Copra

Copra doesn't do subtle. The dining room in Japantown is thick with macrame, woven baskets, hanging vines and more greenery than seems structurally reasonable — the kind of space that could double as a destination wedding venue. It would be easy for a room like this to coast on looks. It doesn't.

The kitchen, from the team behind Ettan in Palo Alto, makes South Indian and Sri Lankan food that holds its own against the scenery. Lacy appam arrives with a soft jiggly egg and shavings of black truffle, a dish that reads as showy and then eats as precise. The chutneys carry real heat, handed over with a flourish that matches the room instead of apologizing for it. This is food built to impress and willing to back it up.

Service wobbles — it can run slow on busy nights, and consistency isn't locked in dish to dish. But the hits are frequent enough, and big enough, that the misses read as friction rather than failure. Copra earned a spot in the Michelin Guide's most recent selection, and the case for it doesn't need the stamp. Dress for the occasion. Go hungry.