I went to the Udipi Cafe yesterday, and was quite impressed with the quality of the food. Its located in Monroeville, about two miles from Chi-Chis. It serves fare that is typical of Udipi restaurants in India, namely, mostly South Indian food and a few North Indian dishes. The flavors are quite authentic. While I was there, all the clientele, including our group, were Indians. We were a group of three and had the following: -masala dosas (rice crepes stuffed with potatoes) -idlis and medu vadas (steamed and fried rice dumplings) -Pongal Avial (rice cooked with lentils served with a coconut-based veg curry) The bill came to about 8 bucks a head, including coffee. We ordered more food than we could finish. We weren't trying to minimize the bill, so you might be able to come away with a lower tab. The service was prompt and efficient. The decor is of about the same genre as Sree's. I would go here for the food and not for the ambience. Its an all-vegetarian place. Its got a simple menu, which attempts to explain what the different dishes are like for someone who has never eaten this kind of food before. If you are tired of the usual fare offered by the typical Indian restaurants in and around Oakland, you might want to try this place for a change. Directions from CMU: Head to Monroeville Mall Drive past the Mall Just as you pass Chi-Chis, make a left onto Duff Road Duff Road ends in a 'T' with Old William Penn HIghway Make a left onto Old William Penn Highway Drive for about a mile. Udipi Cafe is on the right. Drive slowly, since its easy to miss the place Its just before a cement plant. I believe its hours are 11:30 to 9, with everything on the menu available during these hours. (That is, there is no separate lunch and dinner menu). Its tel. no is 373 5581 Standard Disclaimer: I'm only a satisfied customer and have no affiliation with this restaurant. Your mileage may vary. *********************************************************************** Aziz A. Lookman, Ph.D. Candidate Carnegie Mellon University Department of Engineering and Public Policy Baker Hall 126B, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890 tel: (412) 268-5607 or 683-9085 fax: (412) 268-3757 email:[email removed]
Pittsburgh, PA
Udipi Cafe - Positive Review
Aziz L. wrote: > > I went to the Udipi Cafe yesterday, and was quite impressed with the > quality of the food. Its located in Monroeville, about two miles from > Chi-Chis. It serves fare that is typical of Udipi restaurants in India, > namely, mostly South Indian food and a few North Indian dishes. The > flavors are quite authentic. While I was there, all the clientele, > including our group, were Indians. I've been meaning to post a review of Udipi Cafe for a while now, but since Aziz has beaten me to it I'll just add my comments to his. I've been there 3 times in the last 6 months (most recently with Eaternet last month) and the food has been excellent every time. My favorite dish is the uttapam - a thick pancake made with a batter similar to dosa batter but with a slightly different proportion of rice to lentils in the batter. They have several different toppings available on the uttapam. I have tried the coconut and the pea/tomato toppings. I like the pea/tomato best but the coconut was really good too. It is served with sambar and coconut chutney. Another dish I really like is their lemon rice. And their aloo mattar is excellent. The only complaint I have is that I can't get sweet lassi made the way I like it. They make it very thick and I like it very thin - like the consistency of milk. Other than that everything is really great. They have wonderful samosas and bondas and pakoras, too, for appetizers. Kate
Someone wrote: : Natesan M. wrote: : > : > Excerpts from netnews.pgh.food: 2-Sep-97 Re: Udipi Cafe - Positive R.. : That's not how they explained it to me. The dosa batter is : also "soured" or allowed to ferment overnight. The difference : between dosa batter, idli batter, and uttapam batter (as it was : explained to me by two different Indian cooks) is the proportions : of rice and lentils. I suppose they could have been wrong but Kate: You are absolutely correct. The Idli and Dosa batter have different proportions of rice to Urad lentil. Traditionally Uttapa was prepared out of the left over Idli / Dosa batter. Fermentation of the batter is key in having fluffy Idlis or the dosa getting the right taste. An easy way to convert the Idli or Dosa batter to Uttapa batter is to add some rice flour to the batter and mix it well. : know his name). This was also confirmed by some friends of mine : from India - the wife is from Bombay. Could things be done : differently in different areas? Having lived in Bombay and South, and having made Idlis and Dosas for past so many years, I seriously doubt if there can be much scope for varying the algorithm. This is because these items are very fussy about the proportions one uses. : Kate -P.