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Toddy Shop

Twenty-seat hotspot for punchy, group-friendly plates.

Toddy Shop occupies a tiny space in Fitzroy.
1 / 7Toddy Shop occupies a tiny space in Fitzroy.Ashley Ludkin
Toddy Shop’s tiny kitchen and bar.
2 / 7Toddy Shop’s tiny kitchen and bar.Luis Enrique Ascui
Peppery dry pork curry.
3 / 7Peppery dry pork curry.Luis Enrique Ascui
Egg, cabbage, dry pork and prawns with okra.
4 / 7Egg, cabbage, dry pork and prawns with okra.Luis Enrique Ascui
Sharing dishes.
5 / 7Sharing dishes.Hayden Dibb
Beef fry.
6 / 7Beef fry.Hayden Dibb
Fish nadan with a Kashmiri chilli broth.
7 / 7Fish nadan with a Kashmiri chilli broth.Supplied

Critics' Pick

Indian$

In Kerala, toddy shops are informal cafes serving alcoholic drinks made from fermented coconut sap. Chef Mischa Tropp pays homage to these food stands. Spins on well-trodden cocktails include the Toddy Colada: coconut, lime, curry leaf, pineapple and toddy over ice.

Dishes (many of them Tropp family recipes) are built for sharing, spooned onto stainless steel plates. Cubed pork for a peppery dry curry is fried in its own fat until it takes on a firm, jerky-like texture. Coconut and curry leaves are roasted for prawn theeyal, its sauce sharpened with tamarind.

Boiled eggs are oozy treasures in rich onion tomato gravy. Beetroot is cooked with ground mustard to make a perky pachadi. Sop it all up with delightfully nutty red matta rice. The room is tiny – the kitchen fits just one chef – but staff are well-drilled, efficient and friendly.

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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/vic-good-food-guide/toddy-shop-20241112-p5kq08.html