RESTAURANT REVIEW: CARNATIC CAFE

For the love of dosa (and idli and uthapam and…)

 

 

Apart from the terrific food, Carnatic Café is inspiring for its commitment to its roots, eschewing fashionable frippery for good, old fashioned substance. The café is a jewel tucked into a corner of desperately dirty New Friends Colony market. Thankfully once you get inside the cheerful little restaurant you can forget about the filth of NFC and focus on the excellent, authentic south Indian food owner Pavan Jambogi is going to serve you.

 

Looks Like

The space is bustling, bright and simply furnished with a smattering of well taken photographs on the walls, the effect is very pleasant and accurately reflects the ethos of the restaurant – cheerful, efficient and focused on what they do best, the food.
 

 

TASTES LIKE

I can’t even begin to describe how happy I get when see a restaurant with an owner who knows his strengths, keeps it simple and plays to them. Elevating south Indian food above the homogenized idli-dosa routine that most Delhi restaurants provide, Carnatic Café is authentic but still exciting.
 

My favourite is their Rava Idli, pillowy soft, studded with lentils and curry leaves it’s served with an exquisitely cinnamon-y, chunky curry. If you’ve made peace with the calories tuck in to the dense, perfectly crisped Bambatt Dosa, rich with the warm, fragrant flavor of cinnamon and spice. The skilled addition of gunpowder, cinnamon and other authentic flavours makes familiar food like uthapams, dosas and idlis unexpected and delightful. The superlative Mahabaleshwar 18^th Cross Dosa is more traditional and filling with a lovely, tangy layer of gunpowder and white butter slathered on the inside.

The Raagi Dosa is another healthy option that won’t make you regret your diet – the millet adds a gratifying grainy texture to the preparation. Wash all this food down with the soothing, salty buttermilk or the fiery Rasam as per your preference but don’t forget the sublime filter coffee at the end of the meal.

 

 

FEELS LIKE

The quality of food being served up at Carnatic Café and their prices seem entirely unrelated. You can have a very filling meal for under INR 1,000 without any difficulty. People recognize value when they see it though so the place tends to be very busy – the owner and staff do a pretty good job of managing the hungry hordes. Their familiarity with their menu is particularly notable and this is one of the few restaurants in Delhi where the staff actually make helpful suggestions and menu recommendations.

This is going on my list of favourite places to eat in Delhi.

 

 
 

Should you go: If you love south Indian food you should have been there already

Vegetarian Options: Only

Liquor License: No

Smoking Area: No

Address: Ground Floor, India Mall Community Centre, New Friends Colony

Phone: 011 30146022 Extn: 925