"In shock": Café Malabar named one of Canada’s best new restaurants
Hold onto your forks, Victoria, because a little food stand just pulled off a major culinary coup.
Café Malabar, the cozy Indian food stall tucked into the Victoria Public Market, has earned a spot on Air Canada’s list of Best New Restaurants in Canada — an impressive feat for any place but almost unheard of for a market stand.
If you need another reason to cheer, this is the second year in a row that Victoria has cracked the top ranks, following last year’s winner, Marilena Café and Raw Bar.
Café Malabar, dreamed up and run by Chef Kiran Kolathodan, his wife, Alexis, and business partner Karma Tenpa, isn’t just another Indian food spot. It’s a tribute to coastal Kerala’s rich flavours, blending fresh local ingredients with deeply rooted culinary traditions from Chef Kiran’s birthplace.
Cafe Malabar staff celebrating their win in Toronto/Provided
For Kiran, the journey began in his grandmother’s kitchen in Kerala, India, where he grew up cooking with fresh ingredients from the family’s garden. After studying hospitality in Mumbai and working his way through kitchens from Ontario to Vancouver Island, Kolathodan landed at The Westin Bear Mountain Lodge, where he met his now business partner, Karma Tenpa.
“It’s kind of wild, honestly,” says Alexis, recounting the surreal countdown during the awards.
“We were just hoping to land somewhere in the top 10. But as the numbers kept going down — 10, 9, 8 — our name still hadn’t come up. By the time they hit the top five, we were just staring at each other in shock. It was emotional, and we’re just so incredibly proud.”
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For Kiran, Café Malabar is the first time he’s had the chance to cook the flavours of his heritage as a professional chef, and he’s excited to highlight a regional cuisine that’s often overlooked.
“Indian food is so diverse, just like Italian food is,” he explained. “If people can appreciate the differences between regions in Italy, they can definitely understand that India has its own diversity and special tastes too.”
@cafemalabar/Instagram
Kiran is from the Malabar Coast, which is known for its vibrant, layered dishes. This culinary heritage is one where every meal is a statement, and everyone around you is an enthusiastic critic.
Since opening the stand, Kiran’s cooking has drawn fans from Victoria’s growing Indian community and locals who have fallen in love with this hole-in-the-wall.
“We don’t see ourselves as just a food stall,” says Alexis. “Our dream from the start has been to open a full restaurant, so we treat every service like that’s what we are. When you sit with us, we serve your table, bring water, clear plates — we bring the bill to you. It’s not your typical food stand where you just pay, grab your food, and walk away.”
The future for Café Malabar looks promising.
Alexis shared that they’d love to have a space of their own someday. In the meantime, they’re planning to host more intimate dining events like their “Kadal Amma” (“Mother of the Sea”) experience, which is a private dinner with an eight-course dinner menu.
Café Malabar isn’t just a restaurant; it’s a labour of love, as well as a gamble. For Kiran, he left some stable chef gigs to run this stand, and the recognition — while not everything to the team — makes the risk that much sweeter.
It just goes to show that exceptional food doesn’t need a tablecloth.
See the full list of Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2024 here.
Café Malabar
Where: Victoria Public Market — 1701 Douglas Street #6, Victoria