ANOTHER new eatery has opened in York’s booming restaurant quarter.

Kalpakavadi, specialising in South Indian cuisine, has been created in a former bookshop in Fossgate by the owners of Coconut Lagoon in Clarence Street.

Partners Saji Kurian and his wife Sminy, who opened Coconut Lagoon six years ago, said they could not resist the temptation to open a second outlet when the Fossgate property became available.

He said the vibrancy of the street and the importance of its food offer could not be ignored.

The 2,000 sq ft business is just the latest in a series of restaurants, cafes and bars to open in the street, with still more restaurateurs wanting to come there.

Letting agent Andrew Hedley, of Blacks Property Consultants, said in July that the former St Pauls Bookshop had attracted ‘considerable interest’ when offered to re-let and was over-subscribed when rental offers were sought.

He said regular events promoted by traders in the street and major improvements to the streetscape were factors in its success.

City of York Council has carried out a £500,000 revamp of Fossgate, with pavements widened, trees planted, benches and bike stands installed and new traffic signs put up, and several Fossgate Festivals are organised by traders every year, featuring live music, dancing and street food in a street closed to traffic.

Saji said the new restaurant’s name Kalpakavadi meant the land of coconuts, and it would feature Kerala cuisine, which involved a multitude of both vegetable and non-vegetable dishes, with a menu different to Coconut Lagoon.