Mother's Day at Dosa on Fillmore!

This Mother’s Day was special. With my sister and dad in India, my mom came up to SF for the weekend. Sheila’s folks also drove up from San Jose for a family lunch. Instead of going to your typical North Indian curry house. We decided on Dosa on Fillmore.

The concept of elevated South Indian cuisine – dosas, uttapams, and idli/sambar – foods that are typically served at corner stalls. It’s sister location on Valencia is a much smaller venue both this one has an amazing open floor plan with 20+ ft ceiling, beautiful chandeliers, and vivid ethnic prints.

We arrived for an early lunch at 11:45am and were seated in the loft space upstairs. After perusing the menu for a few minutes we decided on several appetizers, entrees, and lassis. Time passed quickly as we all talked about recent trips to India, family happenings, and of course food!

Okay on the food, certainly secondary to spending time with our Moms -

Sweet Lassi – cool and refreshed, but only had one note. I was looking for some cinnamon or saffron to finish off the flavor profile. Mind you I had not trouble drinking to entire glass in a matter of minutes.

Bhel Puri – the best plate on the table. A very good balance on two levels - sweet and savory; then chewy and crunchy. The ingredient list is simple – puffed rice, garbanzo beans, onions, fried chickpea flour (sev), cilantro, mango, tamarind chutney, and mint chutney. The cooked garbanzo beans and mango were a pleasant surprise, not standard for bhel puri. The beans were slightly al dente and the mango slightly under ripe; allowing for neither to get soggy. The amount was perfect to share amongst the five of us. We’d order this again for sure.

Mung Daal Salad – a refreshing cold salad bursting with fresh flavors. It was created with sprouted mung beans, jicama cubes, finely diced tomatoes, chopped red onions, and cilantro-lime vinaigrette. On the surface you wouldn’t think much, but all it took was one bite for the mom’s to give their approval. The rest of the meal was spent trying to decipher all the spices and ingredients in this dish – perhaps a home version will be attempted the next time we visit Cerritos!

Masala Dosa – a crispy Indian crepe filled with a stuffing of potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and peas. It was served with coconut chutney, chilly chutney, and sambar. The dosa was certainly crispy and the sambar piping hot, but they were heavy handed with the salt. It’s likely because Sheila and I have cut down on our sodium intake over the past few years. I have to say that when eaten in tandem with the stuffing, the dosa balanced out well. Garam masala was prevalent; it’s the heat you feel going down to your stomach. I’d go for Udipi Palace’s version instead.

Paneer & Peas Dosa – an Indian crepe stuffed with shredded paneer and peas. It was also served with the same sambars and chutneys. After one bit, it was apparent that the filling was too heavy; an overwhelming heap of paneer. Admittedly the filling was good, but I couldn’t taste the very thin dosa at all. I only got through two-thirds of the dish, so we’ll see of the tastes marry overnight when had as leftovers.

Fresh Fruit Napoleon Uttapam – three mini uttapams sandwiched with cooked apples, pears, shaved coconut, and strawberry/tamarind chutney. It was part of Dosa’s brunch menu and certainly their attempt at Indian pancakes. I felt that the uttapam was too thick, perhaps because my few bites didn’t incorporate the all the toppings. Sheila loved this dish – it was a nice finish to the predominately savory meal. Kinda wish we had ordered this for dessert though.

All in all, it was the company more than the venue or food that made today memorable. We joked, laughed, and spent precious time together. We’d go back to Dosa, but it won’t be the same if not accompanied by our moms.

Indian roadside fare at Vik’s Chaat Corner

In any country, the cuisine eaten by locals at roadside shacks, food carts, and sidewalk stalls is as authentic as it gets. There’s a place in Berkeley that has taken the Indian to new heights, not because of the décor, clientele, or location, but simply for the food. It’s called Vik’s Chaat Corner on 4^th and Channing.

Vik’s sits in an indistinct brick warehouse, in which the front of house is a small Indian grocer and the back is a cavernous open dining area. Food is ordered from a counter on one side of the space. On the opposite site, a half a dozen “stalls” prepare the food items and call out orders as they are ready.

We took our good friend A&G, who were visiting from London. It was an eye opening experience for them especially since the line was 25 deep to order (wrapped around several tables); the menu was listed on a chalkboard behind a large display cabinet of Indian sweets; there were stainless steel table tops, and you had to buss your on tables. The epitome of Indian chaos that somehow works!

We decided to order family style so A&G could sample several different items. Of course everything on the menu sounded amazing, but here’s what we tasted.

Masala Dosa - a crispy savory South Indian crepe (dosa) filled with potato, peas, onion, and tomato dry curry (masala). It is served with sambar and coconut chutney. Vik’s dosa came out piping hot and stays crispy for quite some time. The masala packed heat but was not overpowered with spice. Even without the masala, the dosa tastes amazing when dipped in the warm sambar. Other restaurants tend to douse their dosa in either butter or oil. Vik’s dosa is not oily, which allow for the true flavors to come through. It’s on par with Udipi Palace in Silicon Valley.

Dahi Batata Puri – Puffed puri filled with yogurt, tamarind chutney, potatoes, sev, cilantro, onion, and red chili powder. This type of food can be found on virtually every street corner in Mumbai. Vik’s dahi batata puri is served cold; each puri is a bit-size amount bursting with a peculiar mix of savory and sweet. Since this dish is overflowing with yogurt, it’s a great compliment to some of the spicier dishes. It should be eaten first because the puris will become soggy quickly. Sheila and I try to replicate this meal at home quite often; it’s the sincerest form of flattery.

Aloo Tikki – Pan fried potato patties drizzled with cooked garbanzo beans (chole), tamarind chutney, mint chutney, onions, cilantro, and chili powder. The patties and chole were piping hot; the chutneys and accompaniments were served cold. It’s a heavy dish though which after three/four bites started fill me up. In addition, the spice factor hit me heard quite hard and if it weren’t for the left over yogurt from the dahi batata puri, I would have drank several water glasses.

Veg Kathi Roll – Vik’s uses minced paneer instead of cubes, which allows for more cohesive flavor throughout. Along with paneer, the roti roll was also filled with cooked green peppers, onions, tomatoes, and chili sauce. Having eaten several types of kathi rolls while in India recently; I have to say that Vik’s roll is good, but not memorable. I actually prefer the ones from Kasa in the Mission. Check back with me after the India trip wears out and I might change my mind!

Mango Lassi – Made fresh everyday, Vik’s lassi is the perfect southing agent to quell Indian spices. Aside from the natural sweetness of the mango, no other sugars are added. Served in only one size, it’s difficult to make it last the entire meal.

A&G thoroughly enjoyed Vik’s Chaat Corner; reminded them of when we all went to Tulsi in Wembley (London). Sheila and I have been going there for over 8 years and three times in the past few months. It’s the food that draws us and the other cult followers. Don’t judge this book by its cover. Head to the bring warehouse near the railroad tracks for the best India street food in the Bay Area!