3 Leaves started life in 2016 as a simple street food stall in Blackrock Market, yet chef Santosh Thomas’s cooking was too good to stay a casual secret. The 12 seats were constantly full, with lunchtime queues snaking through the market daily. Word spread far beyond the locality, prompting Santosh and his charming wife, Milie Mathew, to take on the space next door when it become available.
There’s 24 seats now, and while no bookings are taken for lunch, reservations are essential for dinner, which is served on Fridays and Saturday nights only. (There’s BYOB with corkage for dinner – €5 for wine and €2 for beer – but not at lunch, when water and minerals are on the menu.)
If there isn’t a queue, then the jaunty aqua exterior and potted banana tree will let you know you’ve found the spot. The no-frills dining room is perfectly comfortable and draws most of its atmosphere from the closely packed tables and Milie’s warm and maternal presence. Charismatic and fun, she is delighted to share stories of 3 Leaves food with her customers, from cooking techniques to regional variations.
Santosh is a wizard with spices, layering heat and fragrance to craft authentic dishes that sing with zesty flavours. Working from a tiny kitchen he whips up moreish delights like earthy dahl, palak pakora chaat (spinach fritters), pav bhaji (bread rolls with a spicy paste) and flaky paratha (flaky flatbreads). A signature dish, the riotous chole samosa chaat, is worth the trip alone.
The lunch menu is split into three sections, including Indian street food snacks, curries and a taster menu while dinner comprises a three-course no choice offering.
While Milie and Santosh hail from southern India, 3 Leaves’ food draws from the sub-continent’s many cooking styles, to keep menus fresh and exciting. Curries of the day might include murg mumtaz (creamy chicken curry) or spicy gosht falaknuma (slow-cooked lamb curry), beef masala, Malabar fish curry, biryani and always a vegetarian option.
The highly recommended taster menu is the best way to sample the range of flavours, with a selection of the day’s curries served with rice, bread and imaginative vegetable side dishes, including superb dahl. At €15.95 this kaleidoscopic platter is filling and delicious, a colourful explosion of spices, herbs and textures.
Changing the perception of Indian food in Ireland, dish by dish, 3 Leaves is a joy. The cooking is joyful too, which, in our books, makes for the very best kind of food.
