Kerala Feast is a home-based South Indian takeaway in Lake Hayes, Queenstown, run by husband-and-wife team Simi and Jayesh Menoth — one of the only kitchens in the region serving Kerala-style cuisine. What began with Simi cooking for friends and neighbours has grown into a community-driven venture founded in 2025, winning hearts with authentic South Indian flavours, homely warmth and a dash of nostalgia.
The menu features about 20 dishes, including dosa, idli, vada, appam, Kerala-style curries and traditional desserts, with Chicken Mandhi, Podi Dosa and Podi Idli standing out as firm favourites among regulars. Every meal is freshly cooked, free from preservatives and artificial colours, with ingredients sourced from trusted suppliers — and prices kept as low as possible so students, families and workers can all enjoy real food.
The couple accommodate customer preferences wherever they can: adjusting spice levels, preparing vegetarian or vegan options, and personalising dishes for kids and families. The kitchen operates under a verified Food Control Plan approved by the Queenstown Lakes District Council and the Ministry for Primary Industries — set up professionally, but as Jayesh puts it, still feeling like home: warm, aromatic and full of life.
Orders are taken through Facebook, Instagram and phone calls, with Simi personally handling every order from confirmation to preparation, while Jayesh oversees marketing, logistics and communication. Weekly menus and festival specials are shared on Instagram at @keralafeast777. A traveller who drove 30 minutes for a dosa called it 'the most beautiful Indian food shop I have ever been to' — a sentiment the regulars clearly share.
Nestled against the mountains of Queenstown, a cosy home in Lake Hayes has quietly been earning a devoted following. Kerala Feast, run by husband-and-wife team Simi and Jayesh Menoth, is one of the only kitchens in the region serving Kerala-style cuisine — South Indian food built on coconut, curry leaves and freshly ground spices, cooked the way it is back home in Kerala.
Word travels fast when the food is this honest. A traveller's Instagram reel, in which he drove thirty minutes purely to satisfy a dosa craving, put the home kitchen on the map. "It is the most beautiful Indian food shop I have ever been to," he said, as Simi welcomed him inside and began preparing his meal — grinding dosa batter, cooking curries, and serving up a plate of comfort straight from the heart.
The Menoths moved to Queenstown in 2010, and Kerala Feast grew from a mix of love, nostalgia and passion. What began with Simi cooking for friends and neighbours gradually evolved into a community-driven food venture, founded in 2025 out of a desire to give back to New Zealand's multicultural community.
"We missed the comfort of Kerala's flavours — coconut, curry leaves, and freshly ground spices," Simi says. Today she is the creative force behind the kitchen, personally handling every order from confirmation to preparation, while Jayesh — a Programme Manager and Tutor at the Southern Institute of Technology — oversees marketing, logistics and communication.
"Food means family, celebration, and love," the couple say. "Kerala Feast is built on values, ethics, and genuine care for people. We want every plate we serve to reflect the same honesty that defines us."
The menu runs to about 20 dishes: dosa, idli, vada and appam alongside Kerala-style curries and traditional desserts. Three items have emerged as firm favourites among regulars — Chicken Mandhi, Podi Dosa and Podi Idli.
Everything is freshly cooked and free from preservatives and artificial colours, with each ingredient sourced with care from trusted suppliers. Despite rising costs, the couple keep prices as low as possible so that students, families and workers can all enjoy real food. And the kitchen bends to the diner: spice levels can be adjusted, vegetarian and vegan options prepared, and dishes personalised for kids and families.
Running the eatery from home allows the couple to keep full control over freshness and cleanliness without compromising affordability — and the kitchen is properly certified, operating under a verified Food Control Plan approved by the Queenstown Lakes District Council and the Ministry for Primary Industries. "Our kitchen is set up professionally but still feels like home — warm, aromatic, and full of life," Jayesh says.
Ordering is deliberately personal. Kerala Feast takes orders through Facebook, Instagram and phone calls, and weekly menus and festival specials are shared on Instagram at @keralafeast777. Regulars, friends and neighbours are often invited in to try new dishes or festival specials — the line between kitchen and community is delightfully thin.
Opening a dedicated restaurant remains a long-term dream, but for now the couple are content keeping things intimate. "Every dosa, every curry, every smile that walks through our door reminds us why we started — to share love through food."
For anyone in Queenstown craving the real flavours of South India — dosa fresh off the pan, curries fragrant with curry leaves, sweets made the traditional way — Kerala Feast in Lake Hayes is a short drive and a warm welcome away.