Copra [San Francisco, Japantown]

[Mr_Happy]

I had a nice dinner at the bar at Copra. Copra is a restaurant from chef Srijith Gopinathan, formerly chef at two Michelin starred Campton Place and also chef at Ettan in Palo Alto. Copra’s menu is influenced by the cuisine of Kerala in southern India and surrounding regions, where chef Gopinath is from. The name of the restaurant refers to the dried meat of a coconut. It’s on Fillmore and Post near Japantown, where Dosa used to be. Eater blurb here with more info:

Step Inside Copra, a Stunning Tropical Oasis Serving Well-Spiced Southern...

It’s a nice space with very high ceilings.

I had a couple cocktails:

CLARIFIED LASSI PUNCH ($18)
SCOTCH, RUM, PINEAPPLE, CAYENNE, MANGO, WHITE PEPPER
On the rock. Nice and tropical.

ORANGE RUBY ($15)
LEMONGRASS, WILDERTON LUSTRE, VIBRANTE, ORANGE BLOSSOM, TONIC, MAKRUT
This is a non-alcoholic mocktail. It had a nice bitterness and was not too sweet. Very refreshing.

Since I was solo I just had some things off of the first and second sections of the menu.

SIX OYSTERS ($24)
fermented chilies, white soy, tamarind
Miyagi oysters, nicely shucked. There was an interesting sauce that came with the oysters that was salty and a little sour. Very good with the oysters.

SHRIMP VENNAI ROAST ($18)
chili chutney, brown butter, curry leaves, lime
Perfectly cooked shrimp, with a nicely spiced paste that had only a bit of heat, and a lime wedge. Delicious.

SLOW-COOKED OCTOPUS ($19)
jaffna curry leaf rub, yogurt, pomelo, mint
This was good. One super tender octopus tentacle, with grapefruit like pomelo slices and a yogurt sauce drizzled around it.

THATTUKADA FRIED CHICKEN ($16)
fennel seeds, red chilies, black pepper, shallots, masala crumbs
Some nicely fried lightly coated moist boneless chicken, spiced with only a bit of heat, with some crispy fried curry leaves and little “masala crumbs” that tasted a bit like seasoned shredded coconut. With a lime wedge to cut through the fat. Very good. This was the most substantial of the dishes I had.

CHARGRILLED BONE MARROW ($20)
chukka masala, roast gravy, shallot, pickles, mustard, Kerala parotta
This was great! My favorite dish of the night. The delicious meaty gravy had I think cardamom, maybe tamarind? The many layered parotta on the side was super flaky and crispy and soft in the middle. I dipped pieces of the parotta in the gravy and scooped some of the fatty marrow on top of them.

For dessert I had a cup of ginger-cardamom chaya ($5) which was a nice cup of chai.

Menus:

[TheLibrarian28]

Wow - everything looks great!

[GretchenS]

That bone marrow looks incredible!

[Annegrace]

Looks fabulous. Have been to that space when it was Dosa. Also eaten at Ettan once. I love Indian food. Has Dosa completely closed down?

[Mr_Happy]

@Annegrace

Has Dosa completely closed down?

Yeah looks like they’ve closed down all of their restaurants, most recently in 2021.

https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Bay-Area-mini-chain-Dosa-closed-its-last-location-16589193.php

Looks like their ready-to-eat products are still available at Whole Foods, etc. though.

Fresh Indian Sauces, Lassis, & Prepared Meals | dosa by Dosa

[sck]

How does it compare to Ettan? We are quite fond of Ettan.

[Annegrace]

I’ve only eaten at Ettan once. Need to go back. Went to Dosa a lot and really liked it. Need to try Zareen’s. Enjoyed Burma Love in Menlo Park a couple of weeks ago.

[Lethe2020 (Jeane)]

Good to hear chef Srijith Gopinathan has branched out to SF. Even at Campton Place, where the Indian elements were tamped down, it was clear to us after a dinner there that this chef was immensely talented.

We did see the good news that the chef at Rooh is opening a fast/casual family style restaurant at Emeryville’s Bay Street Mall, which has been revamping its food vendors. It will supposedly have NE and Southern Indian dishes that are “hard to find here”. Unfortunately we don’t get to SF or the Peninsula very often, so it’s exciting to hear one of these newer Indian restaurants coming to the EBay.

[mariacarmen (maria ascarrunz)]

In memory of my friend’s dear mother, who passed away 3 years ago on 4/14, we went to Copra for their regional, Southern Indian (Kerala) New Year’s prix fixe, brunch feast - Vishu Sadhya. It was a fully vegetarian meal, and my friend (who is fully veg) said there were some dishes she herself had never tried, here or in India.

Besides being a stunningly beautiful meal, everything was wonderful.

Desserts:

Banana, coconut, and what we think was crumbled papadam!

Much like a loose rice pudding but cardamom-y. Delicious.

There was coconut in most of the dishes, in some form or other, which I fortunately love. Loved the dal, the kutu curry, olan, chutneys and pickles… so many distinct flavors, ranging from sweet, spicy peppery, salty and sour. The Sambaram (buttermilk) was a new one for me, and reminded me of the Persian drink, doogh. Everything was fantastic but the papadam were the best I’ve ever had - incredibly light, airy, crispy, and buttery - and we ordered another to share AFTER dessert. My friend thought there might not be enough food but I was so full by the end I could barely breathe. Worth it.

It’s a gorgeous space, and we were sat upstairs. I’d never been before, this was my friend’s second visit. I’d go back and try their regular menu next time - especially some of those splendid dishes @Mr_Happy had!

[BierMonk]

This is the same Chef that was at Campton Place Years ago?
I think the Papad that you are talking about is made from Urid Dal and it is on your Sweet as well
Meal looks great much like the Traditional Sadya l eaten on Onam in Kerala.
From an Onam Day I spent with a Keralan Family

[mariacarmen (maria ascarrunz)]

i’m not sure - i never went to Campton Place. But above posters seem to say it was the same chef.

Yes, i do believe the papadam was on the sweet too!

[Mr_Happy]

Looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing.