The Ultimate Dosa

Where can you find the best dosa on the planet? The trail seems to lead from Tamil Nadu, where it was invented, to Karnataka, and finally to two humble little joints in Bangalore: Vidyarthi Bhavan in Basavanagudi and Central Tiffin Room in Malleshwaram (now, alas, renamed Sri Sagar). Both have their own die-hard loyalists, but if forced to choose, we’d incline towards the former.

If you’re a votary of the paper dosa or some such heresy, please note that this is the real thing: plump, fluffy inside, crisp outside, cooked to the point where it’s the colour of burnt toast, and glistening with ghee. It’s then topped with potato palya, gently folded over to form a ‘half-moon’ and served with a coconut chutney that’s neither too thin, nor too thick, just runny enough. And please don’t ask for sambar; sambar overwhelms a dosa, as the purist will tell you; it’s only meant for idlis. Mr Adiga, the proprietor, says there’s no secret, he’s published his dosa recipe in magazines—though, predictably, it never turns out the same at home. VB’s waiters are incredible, carrying up to twenty plates of dosas at a time. It’s closed at lunch-time, stubbornly insisting that its offerings are merely tiffins, not meals.

While our research indicates that this is the best dosa you can find today, it’s possible that the ultimate, pluperfect dosa still waits undiscovered in some remote temple-town cafe in Udipi or somewhere. If you discover it, let us know.