Saapidalaamaa?

Or in plain English, shall we eat? And the answer to that is yes yes and yes!

South Indian cuisine is a popular cuisine all over the world. I am yet to find a place that I have visited or lived in that does not have a local Dosa joint, wouldn't you agree?

Not too far from my place, is a little dhaba-style restaurant called Dakshinayan. A small little venue with fairly limited seating, that seems to always be packed! And, now I know why. I've been meaning to visit this little joint for ages now and I finally went across over the weekend.

A warm welcome and a 15 minute wait later, we were seated with a menu and waiter ready to take our order all at once. A quick glimpse through the menu that basically consisted of authentic South Indian vegetarian favourites like; idlis, dosas, vadas and sadam that are available in an assortment of styles and flavours; cheese, tomato, rava, sada, coconut, masala etcetera etcetera, and off went our orders. Oh, by the way the ‘we’ in this story are me and the hubs.

'We' stuck with the popular classics; a plate of steamed idlis, a sada dosa, a masala dosa and a plate of curd rice. The idlis were served hot and fresh with tangy sambar and a choice of red and green coconut chutney.

The dosas were large, thin, crispy and full of buttery goodness. The masala version was also superb and had just the right kick.

The curd rice was a bit plain. Nothing to boast about really and I missed the taste of curry leaves which usually give this dish a little extra flavour. That said if you’re looking for a dish that’s really very simple yet filling, then this is the one for you.

If you live around Malabar Hill or Walkeshwar and are looking for a casual evening off where you can grab a quick and easy bite, then make your way to this South Indian dhaba for a meal that’s cheap, cheery and definitely satisfying. Oh, and if your too lazy to leave the comfort of your own home...which is very like me, then order in and you'll be digging into your takeaway dishes fairly soon after you've ordered. Yenjoy! :)

Address:

Dakshinayan

108, Teen Batti Road,

Malabar Hill,

Mumbai - 400006.