[CLOSED] Komala Vilas Vegetarian Restaurant (Buffalo Road)

but my sadness immediately dissipated after having a bite of this chewy oily goodness😌 their paper dosai is really good too!

After being swept off my feet by British Indian food in London, I've been trying to expose myself to more of what South Asia has to offer.

I was introduced to a proper dosai only today, at none other than the legendary Komala Vilas chain. Sure enough, I took an instant liking to the crisp and "tangy" Paper Dosai ($4.40), served with a simple trio of sambar and chutney.

Dosai will appear in my dreams tonight.

A characteristic of indian cuisine as we all know is the usage of spices. Even in light snacks like the poori.

Served in a pair, poori is a deep-fried bread made using wheat flour which I could really taste its coarseness. During the deep frying process, steam is trapped within and therefore giving rise to the puffy snack here, and a hollow interior.

I tried 2 ways of eating; first tear and dip into the yellow potato curry and Chenna masala (chickpeas), or second, wrap the curry and chickpeas with the torn poori before sending everything into your mouth in a bite. Both worked, but if you would like a more fulfilling experience, then the second method. The Chenna masala, with its chickpeas cooked till really soft, was more heavily spiced than the potato curry but rest assured that both were not heat spicy. In fact, they were really fragrant with spices like cloves and star anise.

A concoction of black tea and a mixture of spices such as cardamom and cinnamon, the masala tea is something I would crave during cold weather. Smells pretty spicy but taste, like the sweetness and milkiness, was just right. Delighted to see that it's still served very traditionally in a Davara Tumbler!

My eyes were almost as ginormous as this thosai when it landed in front of me. I remember thinking to myself, "Thank goodness I didn't order the masala potato thosai!" Even then, I couldn't finish this plain one.
Inspired by the ambience of this old, slightly grungy but vibrant eatery, I decided to eat sans cutlery. Using my fingers, I tore off pieces of the thosai and swished them in turn through each of the dhals and curries before shoving the sopping yumminess into my mouth. What a fun and flavourful experience!