If dosas made of rice, black gram and fenugreek seeds have become an inseparable part of traditional South Indian diet, then pancakes, made of maida, egg, honey and sugar mixed together and poured on a hot pan, have been a perennial European and American favourite.
Both these lip smacking dishes which are closely similar in their preparation can boast of both Indian and foreign takers. And blending these two in a single platter is the one-month-old ‘Dosas and Pancakes’ restaurant in Fort Kochi. Situated down the Kalvathy Road in Fort Kochi, the restaurant is part of the Greenix Village compound.
The restaurant opened in partnership with Thomas J J and Jayan Charles and is dishing out authentic homemade Kochi delights along with some continental dishes. Asked about the cuisine of the restaurant, Thomas says, “Both dosa and pancakes are similar to make. If pancakes are sweet, dosas have the tangy taste of fermentation. Tourists while in Kochi would like to eat the local dish. And we have tried to blend the continental flavours in Kerala cuisine.”
As the name suggests, the restaurant serves hot varieties of dosas like chicken dosa wrap, beef masala dosa wrap and dosa with egg layered. “All the dosas are freshly made and are stuffed with various fillings,” says Jayan Charles. So as to not shock the foreign tummy too much, the dishes are made medium spicy. The stuffed dosa is priced at Rs 120. Specifically from the Kerala cuisine are beef puttu and chicken puttu which can’t be missed out which is served along with pappad and tomato chutney and this is priced at Rs 145.
For people who love to eat something healthy and tasty, then soyabean idli should be your bet. The recipe prepared by Jeseentha, mother of Jayan Charles says, “The soya idli is low in cholesterol and high in protein. They are served with the tri-colour chutney and sambhar. The taste of the idli remains the same. Only the health quotient is raised ith soya.”
The restaurant which is open from 11 am - 11 pm seven days a week serves special dishes on Sunday. “On Sunday we serve typical Kochi flavoured dishes. Some of them are liver paal curry, meat ball curry, pork vindaloo, duck roast and kudal curry,” says Jayan.
From the continental platter, the American pancakes served with melted butter and syrup is sure to send your mouth watering. Then there are sandwiches like chicken panini, tuna melt panini and veg panini served with salads and potato fries to gorge on. “The breads we use for the sandwiches is cibatta bread which is a kind of wheat bread,” says Thomas. The main course dish from the continental platter is steamed fish in which fish fillet is marinated in lime, turmeric and pepper wrapped in mint coconut chutney. The other is beef steak where tenderloin is marinated and served with brown sauce.
The other specialty of the menu is that all the recipes have been founded by Thomas’s wife and Jayan’s mother. “Through our food we want to give a homemade taste to our dishes. The cakes and chocolate brownie that are made in the restaurant now is what my mother used to make at home,” says Jayan.
The interior of the restaurant which is aesthetically finished with the paintings of Chavittunadakam - a latin-catholic art form from Kochi - gives an an apt coastal ambience. “We also have plans to organise Chaittunadakam performances at dinner times every Sunday at the restaurant,” adds Thomas.
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