Dosa, San Francisco

It was our last full day in San Francisco and I wanted to ensure I sampled some of the finest this fabulous City had to offer, so we decided as were planning on perusing the Filmore area of the City and the Park, that we would then stop by Dosa for a spot of lunch. Now, this 2014 Michelin BIB (Best in Bay) Gourmand restaurant was in my mind, most likely to offer my vegetarian palate an all singing, all dancing cast of flavours. I was not to be disappointed.


We arrived after a very long walk in the sun and were seated very gracefully and gratefully in the air conditioned restaurant. The decor is all high ceilings, wood and windows, minimal but stylish. Upon looking around (and I know this is a cliche) I spotted a lot of Indian people. It is definitely well known then to the minority locals, as well as everyone else. Another good sign.


Upon perusing the menu, we spotted a great value lunch offer which provided us with our much desired dosas, along with a starter from a fixed menu. Even better. The eclectic starters we opted for were the asparagus soup (pureed shallots, leeks, spring onion, coconut milk and English pea flower) and the fresh and crisp organic greens and goats cheese salad (melon, goat cheese, sprouted quinoa, watermelon radish, grape tomato in an orange vinaigrette). These were both unknown flavour combinatons to Gipsy Spread and I and we therefore shared these. They were a fantastic way to kick of lunch, along with our pomegranite and mango mimosas.

 

We had had the warm up and it was time for the main event. Our very knowledgable waiter who had once lived in London, so had lots of fabulous San Francisco advise for us, also told me which of the dosas had the most heat. That was the one for me!

 

 

I had the spicy Mung Masala mung lentil dosa with green chiles and spiced potatoes and Gipsy Spread had the Lamb ‘Keema’ plain dosa served with a side of minced lamb and diced potatoes. Both came with the obligatory  tomato and fresh coconut chutneys, and sambar a spicy lentil dipping sauce made with vegetables.  

 

 

Everything was wonderfully fresh. The dosas were crispy and all the dishes had the right amount of spice (here, read 'heat'). I came away from this meal extremelly content and happy with not only the food, but the overall experience. The service was attentive and thoughtful and the atmosphere laid back. I'm sure this award winning restaurant will continue to keep its high standards up and continue to win awards. It was also a great value meal and I'd happily come again for the tasting menu and paired wines which seem a bargain compared to London prices. I hope to see you again one day Dosa.