It is a love for dosas that led Kannan K. to open a joint dedicated to dosas. “I don’t mind having dosas throughout the day. Who doesn’t enjoy having crisp dosas with spicy, tangy chutney and piping hot sambar?,” he says. The week-old eatery near Chakka junction called Pai Dosa is already making waves by word of mouth publicity. And no, it is not a branch of the popular dosa corner Pai Brothers in Ernakulam.
There are over a 100 varieties of dosas to choose from. And the dosas, are not just dosas; they come crispy, buttery, cheesy, rolled, stuffed…, in short a gourmet’s delight.
“Our chief chef is an expert in dosas; he was working for years at a dosa only joint in Mumbai earlier.”
For the purists, come the traditional dosas – saadha, thattu, masala and so on. Those willing to experiment can go a step further and try Kandari dosa, Garlic dosa, Navaratna dosa and the like.
Those who want international flavours to their dosas can choose from Chinese cuisine-inspired dosas like Chinese roll dosa and Schezwan roll dosa and from a list of pizza dosas, a dosa, which resembles a pizza with its toppings. There are also ‘healthy’ dosas like finger millet dosa, wheat dosa and payaru dosa.
Die-hard non-vegetarians will be a tad disappointed as the only options they have are different kinds of egg-based dosas. All the dosas are served with two varieties of chammanthi, two sambars and a chammanthi podi.
However, as the eatery is still in its teething stage, not all the hundred are available yet. “We should be serving all varieties in a week or two,” says Kannan.
Apart from dosas, on the menu are omelettes and vadas. “We have cheese omelette, mixed omelette, kaada mutta omelette, aloo vada, sabudana vada, masala vada…”
I am spoilt for choice. I decide to go by the chef’s recommendation and order a Navaratna dosa.
The cook spreads a spoonful of the dosa batter on the hot griddle, places a generous helping of mixed fruits in the middle, folds it and soon the dish appears piping hot on my plate.
Although sweet, the dosa is not sickeningly sweet. One should eat this dish by itself and not dip pieces into the sambar or chutney.
While one can see the Indian varieties prepared live in an open kitchen, the others are prepared in a closed kitchen. The joint is cosy and is divided into an air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned section.
The restaurant which is open throughout the week is currently functioning from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. The timings will be changing shortly wherein it will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 12.30 a.m. Contact: 9446595555
