South Indian street food restaurant, Dosa Kitchen, has launched a new menu and invited Portfolio North along to try their most popular dishes. Located in Jesmond, the central location and welcoming atmosphere is loved by many. From students to families and even Hairy Biker Si King, Dosa Kitchen is always popular.
Originally beginning as a pop-up, Dosa Kitchen was created by Mathem Ganesan and Sudharsan Murugavel. Inspired by the Tamil Nadu area of South India and the street food found there, the canteen style restaurant brings a taste of South India to Jesmond. Having only tried North Indian tandoori food before, it was great to try something new and learn about the different aspects of the menu.
Many of their recipes are vegan or gluten-free as South India does not tend to grow wheat or harvest milk from cows due to the climate and growing conditions. Head chef Sudharsan explained all there was to know about South Indian food and with over 20 years of culinary experience in some of the finest hotels in India, Dubai and London, I felt assured with his knowledge and passion for his food.
Named after a lentil and rice pancake that features on the menu, a dosa was the first thing we tried. This large, crispy pancake arrived rolled up with three dips to accompany it. Sudharsan explained how the dosa has been around for thousands of years but is quite hard to recreate away from Tamil Nadu and so he imported a special machine to create the mixture and activate the yeast. It takes around 14 hours for the mixture to be ready to use due to the climate in England but would take around an hour in India.
The dosa was light and crispy and was paired with a delicious side called sambhar, a lentil-based vegetable stew. A warming side dish, the chef explained how it is full of nutrients and is ideal for vegans wanting to increase their protein levels.
With no naans on the menu, we opted to try chappatis, which we used to scoop up our curries. One of our party opted for a Chicken Chettinad Masala which was the perfect portion and came with coconut rice. It was filling and a great warming option for a rainy Wednesday night.
I opted for a Chicken Biriyani, which was fresh and delicious. The spices weren’t overwhelming and added greatly to the chicken. As someone with a coconut allergy, I am hesitant to try Asian foods where coconut is used frequently, but the friendly staff were able to advise me on what foods would be available to me and were very considerate in their suggestions. They were also kind enough to package some food up to takeaway so that my family could try some idli- rice and lentil dumplings- at home.
The atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly, and Sudharsan chatted to us for a long time, explaining everything about his journey to Newcastle, the science of the menu and his friendship with Si King. There were many Indian families in the restaurant, which Sudharsan noted was because items such as dosas are so hard to make at home in England, but Dosa Kitchen can provide the nostalgia of a South Indian favourite. The restaurant was also filled with friendly students and sports groups and the energy was lively.
Many of their items are locally sourced, with fruit and vegetables coming from Hutchinson’s in Fenham, and drinks coming from Lanchester Wines and from a collaboration with Wylam Brewery, where their own Chola Kings pint is brewed. A non-drinker in the group was offered a mango fizz, a delicious fresh mango drink which went down a treat.
Our visit to Dosa Kitchen was a fantastic experience. The staff were so friendly and kind, knowledgeable about their menu and very welcoming. The food was delicious with high-quality ingredients and a very accessible menu that explained the food items we had not heard of before. It was great to try something new and expand our tastes, and we will definitely be returning to Dosa Kitchen for their famous Sunday Sapaads very soon.
