Masala Dosa at Indian Sweets and Snacks - A Dosa Deliciousness


On a sunny Saturday afternoon I have a craving for one thing and one thing only: masala dosa. Luckily, I am in Newtown, home of what may just be the best and most authentic dosa experience in Wellington. Indian Sweets and Snacks looks unassuming from the outside, but the inside is cute and cozy with its brick walls and Bollywood videos playing on a tv on top of the drinks fridge. The menu on the wall has mostly snack type offerings, but there is an extensive laminated menu at the table with dishes ranging from Delhi Goat to Nasi Goreng. We take a seat and are served a pitcher of water with little metal cups.

Masala dosa is a South Indian dish that consists of a crispy lentil pancake stuffed with a curried potato mixture, a vegetable curry or sambar and various chutneys. Common spices in the potato mixture include green chilli, tumeric (for that gorgeous yellow colouring) and curry leaves.

Our food arrives quickly. A long, cylindrical pancake accompanied by a crimson chutney, sambar and a thick white coconut chutney. I break apart a piece of the crisp pancake and dip it in the sambar. It is earthy with a pleasant kick as evidenced by the dried chilli floating in it. The chutney is slightly sweet with a mere hint of spice, a lovely carmine hue. The coconut paste is viscous: sweet and creamy. Dipping the pancake into the coconut and the chutney simultaneously yields a perfect marriage of sweetness and spice.

The potato filling is a bright, sunny yellow from the tumeric and nicely spiced. I spy black orbs of mustard seed here and there. For $12 you get a tasty light meal and it is definitely worth hopping on the Number 23 bus out to Newtown, maybe to hit the op shops, the awesome Death Ray record store and make a day of it.

Indian Sweets and Snacks, as the name suggests, also sells Indian sweets for around $3 which are a pure sugar rush. They pair well with the spicy masala tea or coffee, ubiquitous in India. It is a family business, owned by the head chef, who also makes all sweets in house. They have been open for 6 years now so they are clearly doing something right.

A destination restaurant for under $13? Yes please!

Food: 9/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Service: 8/10

176 Riddiford St, Newtown


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