The bright pink walls of Rasa in Stoke Newington are almost as bold as the flavours in their south Indian dishes. Opened in the mid-1990s, the vegetarian Keralan joint still serves solid basics – masala dosa and chewy coiled paratha are always wholesome and moreish – as well as poppadoms, achappam and pappadavadai snacks, too.
The spice here isn't the kind to blow your head off either. Instead, delve into unusual dishes like moru kachiathu, a turmeric-infused, sweet-sour runny yoghurt dish made with mango and green banana for authentic Keralan flavour. Bagar baingan from Hyderabad, is a creamy, ultra-savoury delight; made of aubergines and ground cashew nuts, and pairs perfectly with puffed poories. Better still, everything on the menu is priced at less than a tenner, with many dishes around the £5 mark.