Saravanaa Bhavan

Saravanaa Bhavan is located on West Broadway, where a lot of other good restaurants are located. This place serves Indian food, and everything here is vegetarian.

I have not tried too many Indian dishes, but my favourite by far is the dosa (Indian-styled crepes stuffed with vegetables and/or meat). I am always excited to try Indian food, because I never know what to expect! The unique blend of spices that they use are so unique and flavourful, even though they might be a bit too spicy for some people. It’s always fun to order food in an Indian restaurant, where most of the items have exotic names such as “Bagalabath” and “Aloo Gobi”. Saravanaa Bhavan also serves something tomato omelette (not the omelette as we know it though! This one contains no egg at all, and it’s very spicy!!).

I ordered a Rava Masala Dosa last night. The menu described it as being a “cream of wheat & rice crepe stuffed with spicy potatoes & onions”. Spicy? Cream of wheat crepe? Yes, please!

Rava Masala Dosa – $8.50
4/5

The wheat gave the crepe a crunchy texture, and after attempting to eat the dosa with a fork and spoon, I gave up and started to use my hands instead. The different sauces that came with the dosa were really flavourful, perfect for dipping the crepe with. The sauces from top to bottom: tomato, coconut, mint (my favourite one). The little dish on top of the dosa contained spicy lentil sauce. For those who can’t handle spicy things though, take note: this dish (and many other Indian dishes) are not for the weak of tongue. ;)

House of Dosas

On Sunday I went to my friend L’s birthday party. The plan was to go eat near Stanley park then go biking after, but sadly it just had to rain on that day, so we had to change plans. L chose the restaurant House of Dosas on Fraser and Kingsway. I was really excited to try it out since I don’t normally eat Indian food and certainly never dosas (Indian crepe/pancake). I have only ever had butter chicken.. twice.

The restaurant was conveniently located right beside the bus stop so I did not have to walk far. There was only one other table there on Sunday at around noon. The restaurant interior was small, but clean. The server was also very friendly and when we requested to change the TV channel so that we can follow the hockey game (Game 4, Vancouver versus San Jose!), he happily obliged.

House of Dosas - Interior

I ordered a beef curry dosa and one of my friends ordered the eggplant curry. We shared so that we can try more dishes. When the orders arrived after 10 minutes, I was pleasantly surprised at the size. It was a large generous serving and both looked and smelled delicious!

Beef curry dosa $9.99CAD

The inside was filled with pieces of beef and potatoes and curry. I asked for medium spicy and it was just right. The crepe that surrounds the beef curry was cooked just right and tasted crispy at the ends and soft near the center. It added a whole new meaning to crepes!

Inside of the beef curry dosa

The eggplant curry on the other hand was just okay compared to the dosa. It was a bit salty for my liking, and if I come back again (which I’m sure I will!), I will definitely order their dosas again!

Eggplant Curry $9.99CAD

I left the restaurant feeling very, very full and satisfied. It was fun to try out a new restaurant and new food. It’s been a while since I did that! I heard that every Monday is dosas day, and during a certain period of time on Mondays their dosas are only $6.99? Maybe for those who have not tried it but would like to, that would be a good time to go!