Mischa Tropp’s ‘Toddy Shop’ Brings Local Keralan Cuisine to Melbourne

In Kerala, the best food is found not at hotels or upscale restaurants, but at toddy shops. These are unassuming liquor joints, where, traditionally, male patrons would guzzle toddy, or palm wine, to wash down a range of local South Indian food. 

Keralan chef Mischa Tropp has now brought the magic of the Keralan establishments to Melbourne, where he was born and raised. Toddy Shop is Mischa’s modern take on the age-old enterprise, serving homestyle food, cocktails, beer, and wine. 

Toddy Shop is a colorful 20-seat establishment in Fitzroy, Melbourne. In essence, it’s Mischa’s tribute to a deep-rooted culture of communal feasting, with traditional food bringing people together. “It’s a place where the local community should come and feel welcome,” says Mischa. Embellished with goods reminiscent of its Keralan counterparts – antiques, cans of ghee, old photos, bright red bags of matta rice – the restaurant is a blend of Mischa’s traditional roots with his western upbringing. 

Mischa has created space for Keralan culture in an environment where it isn’t available. He tells us that he prioritizes time-honored practices in his craft. “I find recipes and learn how to cook things that people have already figured out how to do well. A lot of what I do at Toddy Shop is take influence from things I love and try to replicate them in a way that I think does them justice,” he says. Part of Toddy Shop’s charm is that Mischa doesn’t stray far from South India’s classics. Dishes like prawn moilee, kadala, and fish nadan are regularly rotated on the chef’s specials menu. 

It wasn’t until he began to soul-search in his twenties that Mischa identified with his roots. Growing up in white suburbia, there were few opportunities to engage with his culture and ancestry, aside from learning about Keralan cuisine from his parents here and there. 

In 2014, Mischa visited India for the first time. Since then, the Australian-born chef has returned at least once a year to continue pursuing knowledge about his heritage and craft. A turning point for him was a six-week stint in Kerala with his family, which he equates to an immersion of sorts. “That was the basis of me getting to understand Keralan food,” says Mischa, “Since then I’ve gone on other trips to Kerala or other parts of India. It’s something I make an effort to do regularly. There’s always something I get out of it, even if I’m not searching for it.” 

Mischa acknowledges that his identity is two-fold, and wants to continue nurturing his expertise on Indian cuisine. “I’m sharing a version of it that I know,” he says, “Growing up here in Australia, I can communicate it in a way that people understand.” ❊