How café menus are presenting different shades of dosa

At stand by Coffee in Worlirsquos Kakad Estate the humble dosa has been given a chic update Served like a crepe the multigrain dosa is stuffed with marinara sauce and cheese called Goodfella Therersquos also a Kejriwal and a Florentine which is precisely what you would expect them to be The former is a version of the iconic Kejriwal toast in dosa form the latter is a take on Florentine eggs complete with baby spinach mushrooms and a cheesestuffed egg all topped with a sunnysideup egg Each dosa feels familiar itrsquos simply flippedA few kilometres away in Matunga East the oldschool crowds at Shree Sunders temporarily closed continue to order Methi dosa Ragi dosa and Malli green chutney mixed in the batter that have existed quietly for over three decades without the Instagram glare no mayo avocado or goat cheese in sight And yet the queues snake out the door on Sunday morningsDosas at We Idliwale include traditional nonvegetarian variantsBetween the two lies a cultural shift the dosa a comfort dish that once received a new look with veggies cheese and Schezwan chutney on the streets is now undergoing its second makeover Itrsquos being picked up by newage cafeacutes and given a modern remix One that doesnrsquot quite look like what your amma served at 9 am with kaapiAt Blondie in Bandra for instance the dosas are Mangalurustyle benne dosas and come in variations like BBQ Jackfruit Breakfast with eggs and an option of bacon Avocado and Prawn Thecha Over at Daily Dosa Andheri the menu leans playful with dosa cones wraps and even tacos rolled up with global stuffing like a Chipotle Quesidosa and desi ones like a Calcutta Chilli Chicken ConeSo why take away the potato from the dosa ldquoPotato is too ordinaryrdquo says executive chef Parveen Singh Rawat of Blondie ldquoThe dosa is essentially a type of bread Right now people like a benne dosa but not many places offer it So we thought we will bring it forwardrdquo he saysFor many these interpretations donrsquot feel forced ldquoIt still needs to taste like dosardquo says Chef Rutudhwaj Mohite of Stand By Coffee ldquoWe wanted our menu to reflect the way many of our customers eat today I canrsquot serve ginni dosa at a cafeacute I need to offer something fair for the price something healthier but still comfortablerdquo he says Itrsquos why along with his cochef Sheal Khan they worked out multigrain dosas with ragi in the batter that can be played around withCafeacutes see it as a new avatar of toast a versatile base that can hold anything from smashed avocado to cheddar Mohite adds ldquoWith a single dosa base you can create multiple highmargin dishes savoury spicy or even sweetrdquo Itrsquos simple affordable highly adaptable and already loved across generations Itrsquos also glutenfree crisp yet light and photogenic enough to earn a spotlight on the rsquogramrdquoBBQ JACKFRUITPlaces that have been doing this all along like Shree Sunders have never felt the need to compete with plain masala or Mysore dosas Their menu proudly includes bothldquoI was young and had many ideasrdquo says Sachidanand Shetty owner of Shree Sunders in Matunga East ldquoThis was almost 30 years ago I researched ingredients and textures to offer something different because people always want something newrdquo he saysGoodfella DosaEver since Methi dosa with kasuri methi in the batter and Chettinad with sabudana pearls in the batter called so because the Chettiars brought sabudana to India have existed on the menu along with traditional but rare offerings like an Adai and Pink Adai made with beetroot on Sundays only and several variations that nod to homestyle innovation rather than restaurant trendchasingShetty says the reason for innovation was that he wanted a space to channel his creative mind But how did he convince customers to choose his experimental ones Perhaps because creativity in dosas has always existed ldquoDosa what you eat at restaurants is anyhow commercial Homemade dosas are smaller thickerhellip they look more like utappardquo he saysPink Adai DosaIn Pune We Idliwale and its barforward space We Idliwale Barroom changed the way the city ate South Indian food by serving it as itrsquos eaten in homes The plates of idlis and dosas served alongside nonvegetarian curries were traditional at their core Still they left Punekars calling the food lsquofusionrsquo before being educated about its roots by the owners Chicken or Prawn Pepper Fry Dosse Motte Dosse egg Nellore Dosse Keri Dosse mutton keema are some of their offerings These may seem experimental but they are not ldquoAt the start people found it different For some it still is We still have people who are intimidated and donrsquot understand why we serve korma or mutton curry with a dosserdquo he says adding that patrons are easily converted because all that matters is that the food is delicious ldquo says Chef Abhishek Joshi of We Idliwale and BarroomKejriwal DosaThis lsquohomestylersquo food now has many fans ldquoMy style has always been to serve what I grew up eatingrdquo he says adding ldquoMost new dosas are about the Bengaluru style which is starkly different Our dosas are closer to the Tamil Nadu style and we were also more about putting meat in them and how itrsquos traditionally donerdquoWhen it comes to dosa most people enjoy tradition The queues outside Matungarsquos many Udipi restaurants are proof Some newage spots mdash like Benne in Bandra mdash have managed to garner that kind of crowd with their simple offerings like benne dosa and thatte idli that Mumbaikars canrsquot get enough of The cafeacute which now has a branch in Juhu as well gets a lot of love on Instagram and sees a queue through the dayOf course therersquos a limit to what you can do before a dosa stops being well a dosa Joshi believes that one has to find a balance between technique and tradition ldquoWe serve bacon with podi on it but Irsquod never put bacon in a dosardquo he saysMohite whose multigrain dosas have found a strong following among healthconscious diners says ldquoThis isnrsquot a trend mdash itrsquos inspirationdriven Theyrsquore naturally glutenfree lowfat and high in fibre and protein Our Gun Powder and Podi Masala dosas are top sellers at Stand ByrdquoParveen Singh RawatPerhaps the love for dosas and their popularity is more cultural than culinary Indian cafeacutes are embracing desi staples probably because therersquos a shift in the dinerrsquos mindset too Todayrsquos patrons are proudly Indian happily experimental and just nostalgic enough to find comfort in a dosa even if itrsquos filled with cheese and avocadoGo on this dosa trailWe tried many dosas while working on this story Here are some hits you CAN CHECK OUTgtgt thinspBenne Masala Dosa at Cafeacute SrinivasaOld school benne mdash staple dependable and affordableWHERE Tanker Villa Tardeogtgt thinspUlundu Dosa at Sharda BhavanThis ageold Udupi restaurant dishes out Ulundu a dosa thatrsquos very very crispyWHERE Lakhamsi Napoo Road Matungagtgt thinspPoond garlic Dosa at DakshinayanIf you love loads of garlic this one is for you mdash laced with a chutney full of the aromaticWHERE Opp ISKON temple Juhugtgt thinspChicken Kari Dosa at Da Dosa KariLayered with chicken keema and served with salna this is your perfect protein intake fixWHERE Marol Maroshi Road Andheri Eastgtgt thinspPalak Dosa at Mutuswami CafeCrispy on the outside soft on the inside this green dosa is packed with total sassWHERE Khar and Dadar