Whether you’re craving a crispy dosa, a fluffy pav stuffed with authentic Mumbai chutney and vada, a fresh hot naan from a tandoor paired with curries and kebabs, pizzas, or even Chinese, the newly opened vegetarian spot in Salt Lake, Sector V, Naan Dosa Pavs, has something for everyone.
Sweta and Ankita Bansal, sisters-in-law and co-owners of the 100-seater diner, have done up the place neatly in warm tones of reds, beige, yellows, browns, and white, with potted plants dotting the corners.
We totally agree when they say there’s something for everyone. As we dug into their melt-in-mouth idlis, dunked into the flavourful sambar and smothered it with their specialty chutneys, it was pure bliss on a plate.
Paired with filter coffee, we already knew that we were going to have a satisfying meal. Their Masaledar Boondi had all the exciting elements, reminiscent of the taste of childhood when one used to have ghoti gorom (a local spicy on-the-go street delicacy) on the way back home from school.
The Paneer Hilltop, a speciality at the restaurant, will win the hearts of all the non-paneer lovers too. A slightly sweet, dry fruit stuffing, sandwiched between two slices of creamy paneer with a charred top, was a flavour bomb. The delicate paneer chunks travelled to our table atop a small live grill, along with a side of kachumber salad and green chutney.
Up next was the humongous Matka Dosa, served in an earthen pot or matka stuffed with a spicy paneer bhurji. The crispy dosa with paneer bhurji was a fresh take, and we loved how they tasted together.
For the mains, we settled for chilli garlic noodles and chilli potato that was nostalgic. The combo tasted exactly what our mothers used to pack for us to school on special occasions.
The potato wedges, even after being tossed in the gravy, retained their crunch and paired with the peppery noodles, the combo got full marks from us. We ended our meal with everyone’s favourite, Tutti frutti ice cream.
Meal for two: INR 700 onwards.