Better than any ketchup!

So I thought I'd take advantage of going to Udipi this weekend with Pama and a few other friends. Eric is still in California and so I knew that going to get some South Indian Cuisine this weekend would be the perfect time. Pama has been raving about Udipi all semester and we promised that we'd go with each other one day- well today was the day! Udipi is a small little restaurant that serves great South Indian food and is located near the Sri Venkateswara Temple. This is my first time eating South Indian food- as I am used to the more available, well known North Indian cuisine, and I loved it!

First arriving to the restaurant I was a bit surprised/confused about the location. Located right off the Old William Penn highway (literally), Udipi from the outside looks like a large abandoned trailer home. However, stepping inside, the place is bustling with activity. You KNOW that Udipi has to be good as the place was FILLED with people.

Not familiar with the type of foods, Pama was nice enough to order for me. As an appetizer we got fried idli. Idli is made from rice and lentils- the idli batter was fried and was simply delicious! Sort of like a french fry, it was paired with mint and tamarind chutney which is WAY better than any ketchup (Yes, even Heinz). The mint chutney is refreshing while the tamarind is sweet and tangy. What a great appetizer!

Fried Idli

For our entrees, Pama got the vegetarian uttapam while I got dosa filled with potatoes. Uttapam is a a rice pancake that has a starchy consistency and is cooked with different vegetables. You can think of it as an Indian frittata. Dosa is a flat crepe-like pancake that is filled with different stuffings. Both dishes came with a coconut chutney and sambar- a vegetable stew.

The dishes were bursting with new and exotic flavors. I was surprised at how much I liked the food and how different south indian cuisine can be from north indian. Not too heavy or creamy, the food was wonderfully flavored with subtle hints of spices.

Dosa



Uttapam

I really enjoyed going to Udipi, and I'm so happy that Pama took me here. If you are looking for good service- this is not the place to do so. You essentially are sacrificing good service (any service actually) for the authentic cuisine. I definitely enjoyed the food and really am happy to experience a new type of cuisine! Thanks Pama!