Arranged Marriage Restaurant is a South Indian restaurant at 32 B The Square in New Plymouth, with a sister venue in Palmerston North. It has a 4.4 rating from 947 Google reviews. Its website describes Kerala cuisine in a New Zealand setting, built on spices and generous use of coconut, with dine-in and takeaway. The name refers to the marriage of Kerala flavours and New Zealand ideas. Reviewers mention fish in banana leaf, beef with sliced coconut and flaky parotta, and call it the best South Indian food they have had in New Zealand.
Kerala cooking differs from the North Indian curries many diners know: coconut, curry leaves, mustard seed and black pepper are used heavily, and fish and seafood play a big part along the coast. Parotta, a flaky layered bread, is made for dipping into gravy, so order it with a curry rather than rice alone. Dishes cooked in banana leaf are steamed and aromatic, and a good way to taste the spices without heavy sauce. If you are unsure, ask staff which dishes are signature Kerala plates and how spicy they are.
For Keralan food in New Plymouth, Arranged Marriage is an interesting place to try something different.