Chennai Dosa

16 March 2015 - Chennai Dosa: A cheeky dosa curry blogging

Yes, it's been a while, too long some might say. Nevertheless, we go onwards into 2015, continuing on our curry quest. 

We haven't posted since August last year, but don't worry, we have been eating... just not anywhere new in Tooting. Most recently I was again impressed by Namak Mandi, and also got my first taste of India in November (Kerala) which reaffirmed my love of the food and opened my eyes to a host of new culinary delights.

On this occasion though, we were back in Tooting and tried Chennai Dosa for the first time. Often overlooked by us due to it's lack of alcohol, on a Monday evening that didn't seem too important.

Venue

Chennai Dosa, Tooting, is one of several in the same chain found across South East London. Situated on the corner of the main road and Foulser Road, it's bright white signage is very welcoming, and draws the eye if travelling Southbound from Tooting Bec, even with the luring lights of Spice Village in the middle distance behind.

Whilst Spice Village has recently had a refurb, sadly the same can't be said of Chennai Dosa. Inside you'll find garishly coloured window ledges, red and white warning tape covering broken mirror edges and similar, masking-tape repairs made to the chair cushions.However, I am torn (much like the chairs) about this bleak sounding eatery. On the one hand it doesn't sound pleasant, but on the other hand it evokes fond memories of similar restaurants I frequented in India, with the metallic crockery and distinctive menu only adding to this sense of nostalgia. Maybe I'm just a romantic or my nostalgia formed a pair of rose-tinted spectacles upon my nose (yes Jon Inverdale, rose-TINted), but I quite liked what I'm going to describe as the 'character' of this place.

That said, this blog and our reputation has always been based on our objectivity and integrity (my nose strangely grows as I write this), therefore, it's only right to compare like for like. In this respect, Chennai Dosa's decor doesn't compare to the likes of Spice Village. But then again the curry scene in Tooting is certainly not based on contemporary interior design (far from it), and I for one found Chennai Dosa uniquely charming and I hope others who have visited India share my thoughts and feelings upon eating here.

In the interests of a balanced view, I'll give Venue a 6 out of 10.

Starters and Sides

Chilli Fried Idly
Chicken Varuval (Medium Dry)
5 Parotta

The menu here is as authentically Indian as the interior. This is quite distinctive from the rest of the high street in so far as it doesn't try to balance the menu with your typical Anglicized dishes, (I'm looking at you chicken tikka masala!).

The starter menu is dominated by vadai (savoury fritter-type donuts), gobi (cauliflower) and dry meat dishes. Not being a huge fan of the former two, we opted for a medium dry chicken dish -the chicken varuval - and the one idly dish - the chili fried idly.

Having overlooked the fact that the idly was fried, this wasn't quite as expected. The idly itself was actually quite nice, but it came in almost a sweet and sour sauce that was more Chinese than Indian and a little odd.

The varuval was arguably the stand out dish and when scooped up with the parotta was most evocative of the dishes I'd had on holiday in Kerala, with real strong, cardamon and fennel flavours coming through. However, I don't think you wouldn't want to eat it without rice or bread.

The bread we had was parotta. Despite sounding more like an Italian footballer, parotta is actually a layered flatbread, a bit more pancake-like and stodgy than a chappati or naan. They tend to be a little greasy, but these were very good and a perfect accompaniment to the varuval and curry.

Whilst the varuval and parotta were good, the idly wasn't great and, compared to other starter menus elsewhere, Chennai Dosa's isn't overly exciting. Perhaps harsh, but I'll give a 6 for starters, particularly as the varuval was more like a curry anyway.

Curry

Special chicken curry
Special mutton curry

In a slightly criminal stance, and hiding behind our moniker of curry blog, we didn't actually try the dosa. Instead, we opted for two of the eight curries on offer. After the prawn masala was out, we asked the waiter for his recommendation and ended up with the special chicken and special mutton curries. Not giving much away with their names, upon tasting they were both decent, but slightly nondescript. The quality of the meat was ok, but difficult to tell the difference between the two beyond their colour. However, once again they tasted of the real thing and, throwing the varuval into the mix, worthy of a 7 out of 10 even if a little generous.

Service

The lads in here were much friendlier than others, quite attentive and offered recommendations willingly. It wasn't too busy and the two starters came out separately, but otherwise no complaints. 7/10.

Value For Money

Good value to be found here, both of us were amply filled for £30 including a generous tip. No beers here to add to the cost either and curries were no more than a fiver each. Perhaps other places have surprised us more with greater quantity and quality for similar prices, so a 7/10 is fair score.

Summary

My nostalgia aside, Chennai Dosa is not going to blow you away, but is a solid choice for dosas and the like for those with slightly more authentic leanings. Not the one for a big, sociable group curry, perhaps more of a lunch or breakfast choice, but nonetheless decent flavours and a nice diversion from the usual options.

33/50

Daawat - 9 Jan 2014

9 January 2014 – Daawat: A Dosa & A Daawat

Full of New Year resolve and health binge reverie we decided to go for a curry. Whilst we made a dent in our fitness plans, the same pain wasn’t felt by our wallets as the kind folk at Zomato welcomed in our 2014 with a gift voucher. In the process, we inadvertently celebrated our two year anniversary too (the blog’s, not mine and Tom’s).

The money off was to sample Daawat’s thali menu and so that’s what we did. Poor form to start 2014 outside of Tooting, but we’re not going to turn down free food, least not when it’s only a short stroll from work.

Venue

Dawaat is situated off the Strand and is part of the Strand Palace Hotel, but there was no red carpet rolled out for us, instead we entered via the side entrance on Burleigh Street.

Upon entry we were given a choice of seats…pretty much all of them as there was no one there. We chose a table by the window and took in our desolate surroundings.

The tables were each adorned with a flower in a glass, and the deep red of the walls juxtaposed tastefully with the dark wood furniture, picture frames and white coving. However, eagle-eyed Tom Scrimgour noted down the paper table cloths and surmised that the rest of the interior may not be as high end as it first appears.

The few other diners seemed to be hotel guests who had stumbled in the wrong door on the way to the hotel bar or tourists looking for a real British experience. We jest of course, but eavesdropping on a table twenty metres away revealed the not so dulcet tones of some Americans that suggested our suspicions were well-founded. Indeed, the request for something ‘full bodied’ from the wine list that overbore the calming, authentic restaurant music, confirmed we weren’t in the company of fellow enthusiasts. Undeterred (mostly as we were comfortably at a distance from these cowboys) we reached for the menu.

6/10.

Starters and Sides (Thali)

Methi Murgh Kebab
Punjabi Chole (Chickpeas)
Dal Tadka (Lentils)
Jeera Aloo (Potatoes)
Rice
Naan
Pappadom
Salad

As we were sent to sample the thali menu we obliged accordingly.  As such, the starter, sides and curry all came at once.

For starter, we had a choice of methi murgh kebab or vegetable samosa. We each opted for the chicken kebab that had a nice, zingy fenugreek flavour. This was complimented by a plethora of small side dishes (katori) that offered a range of vegetarian dipping options for the naan and poppadum, both of which were very fresh. The lentil, dal tadka was my favourite, but the chole and jeera aloo were each distinct and worthy contributors to the thali.

All in all, the platters were fair in size, but the downside of this form of meal is that all items get cold quite quickly. Unfortunately, nothing really took our breath away either.

Some consolation was the third course on the menu – desert. We had a triple chocolate bavarois (read posh cheesecake) and some pistachio kulfi. Both were very good, with the kulfi taking us pleasantly by surprise. As this isn’t usually our field, we won’t take into account here, 6/10 it is then for starters and sides.

Curry

Chef’s own lamb rogan josh
Goan prawn curry

For the main we turned down the choices of chicken tikka masala and paneer makhani for the chef’s own lamb rogan josh and Goan prawn curry. Presumably the chef also had a hand in the Goan prawn which ticked all the right boxes with a healthy kick and tangy, tamarind and coconut sauce that complimented the rice. The slow braised lamb came in a light, mace and cinnamon curry that was equally punchy.  Both dishes were thin in texture and in portion, but still more than decent in flavour. 7/10.

Staff

The staff were very attentive and constantly asked us how our meal was. The cynic in me would say this is because we had a voucher and they knew our game, or simply because they had nothing better to do given the lack of visitors, but nevertheless it was appreciated. Beyond this, our main waiter wasn’t much of a talker, but he seemed a good lad. Not a huge amount to add – 7/10.

Value For Money

After 7pm the thali is £18 for three courses, which is perhaps a little steep, but is available earlier for less, at 4-7pm for £15. The beer was also a bit pricey at £4.50 a bottle. I suppose you’re always going to pay tourist prices in central London so we can’t be too harsh, but once again we find another reason to go to Tooting for a curry instead. 6/10 for value for money, but may have been lower had we not received a voucher.

Summary

A decent, pre-theatre, venue with a convenient set menu to boot, we didn’t have anything to complain about at Daawat apart from maybe the atmosphere. We’ll put that down to seasonality on this occasion, but otherwise nothing really knocked our socks off, leaving us with a final total of 32/50.

As a bonus we got some free market research (our favourite).

For those interested: Fair, Excellent, N/A, Good, Good, Excellent, Poor, Fair to Good.

Dawat - 19 Nov 2013

19 November 2013 - Dawat: Dawat's for dinner?

After receiving some recommendations on Twitter, we popped into Dawat to see what all the fuss was about.

Venue

You could be forgiven for passing by Dawat. Tucked in between Dadu’s cash and carry and Jasmin’s function room its unassuming pink signage can be lost in your peripheral vision as you try and negotiate the hubbub of the Upper Tooting Road. Plus, most curry aficionados will no doubt have one eye on Mirch Masala a short way further down the street, or Masaledar in the opposite direction - tough neighbours to compete with, not least due to Dawat’s somewhat confused interior.

The place feels like it’s caught in an identity crisis between take away, restaurant and banquet hall. Facing the back, I felt like I was back in Thailand in a dubiously decorated hotel lobby dining area, whilst Tom, looking out to the road, felt like he was in a living room; not least due to all the families present. It felt at times like we were interrupting the mid-week, evening meal, and the pale green adorning the walls added to the discomfort.

Other notable features were the Fortress of Solitude style lights and a large and mysterious wooden door to the left – who knows, maybe the entrance to an Aladdin’s cave of curry pleasure, but probably not.

Generally, Dawat lacks the frenetic atmosphere of Mirch or Lahore Karahi up the road, but neither does it impress with more cultured design and decoration. This said, our fellow diners seemed very much at home, comfortably seeking the waiters’ attention and signalling orders with the art of fingers and nods, as if the kebabs were being auctioned. I suppose we felt slightly unsure of ourselves, but we were welcomed with smiles and the food eased our concerns.

5/10 for Venue.

Starters and Sides

Poppadoms
Mango Lassi
Coconut Rice
Kulcha Naan
Peshwari Naan
Chicken Shashlick

The poppadoms were some of the best, and the mango chutney was bucket-sized in its generosity, much to Tom’s approval. The chicken shashlick was standard, but with a little bit of a stronger kick than some of the more Anglicised tikka offerings elsewhere on the high street. However, perhaps we should have been more adventurous in our choice of starter.

The breads proved more pleasing, with the sesame of the kulcha naan adding a nutty edge to proceedings and the buttery peshwari providing the perfect compliment to the prawn curry. The coconut rice was decent too and is seemingly becoming our rice of choice (sorry pilau).

You’ll also note the mango lassi indicating the no alcohol policy Dawat operates. We can’t say we condone this, but always respect our hosts. 7/10.

Curry

Deigi Methi Gosht
Tandoori King Prawn Curry

We were recommended the dal gosht, but opted for the deigi methi gosht instead. After the less than impressive surroundings, the main dishes more than made the visit worthwhile. The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth, fall-off-the-bone good and the methi sauce rich with bitter herb flavours. Likewise, the prawn was excellent. The rich tomato curry was filled to the brim with juicy butterflied king prawns and was lovingly mopped up with naan to the last.  These two dishes more than made up for the choice of paint and the odd wooden furnishings  - 9/10.

Staff

As mentioned, the staff were welcoming and quite attentive to surrounding diners’ whimsical gesturing. Our waiter was very smiley and several other gleams met us on entry and departure too. We also noted our options being taken down on a crib sheet order book which we appreciated for its efficiency. Beyond this, there was little of note to mention from the staff so a steady 6 out of 10 it is.

VFM

Whilst the curries were delightful and the prawn was at a pound premium, Dawat is still a fraction more expensive than elsewhere. We were charged extra for the mango chutney, which is not a policy we’re huge fans of (despite ensuring we got our money’s worth). Similarly, the litre bottle of Evian placed on our table was not free. Whilst we were quite aware what was going on we always like to give the benefit of the doubt, often to be disappointed by these unnecessary and underhand techniques. Anyway, at £40 a head with tip it wasn’t too bad, but not as competitive as it could have been; 6/10.

Summary

Dawat was never going to be top of our list when we set out on this Tooting tasting trek, but the main dishes here reached impressive heights. Evidently we weren't overwhelmed by the venue itself, but the scores have come in at a mid-table 33/50. Dawat are you waiting for? Check it out for yourself!

Sree Krishna - 3 Oct 2013

3 October 2013 - Sree Krishna: Where it all began

The year is 1973, a swathe of renewed hope is sweeping the US as Richard Nixon is inaugurated for his second presidential term and the Vietnam War has just come to an end. Across the Atlantic, the UK looks forward to economic prosperity upon joining the European Economic Community and, in South London, on the crest of this wave of optimism, one man dared to dream.

Forty years on, Nixon’s presidency is marred by the Watergate scandal and the European Union is suffering a recession, but Mr ‘Mickey’ Ramanarayanan’s restaurant reverie – Sree Krishna – is still going strong after spawning a cultural revolution in Tooting.

Here we review this bastion of local history, an establishment, without which, this blog would quite literally not exist.

On this occasion, we were joined by Liam Corry, a new resident of Tooting who, two months ago, cheated death when he was hit by a bus in Balham – presumably surviving because he couldn’t leave us without paying homage to the spiritual home of Tooting curry. Good lad.

Like Apu going in search of the original Kwik-E Mart, we ventured down to Broadway to pay our respects…

Venue

Sree Krishna is situated in an imposing grey marble building on the corner of Carlwell Street and Tooting High Street. At night the scene is slightly more welcoming with blue neon piping around the sign and fairy lights in the windows, but the environ within is more mood-lit and traditional than some of the chaos elsewhere up the road.

On our visit it felt a bit stuffy, and Liam even remarked: ‘it smells like Grandma’, but I’ve no idea what he was talking about. However, it did feel more athenaeum than curry house, but this is as one might expect from a venue of such esteem. Indeed, the marble floors, smart furniture and crockery (that appears to have been renewed since my last visit) are all befitting of the place and its reverence. Plus when the draught is on, it’s less than £3 for a Kingfisher - howay the lads!

All in all, there’s no arguing this is a slightly classier joint than some others on the High Street, and its legacy above all other things is worthy of at least one bonus point. Forty years on it’s still a local landmark, and long may that continue. 9/10

Starters and sides

Poppadoms and dips
House recommended – Masala Dosa and Chicken 65
Cocunut Rice
Pilau Rice
Cocunut and Garlic Parathas

After a pretty standard poppadum, the waiter came over to take the remainder of our order. Sensing our deliberation over the other starters, he took the proverbial bull by the horns and said he’d choose for us. The result was some individually plated masala dosas and chicken 65 pieces which came with coconut, tomato and raita dips. Commendable as his initiative was, it was slightly disappointing that we missed out on the prawns we were lining up. That said, the chicken was decently spiced and the dosa was very soft and fluffy unlike some of others we’ve sampled which were more like Communion wafer than pancake. Plus, the coconut dip in particular tickled Tom’s fancy, indeed the coconut in the rice, dips and paratha was quite the bounty! Aside from that, the parathas were pretty standard and lacking in quantity; the waiter having put a stop to our ordering thinking we were getting ahead of ourselves. Little did he know that we are no amateurs; shame. 6/10.

Curry

Karaikkudi Chicken
Cochin King Prawn
Lamb Fry

Sree Krishna specialises in Keralan fare and for the mains we had a chicken, lamb and prawn combo, but, I must confess, none of them particularly stood out. Whilst the chicken was notably juicy, the sauce was quite average – mild with tame flavours. The lamb was similarly plain (yet another recommendation from the staff) and whilst we knew what to expect from the fry, the spices didn’t blow us away. The best of the bunch was the prawn in a medium sauce, but again, nothing to write home about. All in all, pretty mediocre, given the notoriety of where we were. In addition, the portions were relatively small – 6/10.

Staff

We’ve already eluded to the waiter’s proactivity, which we can’t criticise too strongly. However, another member of staff also offered us well priced draft Kingfisher that was quickly retracted once they realised the taps were off – a dangerous move to make with three thirsty males on a Thursday. That said, it appeared to be a welcoming, family affair, and, despite the outcomes, the waiter was far more affable than others we’ve encountered. After all, it’s the thought that counts – 7/10.

Value For Money

Despite not being able to take advantage of the draught, the substitute 660ml cobras were good value at 3.95 – not quite BYO, but very competitive. Unfortunately, this value wasn’t especially seen elsewhere, with the bill weighing in at £23 each. Given the portion sizes of the mains, and the paratha provision palaver, we weren’t quite satiated. We like to leave with bulging bellies and weighty wallets when we tread the curry boards of the Broadway, but on this occasion this, sadly, didn’t happen. Sure, we expected a tourist tax, given this fine diner’s heritage, but the premium was arguably slightly too high. 6/10.

Summary

Despite some evident criticism, it is fairly minor, and, ultimately, there are no real regrets after our visit. Liam even managed to get home without taking a bus out on the way.

With Mickey’s smiling face beaming down from the walls, we felt proud to have contributed to his wonderful legacy and long may it continue.

Sree Krishna is definitely worth a visit, after all, this is where it all began. 34/50.

Amirah's Kitchen - 10 June 2013

10 June 2013 - Amirah’s Kitchen: Wands-worth it

Yes, once again we shamefully diverted our attention away from Tooting, but Tooting is in Wandsworth council and Wandsworth Town is only a short hop away, so we didn’t feel so bad. Plus, we had won another voucher (embarrassing) and it would be silly to waste it. However, despite these [short lived] reservations, it proved a visit worth making.

It was with some trepidation that we headed to the Tonsleys on a Monday evening, as both of us were trying to keep our heads down (Tom: supposed to be training for a half marathon; Michael: avoiding a girl from the area). Luckily, Amirah’s Kitchen is situated on the same road as the station, and it wasn’t long before we were checking out what Amirah was cooking.Venue

Located on the modish, Old York Road, Amirah’s kitchen takes its place alongside many other culinary establishments. A relatively new restaurant, its understated, black exterior fits nicely on the street with a very provincial feel. 

Inside, the walls were a lime green that matched our zest, and the black furnishings contrasted smartly, with the up lighting on the walls. Passing the bar on the left, the space then opens up into a dining area for about thirty people. Each table is tastefully adorned with a rose in a vase and the whole left wall is covered with an image of Delhi tuk tuks. The overall result is a very simple, contemporary and elegant venue.

We could mark it down for being outside Tooting, and for the questionable music mix that ranged from the more traditional to dramatic movie soundtracks and house, however, that would be harsh. All in all, it’s a pleasant environment. 7/10.

Starters and sides

Poppadoms and dips
Tandoori Selection
Pilau rice
Garlic naan
Pudina paratha

For starters we had a poppadom each, with sides, and a tandoori selection.The poppadoms were perfectly crisp and not at all greasy and the dips were similarly to a high standard. In fact, probably some of the best we’ve sampled. I prefer my dips smooth and the mango chutney was just right; quite sublime.

The tandoori selection was equally excellent. The description on the menu of ‘A selection of kebabs- prawns, salmon, chicken & lamb’ didn’t do it justice. Each meat portion was delightfully flavoured, from the cheese coated chicken, to the deep fried prawn, and the mint sauce dip was described by Tom as ‘absolutely fantastic’. Similar exclamations included: ‘I don’t even like salmon, but I like this’ and ‘even the side salad is good’, such was the quality of the dish.

The breads also felt carefully prepared and came beautifully presented, cut into quarters in baskets. Even the pilau rice was notable; perfectly fragranced with saffron and cumin. In general, the sides and starters were near faultless. 9/10

Curry

Goan Fish Curry
Kasmiri Lamb Rogan Josh

The curry continued where the starters left off. The fish and braised lamb were expertly cooked and the sauces were rich with intense flavours. Portions were more than ample, but it didn’t stop us mopping up the last drops with our naan. Some might prefer slightly more texture in their dish, but this would be the only potential criticism and we certainly didn’t mind. Like all the food here, the balance was just right; not too creamy like many other curries and no sign of grease at all. Again, all but nothing to criticise; a stellar performance. 9/10. 

Staff

…and it wasn’t just the food.

Our waiter was twice as professional as those found on Tooting high street. He placed napkins on our laps, committed our order to memory, introduced each dish and even told us to write a review (here’s to you sir!). 8/10

Value For Money

It’s fair to say you pay a little bit more for the quality here. Our bill came to about £60, including two beers each. We were fortunate enough to have a voucher, halving our bill, but, value is more than just price and I’d say it was certainly worth the full amount. The quality of the food was top notch and other small touches, including taking our voucher amount off before adding service charge, really ticked our boxes. The bill also showed the amount split by two negating any controversial calculations or being left short of the total (we’ve all been there).

Finally, to top it all, at the end of the night we received a mint chocolate and a competition form giving us the chance to win a return visit. Here’s hoping our names are pulled out of the hat (hint, hint, Amirah). 8/10

Summary

As you can tell, we loved Amirah’s kitchen and definitely recommend a visit. Totalling up the digits brings our overall rating to a stonking 41/50 that just pips Spice Village to top our rankings. Only a short trip on the 219 from Tooting High Street, it’s definitely Wands-worth it.