Appachan's Restaurant is a Kerala Indian restaurant on Great North Road in Glen Eden, West Auckland, rated 4.5 from 77 Google reviews. Customers describe a friendly, welcoming room with Malayalee decor and authentic Kerala cooking, singling out the chicken biryani, porotta and evening snacks, at prices they found reasonable.
Kerala food is its own thing, distinct from the northern-style curries many Indian restaurants serve: coconut, curry leaves and mustard seeds season dishes shaped by a coastline rich in seafood. Flaky, layered porotta exists to mop up rich gravies, while appam, soft rice hoppers with lacy edges, are made for a mild stew. Regulars also time visits for the evening, when the tea-shop tradition of hot snacks with spiced chai comes into its own. A good sign in any such place is a dining room full of Malayalee families.
Appachan's brings that taste of Kerala to Glen Eden, and the reviews suggest the neighbourhood agrees.