My first exposure to dosas was from Hampton Chutney and, I must admit, wasn’t the most authentic. I still like eating at Hampton Chutney once in a while even though they’re overpriced and I’ve since searched for good, and less expensive, dosas in the city. Shit, I’ve even spent several hours trying to make a Nepalese version at home.
My parents and I met up with Honey and Paolo in Jersey City to check out a Filipino man in the suburbs who apparently can give you the same diagnosis as a chiropractor and help you as much as a physical therapist can. My father has always complained of lower back problems; my mother almost broke her hip and wrist when she fell off a ladder; I still have a busted left knee from hiking the Pyrenees. He didn’t accept any kind of payment–though we ended up buying tocino and longanisa from the wife who makes them at home–so we didn’t see any harm in visiting him.
An hour later, we were famished. Honey drove us to Dosa Hut for lunch where I introduced my parents to vegetarian meals that actually made them full. My parents, always hard to please, refer to all kinds of South Asian food as “Bombay”. They’ve never seen a dosa before and wouldn’t be able to tell one curry from the next. So when I ordered, I asked the lady behind the counter what made their “special dosa” special. It contained cabbage, green bell peppers and onions and was fit for two people. The flavor wasn’t as special as the classic dosa however, stuffed with cheese and parsley. It didn’t seem much at first, but it was deliciously light yet still filling. The crepe itself was crisp and the different chutneys gave my folks a good education about dips outside of the usual Filipino soy sauce and vinegar.
Oh, my left knee has been okay since that visit.
Dosa Hut is at 777 Newark Avenue in Jersey City, New Jersey and is all vegetarian. You can call them at 201/420.6660.
Related post/s:
The Nepalese have the chataamaris
Saravanaa Bhavan has a few choices that can fill you up
