The drink list was interesting and included not only a selection of Indian beers, and the requisite lassis of course, but a variety of wines and cocktails made with soju, a Korean spirit distilled from rice and barley. In fact, they even have a house-infused lychee soju, which I promise to sample on another visit, if I can make it past the lassi. (Oh, and they also offer a soju-laced mango lassi. Interesting.)
But again, I digress. I know you are dying to hear about my lassi. In a word: divine. Either a very close second to Vik's version or perhaps even a tie, but definitely in the same league. (I might have to do a taste test in the very near future, if I can figure out how to make it all the way over the Bay Bridge without slurping it down.)
Lassis in hand, and with a plate of freshly-fried peppery pappadums (which were delicious but made me wish for some chutney), we were finally able to peruse the menu.
Starters range from some interesting salads, like fried paneer and romaine or a lemony chickpea salad, to small plates (chaat) of sambar-doused dumplings and steamed cakes to fried onion pakoras. We opted for the Dahi Vada, two plump lentil dumplings served chilled with spiced yogurt and tamarind sauce (and a green cilantro? chutney). The overall flavor was pretty good, but we found the dumplings to be a little dry and we wished for more tangy-sweet tamarind sauce to offset the savory flavors.
Entrees, as you might have guessed, weigh heavily on the dosa--crisp rice and lentil flour crepes that are slightly tangy from fermentation which are stuffed with a medley of options--with a couple of forays into uttapam (thick, open-faced dosas) and other Southern Indian specialties, such as lamb curry.
We chose the Spring Dosa, which was described as a masala dosa (masala dosas typically have a filling of spicy Indian potatoes, onions, and cashews) with the addition of fresh vegetables. The dosa we ordered was presented quite differently than any other dosa I've had, in three small cylinders that were stuffed full, rather than the bigger-than-your-dog dosas that have more crepe and less filling (granted, I noticed that they did serve the traditional masala dosa in the traditional way). The crepe itself was crisp and sour, just what you'd expect from a proper dosa. The filling, however, threw me off. I suppose when they listed "fresh vegetables" I might have made the leap to mean raw vegetables. The yummy masala component of the dosa was completely lost in a tangle of shredded raw cabbage, carrots, onions, and blanched peas. Not my favorite, but it was saved by the addictively delicious sambar (a lentil dipping soup with mixed--cooked--vegetables and spices) and superb coconut and spicy tomato chutneys which are served with each dosa entree.
We also ordered the "South Indian Moons" uttapam, five small uttapam "pancakes" of the chef's choosing (um, whatever was available in the kitchen?), also served with the yummy sambar and chutneys along with spicy channa (garbanzos), one of my all-time favorite Indian dishes. I've never actually eaten uttapam, so I really didn't have anything to compare them to, but I wasn't in love. The seemed more like thick pancakes with unimpressive fillings, again, saved by the fantastic embellishments.
Stuffed full, we couldn't make it to dessert (really what I wanted was another mango lassi, but I couldn't find room for it!). But I will definitely return to sample the masala dosa, in all it's traditional and simplistic flair, and of course, for more creamy mango lassis.
Dosa
995 Valencia @ 21st Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.642.3672
Open for dinner only
Closed Monday
