Banana Leaf: Not just an Udipi

I've posted my review of Banana Leaf (near Four Bungalows Market, Versova, Andheri (W), Mumbai) on burrp.com. This recently opened restaurant comes from the stable of Mahesh Lunch Home, Salt 'N' Pepper and Malgudi Days and lives up to its lineage. Notes from my first visit below:

“According to Ayurveda, banana has medicinal value which is why most South Indians serve meals on banana leaves” – is what is inscribed on one of the walls of this up-scale suburban restaurant. May be true, but it’s not what will make me go back to Banana Leaf. I intend to frequent it to enjoy its authentic yet reasonable South Indian fare.

Unlike Shiv Sagar, Banana Leaf does not offer Southie fast-food. Nor does it branch into other cuisines such as Mexican and Italian. It does have a large variety of idlis, dosas and uttapams though. Mini meals such as paneer gassi with appams are also included. The menu tries its best to stick to the authentic (Iyer dosa, Chettinad Spicy dosa) but experiments with cosmopolitan palates too. Try the Chilly Potato dosa to know what I mean. Cheese Mysore Masala dosa is recommended on days when one is famished and doesn’t mind a few extra calories. Though we didn’t try the idlis some seemed quite interesting – Khatta meetha tomato idli and the Sri Lankan style idli with potato stew, in particular. For those who would rather stick to basics, Udipi style masala dosa and plain rice idli are worth a try.

What makes the experience complete is its true to the theme ambience. Mogra flowers on every table, caricatures (like the RK Narayan / Malgudi Days book-covers) on the walls, mural of the Madurai temple at a one end and plantain leaves all over, transports you down South. If it doesn’t, then the South Indian classical on the ears surely will.

Few more brownie points go to its service. A waiter actually told the six of us to not order six dosas as it would be too much for us! And he was right. Each dosa comprises of about eight stuffed pieces – almost like having a 12-inch pizza by oneself. As mentioned earlier, the food is reasonably priced. Throw in a dessert with a big dosa and it would be about Rs. 80-100 per head.

And now for some downsides. The place is quite noisy, especially on a weekend. Almost thirty minutes wait to get a table on a Saturday afternoon inspite of calling before hand and trying to reserve a table. Apparently they don’t reserve tables on the phone but when we reached the restaurant we found that some tables were pre-booked. The restaurant is pure vegetarian, which could be a boon for some and bane for others.

All in all, it is worth stepping into this not-very-Udipi.