A couple of years ago my friends introduced me to dosas and I couldn’t get enough of them. Curry rolled up in a crêpe? That’s two of my favorite things for the price of one and I went back to the Southern Indian dish over and over again until I had tried a representative sample. I’m still a fan, but for some reason lately, they’re popping up again.
My coworkers have recently discovered the House of Dosas and some friends took me to Madras Dosa House, which I had not been to before and I’ve been happy to re-savour some old favorites.
Chicken 65 (or 66) is a South Indian favorite, even though no one seems to know that the numbers are for. The number of spices? The number of days old the chickens are? The number of days to prepare the marinade? Who knows. It doesn’t matter, just order it.
I had the Spring Masala dosa at Madras Dosa House and the Mixed Meat and Veggie at House of Dosas, but fillings range from spicy to creamy with options for different meats and vegetables. I like the peppery gunpowder dosa with lots of cooling chutneys and my friend prefers the giant paper dosa – extra thin, but almost 2 feet long.
Another friend, Susie, dined at House of Dosas recently and had this to say:
I ordered my favorite, the Palak Panir Alu Dosa (spinach and cheese), and was served piping hot. The dosa pancake and its filling contrast wonderfully in the mouth, mixing the crispy texture of the pancake with the savory filling. My meal came with a lentil soup and a couple of mystery sauces that my inexperienced palette couldn’t identify easily.
Service is understated but there’s nothing wrong with it either – your meal comes quickly and courteously, if in a fairly businesslike manner. The dining room is large enough to accommodate a group meal, and in health-conscious Vancouver, this place is a good choice if you need to accommodate vegetarians. The prices are extremely reasonable; my meal would have been a filling dinner and at $8.99 it hardly broke the bank.
My dining companions also ordered the Chicken 65 appetizer, which was reportedly quite spicy; it had that tell-tale pinkish red that indicates you should have some bread nearby to cut the heat. Since I’m not a big fan of that burning sensation, I let them sample that without me.
All in all, this is what I would call South Indian comfort food, as perfect on a rainy Vancouver day with a little bite in the air to one of those rare winter moments when we have snow. Come hungry, leave full.
see also Crank the Heat in the House of Dosas.
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House of Dosas
1391 Kingsway, Vancouver
Madras Dosa House
5656 Fraser Street, Vancouver
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