My first foray into Dosa was with a group of friends for a girls night out at their Valencia Street address. We ordered some of the specials including an item or two from the street food menu that they offer occasionally. Since I needed to see what a dosa actually was, I ordered one and was hooked on this Southern Indian cuisine, very different than what I had become accustomed to in Indian restaurants prior to that time. Until this revelation it was more usual to find food in the Madras, Vindaloo or Korma cooking styles.
A mango salad and samosas started the meal and everyone seemed pleased with their selections. I personally have yet to try these menu items, but they look appetizing.
Even now I am unable to find this soup or this tomato and tapioca pearl salad on the menu. They may only be offered seasonally or could it be that the menu had changed? It pleases me to think about seasonal elements to the food prepared at Dosa; always a good sign and seldom disappointing.
The standout item that was ordered had to be this bowl of fried rice noodles mixed with vegetables and heaven knows what else. It was on the street food menu and was very flavorful and quite a bargain for less than $9, as I recall.
The second location for Dosa on Filmore Street and Post is a much more generous space and more sophisticated in decor. Also dimly lit, it reeks atmosphere and lively spice fragrances. The space is split level with dining on the left and mezzanine, with a lively bar scene on the right as you walk in.
The menu at the Filmore Street address includes a cocktail list with some very interesting ingredient combinations. The one in the photo was made with coconut milk and had Bollywood in its name, but this does not match the description on the menu, so once again I suspect that the menu changes from time to time. Another mystery soup that does not fit a menu description, but it was good and again it had a coconut milk base. You can't go wrong with that.
The spiced lamb chop in lentil sauce was a very satisfying main course being served with a potato and cauliflower side as well as the lemon rice. The rices at Dosa are so good you need to try them all. The fish curry and lemon rice enhance one another in such a splendid way and one could eat the coconut rice with anything on the menu, or all by itself. Someone has put much thought into the Dosa menus and we, the dining public, reap the benefits. This is a menu worth working your way through instead of ordering the same thing every visit.
Now for the restaurant's namesake, the dosa. A simple but very large rice and lentil wrap, paper thin, that in the photo above has encompassed the Masala Dosa, filled modestly with potatoes, onions and cashews. I have yet to see a dosa that actually fits the plate. They may need to start rating these by how many inches the dosa overhangs the serving plate, not that size matters.
Each dosa, no matter which kind is served with several flavor enhancers. All unique and very different in taste from one another. The largest bowl is filled with Sambar, a lentil sauce which can sub as a soup course. Another bowl is filled with a coconut based chutney. The last is a spicy tomato chutney. Folded into a triangular shape is the Masala Chutney Dosa, that has the addition of a thin layer of an eggplant based chutney. Honestly, I could not tell the difference, as both the Masala and Masala Chutney dosas have been delicious adventures.
Dosa on Valencia
995 Valencia (near 21 St)
415 642 3672
Dosa on Fillmore
1700 Fillmore (at Post)
415 441 3672
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