Chennai Dosa - Whitley Street

[Warren]

Has anyone managed to get in there yet? No seriously, there are nightly queues out into the street!

[nemesis]

Hmmm. I recall having a sleep on the overnight train from Goa to Kerala. I woke up to hear someone calling me a dosa! I was quite upset until I realised my breakfast had arrived.


"For the ear trieth words, as the palate tasteth food". Job 34-3

[Wozza]

It's Chennai. asin the palce.

Not been yet but will do. I've heard good reports from their other branches in London.

[smiff]

Went here over the weekend. Still quite busy. Food was excellent, although my wifes meal was a bit too hot (they used some seriously hot black peppercorns!). Prices were absolutely amazing. We both left very well fed for just 15 quid!

Only downside is lack of parking, and maybe the fact it looks like a tanning salon from the outside.

[Warren]

Only downside is lack of parking

90 Minutes in the Mount Street car park. Two hours in Glebe Road and bottom end of Highgrove Street (during the day). I'm not going to mention any other free parking spots because the residents will give me a slap!

[PP]

Family braved a stroll up Southampton St post-early-evening beer on Friday and to my surprise there was no queue, so took advantage. Very good indeed, decent size portions and very speedy attentive service. Didn't appear to be licensed (despite what the outside signs say), but the mango juice and yogurt went down a treat anyway. Never had a dosa before, but are reminiscent of the injera that Tutu does at the RISC. I had an excellent fish curry.

By the time we left thery were 10 deep outside, so I guess we got lucky!

Will definitely go again.

[Warren]

Never had a dosa before.

For people who don't like queuing, Aangan, 7 Queens Walk (Hexagon to Oxford Road pathway) is good for Dosas. Not quite as varied as the Chennai as they are vegetarian, but very good. Probably the only vegetarian food (apart from the old Casey Jones spicey bean burgers) that I'd deliberately choose to eat.

Chennai isn't licenced, but I think that it quite deliberate (the menu lists drinks) to keep the customer turnover quick.

[neoplasticman]

Warren, Aangan have caved in to the majority and now include a range of meat dishes on their menu. It's not 100% veggie any more.

And it's still brilliant and easily the best and most authentic Indian in town by a considerable margin. IMHO.

[motty]

We went to Chennai Dosa with an Indian colleague recently, and it was fantastic. He told us that is is very authentic - exactly like you'd get in India he said. Thoroughly recommended. Haven't tried Aangan, but will do so now too.

[Wife of Brian]

Oh, I love Chennai Dosa, they are really tasty, really affordable and very quick. Though not really big on decor/atmosphere, the food is yummy and waiters are friendly. The only thing is, most of the time, there are queues outside there on a weekend lunch time and you can't book, so you pretty much have to take your chances

But well worth it if you get a table!



Highly recommend it

[choco1]

Hi Guys

Does this restaurant (Chennai Dosa) still exist? It's there on their website, but nothing for the Reading restaurant under Menu and the contact us doesnt seem to be working either.

[Les]

As far as I know it does Choco, I will check it out when I go out this morning and let you know later.

[Les]

Choco, I can confirm that as at 12:40 today Chennai Dosa appeared to alive and well. Well the lights were on anyway.

[choco1]

thats great..thanks Les.

[Potassium]

We went there for brunch and it was good. I was worried about eating Indian food so early but the dishes in the brunch were very mild so no watery eyes I thought it was very good value for money but it was a bit carb heavy. The best bit was the dosa which you have to order, so crispy, light and full of flavour. I liked how they had water and cups on the table for you to serve yourself rather than have to ask for some. I also ordered a mango lassi and it was really thick.
The brunch buffet was completely vegetarian (although the restaurant isn't), this was a plus for me because I didn't have to worry about what meat I was eating.

I would probably order a takeaway dosa in the future and go if a bunch of friends are going.

[Riverside]

Does anyone know of a website for this place? I have found a site with a very obvious address given the name for this place (I shan't post it to avoid confusion), but when you look at their list of branches, they are all in London though a new one opened in Birmingham last week - no mention of Reading. Other than that there are the usual hoard of review sites but I can't seem to see a site for the place itself!

[Laura_Eva]

Why have I missed this place ???

So Anngam, now Madras, near the Hexagon was / is not the only place doing authentic South Indian / Karalan food ?

In my opinion Malabar Junction in London (near British Museum) and Ragam (near Post Office tower) give the best UK examples of Karalan at £35 and £18 respectively, enough to satisfy most appetites with wine / couple of beers ...

Did Google maps and see its almost next door to "Kathamandu Kitchen" ... a firm favourite (diametrically opposite sub-continent wise - Nepal ?), but bit out in the "wilds" for me (long walk back to town with only the Hopleaf and "Summer Lightening" to refresh) ...

Isn't there an interesting Brazilian caff nearby too ?

Is it really worth the bus fare to do lunch there ... and is it still open ?

[Les]

OK Laura, more local info. The katmando Kitchen has had a change of management and is now run by an ex British Army Gurkha and they do Indian and, I belive, Nepalese food. The place has had a make over and looks really smart at the moment. (If I have spelt Gurkha wrongly, my apologies!) If I het a chance to wander round thee tomorrow I will see if there are any leaflets for grabs.

The Brazillian cafe is in Mount Pleasant in what used to be known in my younger days as the "Hole in the Wall" Green grocer's shop. They have seating on the pavement and a cafe upstairs in what used to be a joiners workshop.
Also in that building was a cobler by the name of Charlie Bell, who knew everything and everybody. I was always grateful to Charlie for rescuing my oldest daughter who when only just a toddler took advantage of her mother being distracted and decide to go and find her daddy at work!! After the encounter with Charlie she never wandered again. Sorry, that is totally off topic but I thought that is might ammuse a few people.

[tigerseye]

Kathmandu Kitchen used to be our favourite restaurant and is our local, however when it changed hands last time the fod got a bit pants so we now go to Miah's, which is great but occasionally iffy, and Sizzling Spice which can be sublime but at other times slightly iffy. SS tend to get our order wrong/miss out dishes and as we have to drive to it it is a faff going all the way back.

I'd be interested to hear what Kathmandu Kitchen is like now it has changed hands. Haven't tried Chennai Dosa yet, it's always packed which puts me off.

We go away in our caravan a lot and we always try the local Indian - you can get the measure of a place by the quality of their takeaways - but nowhere has come close to Reading, we are quite spoilt here.

[Ollycat]

We go away in our caravan a lot and we always try the local Indian - you can get the measure of a place by the quality of their takeaways - but nowhere has come close to Reading, we are quite spoilt here.[/quote]

If you're ever in Cardigan, then Abduls, which is down by the river in the town, is very good.

We tried the Chennai Dosa last week (Thursday) - very good, but clearly somewhere you need to know your Indian food. Most definitely not your run of the mill Madras/Vindaloo/Tikka Masala type restaurant. Because we didn't really know what we were ordering, we didn't order enough, and came away hungry - and I didn't feel I could sit there and savour my food when my table was being eyed by the crowds waiting outside!

Sorry, I'll stick to my Anglicised (and licensed) curry from the KK. Khukuri down London Street is also very good, when we can be bothered to walk that far, or if we're walking out of town.

[Wife of Brian]

Well, just to let you know what I have eaten at Chennai dosa and enjoyed

Chilli chicken-not much of gravy, but very tasty kind of stir fried with onions dish. not too hot, but note that it is in the starters on their menu, so if you want it with your mains, which I usually do,tell them when you order it to bring it with your mains

Lemon rice-lightly fragranced with lemon and yellowish rice. Yum!

Channa Battura- it looks like you're the greediest person in the restaurant when you order this as it looks huge! It is like a very big poori(deep fried Indian bread), but this battura, is puffed up full of steam, which you need to gently push down to release the hot air. Careful as it can be very hot. Once it is deflated, it is nice with the chickpeas(channa) curry it comes with. You can always order a chicken/fish curry if you prefer some non veg dish with this

Fish fry-I have had this a couple of times, I have tasted better in India, but then again the fish has been bought fresh from the market that morning, they may be using frozen fish here, but it is quite dry and has been marinated and fried.

Parotta-quite decent, typical like a Kerala parotta

Kotthu-this comes in different flacours, like egg kotthu and chicken kotthu-now this is the first place I have had this, quite unusual, but tasty, definately worth a try- it is like a mish mash of bits of parotta, onions, chillis, egg, chicken-depending on your selection

the dosas are a firm fave, as this is their speciality. I have only tried masala dosa(one with a stuffing of masala potato inside) and then the ghee roast which is just a plain hot crispy dosa served with a little bowl of chutney and sambaar(yummy veg lentil gravy)

Mango lassi-this is quite nice and really has the natural mango flavour. bit of a milky mango drink, sometimes can be a little thick, but always tasty

Chicken biriyani- this is another tasty staple, which they seem to get right and Brian has this every time!

[Wife of Brian]

Does anyone know of a website for this place? I have found a site with a very obvious address given the name for this place (I shan't post it to avoid confusion), but when you look at their list of branches, they are all in London though a new one opened in Birmingham last week - no mention of Reading. Other than that there are the usual hoard of review sites but I can't seem to see a site for the place itself!

Hi,
here is their website

http://www.chennaidosa.com/contactus.htm

[Ollycat]

[quote="Wife of Brian"]Well, just to let you know what I have eaten at Chennai dosa and enjoyed

Hi - thanks for this - the biriani did look good as it came past our table - and I wondered what the huge puffy things were! Maybe we'll have another go next time OH doesn't need lager on the side.

[Wife of Brian]

Well, just to let you know what I have eaten at Chennai dosa and enjoyed

Hi - thanks for this - the biriani did look good as it came past our table - and I wondered what the huge puffy things were! Maybe we'll have another go next time OH doesn't need lager on the side.

Hi Ollycat
no probs, I think it is a shame if you miss out on the good stuff they do, just because you are not sure what to order

Let me know what you think

[Riverside]

Does anyone know of a website for this place? I have found a site with a very obvious address given the name for this place (I shan't post it to avoid confusion), but when you look at their list of branches, they are all in London though a new one opened in Birmingham last week - no mention of Reading. Other than that there are the usual hoard of review sites but I can't seem to see a site for the place itself!

Hi,
here is their website

http://www.chennaidosa.com/contactus.htm

Thanks for taking the time to post that WoB, but that is the site I had come across - no mention of a branch in Reading, but a listing of one in Birmingham to open soon, now updated to say that it opened on 16 July. I don't get up that way very often - guess I'll check to see if the logos match.

[Riverside]

This may solve the mystery of the website that doesn't admit it's Reading branch! I sent an enquiry off via that site to ask if they have a branch in Reading. Their response was:

"Thank you for your enquiry. Chennai dosa in Whitley St Reading is not a part of Chennai Dosa Group anymore. Soon the name will be changed after all the formalities are completed."

[LocalGirl]

This may solve the mystery of the website that doesn't admit it's Reading branch! I sent an enquiry off via that site to ask if they have a branch in Reading. Their response was:

"Thank you for your enquiry. Chennai dosa in Whitley St Reading is not a part of Chennai Dosa Group anymore. Soon the name will be changed after all the formalities are completed."

Maybe they'll sort out a license too. Can't have a curry without a pint!

[Wife of Brian]

Does anyone know of a website for this place? I have found a site with a very obvious address given the name for this place (I shan't post it to avoid confusion), but when you look at their list of branches, they are all in London though a new one opened in Birmingham last week - no mention of Reading. Other than that there are the usual hoard of review sites but I can't seem to see a site for the place itself!

Hi,
here is their website

http://www.chennaidosa.com/contactus.htm

Thanks for taking the time to post that WoB, but that is the site I had come across - no mention of a branch in Reading, but a listing of one in Birmingham to open soon, now updated to say that it opened on 16 July. I don't get up that way very often - guess I'll check to see if the logos match.

Hi Riverside,
If you go to the contact us tab on the website, there is mention of the one in Reading, in Lower Earley

[Wife of Brian]

Oh, I just saw Localgirl's message. How odd, that it won't be a part of the chain anymore, wonder why?

Anyway, this one on Whitley street is about 15 mins walk from Reading Minster church. I have tried it and not too bad, road is a bit sloped at some point, but works up a good appetite!