It was a newspaper insert that introduced me to Kafe D’ Casa, a new restaurant that opened recently near Changampuzha Park, Edapally. What piqued my interest was the picture of the Pizza Dosa on the leaflet and of course, the idea of a Pizza Dosa! We made plans to try out the place for dinner and even before reaching there, I was excited at the prospect of trying out different varieties of Dosa, including the Pizza Dosa, that they offered.
Located right behind Changampuzha Park, although it looks like a hole-in-the-wall café, it’s slightly bigger than one. As you enter the café, you are sure to notice the half-open buzzing kitchen, tempting you to peer inside and see what’s cooking. The café is divided into two portions – a dining space right as you enter the restaurant, in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the restaurant, and a small, more private space tucked away in one corner. We were a group of five adults and two toddlers, and we chose to sit in the private area.
I loved how the interior of the restaurant was done up, especially where we sat. The white walls with a slight jute border running across it looked classy and the centre wallpapered black wall with pictures of Pizza Dosa, Burgers, Sausages, and a whole lot of other food items was appealing. As we sat admiring the setting, we were given the menu card to place our order. The menu looked very interesting with a big variety Dosas you generally don’t find anywhere else and we were almost tempted to order one of each.
In fact, I was surprised to see Neer Dosa, a Mangalore favourite, on the menu. Considering that I am a hardcore fan of Neer Dosa, I didn’t have to look further to know what I wanted to order. However, sadly, Neer Dosa was over for the day and I had to opt for something else. After much discussions and deliberations, we placed our order for a Chicken Pizza Dosa, Veg Pizza Dosa, Chicken Afghani Dosa, Mutton Nilgiri Dosa, and a KDC Special Veg Dosa. Along with this, we were asked if we would like to order from their wide variety of fresh juices. On enquiring about the options they have, we were told that we could order whatever we wanted and soon our creative minds worked hard to create some amazing combination of fruits and vegetables for the juice that we preferred – Carrot and Gooseberry, Carrot and Pineapple, Papaya and Pineapple, Chickoo Shake, and Chocolate Shake.
It didn’t take much time for the food to come, and I must say, each one of the dishes looked tempting enough. The Dosas were accompanied with three varieties of chutney and sambar and we couldn’t wait to dig in. We, of course, tried the Pizza Dosas first – a wonderful, healthy fusion of our desi Dosa and Italian pizza! With a soft yet sturdy Dosa base and generous amount of vegetable toppings and melted cheese, this dish nailed it and was a wonderful, tasty deviation from your usual Dosa. However, the pizza dosa is slightly smaller in portion, and with just four slices, it might not fill your hungry tummy, more so because of the taste factor too. The KDC Special Veg Dosa, Chicken Afghani Dosa and Mutton Nilgiri Dosa were served, cut into five diamond shaped pieces, along with three varieties of chutney and sambhar. The KDC Special Veg Dosa was one of their signature dishes and it did live up to the expectations. It was crispy, crunchy and slightly spicy, teasing the palate with some wonderful flavours. The Chicken Afghani Dosa, quite spicy but with perfectly cooked minced chicken filling, was a hit among everyone. The Mutton Nilgiri Dosa was moderately spiced and although flavourful, we preferred the Chicken Afghani Dosa and KDC Veg Dosa better.
Even after the Dosas and the juices, we were still in a mood for more, and we were told about the newly introduced Chappati and Chicken curry combo, which we decided to try. In no time, three Chappatis along with a delicious-looking chicken curry was served to us and I must say the looks weren’t deceiving at all. I am generally not a fan of restaurant Chappatis (most of the time, I find them dry or not cooked well), but to my surprise, these were soft and along with the spicy chicken curry, they were just perfect. The chicken curry had lot of takers. It was a perfect balance of flavour and spice along with perfectly cooked chicken pieces.
All in all, it was a dinnertime well spent. Considering that the restaurant had just started, it didn’t seem to have the teething trouble that restaurants at the nascent stage usually face. The staff was well coordinated and provided us with a wonderful service. There isn’t much of an ambiance to speak about, but this place is perfect if you are looking for one of those casual places for a light dinner, especially considering that it is moderately priced and light on your pocket.
As for me, of course I am still drooling about the Neer Dosa on the menu and for that, I am going back soon.