Dosa: South Indian Flavors
My friends and I crossed the Bay Bridge and attended CAAMFEST, the film festival put on by the Center for Asian American Media on Friday night. Although the festival is held in several venues around the Bay Area, it is centered in Japantown in San Francisco. We had a 9:15pm screening, so we planned for a nice leisurely dinner before the show. I made reservations for Dosa located at the corner of Post and Fillmore, which was very close to the theater.
Dosa serves South Indian cuisine. As a group of three, we decided to share a bunch of plates. We were first served some complimentary papadams, which are spiced lentil chips. It’s always nice when you get something to snack on while you wait for your food.
It didn’t take long before our Dosa arrived. Dosas are crepes made of rice batter and black lentils. We ordered the thin version which came out rolled with dips on the side versus being stuffed. It came with a potato mixture, some chutneys, and a soup known as sambar.
Bhel puri was served next which is a mix of puffed rice, mango, beets, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and coriander. Two chutneys accompanied this dish, one sweet and one spicy. It was an exotic mixture of ingredients with a variety of favors and textures.
The Chennai chicken was another small plate we ordered which were pieces of boneless, skinless chicken marinated in yogurt, coriander, and cumin and deep fried.
The trio of grilled lamb chops were perfect for us to each have one chop. It was marinated in spices, lentil sauce, spiced potatoes, and cauliflower. We ordered a side of lemon basmati rice not knowing that there was a small side that came with the entree.
The bhatura, the oversized, soft, puffy wheat bread was a beauty. This hollow bread was great to eat with the lamb chops.
With plenty of time before our movie, we sipped on chai and coffee and shared a saffron cheesecake.
I had a great experience at Dosa. I have eaten some of these dishes before at other restaurants, but the quality at Dosa is much higher. With another location in the Mission district, you have twice the opportunity!
