala in the 15th century.

The Fish Moilee Biryani has grilled marinated sea bass drenched in a rich gravy of coconut milk and turmeric, served with biryani rice, on a large patter.

Lightly spiced shallot masala sits beneath the fish, and the slices of grilled lemon on top helps offset the heavy sauce. The rice is fragrant with cardamom, and crispy fried garlic and roasted cashews deepen its flavour and add some crunch.

This is one delicious dish, but I could do without the cranberries, though.

The Prawn Ulartiyath, meanwhile, is chock-full of ingredients.

I loved the prawns embraced in a thick, sweet-spicy gravy. Each spoonful of the gravy has caramelised and crispy onions, and slivers of coconut.

No doubt, this goes great with hot white rice.

We could not resist having the Sweet Appam for dessert, and asked for the brown sugar syrup to be served separately.

The appam is fluffy with a wonderfully moist centre. A light drizzle of the sugar syrup is all that’s needed.

What we ordered was enough for at least four people. The Kerala Dahi Puri is RM17, Dosa Tacos (RM25), Kayra Mutton Bone Marrow (RM35), Beetroot Pachidi (RM18), Prawn Ulartiyath (RM35), Fish Moilee Biryani (RM70) and Sweet Appam (RM8).

Kayra is located at F-8, Bangsar Village in Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur. It can be reached at 03-2714-2932.

The restaurant will reopen at its original location in Taman Tun Dr Ismail at the end of the month. – January 11, 2020.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.