This was the second meetup organised by me. This time I was joined by LGs @SubraRoyChowdhury @Singhavinash81 and @Pixeltales
We reached at 8 am and spent some time chatting about Maps, South Indian food culture and Dosas. We exchanged tips about how to improve the quality of reviews, take better photographs, and add new places on the maps.
By now the place was getting crowded and we decided to move in. This restaurant serves a mind boggling 88 varieties of Dosas, 10 varieties of Idlis and 6 varieties of Rice. It is so popular that by 11 am they run out of batter and then serve only rice. After 4 pm they again start serving Dosas till batter lasts.
This is the first restaurant that started serving Thatte idlis in Tirupati. We asked the manager for his recommendation and spent some time chatting with the cooks before zeroing in on four varieties of Dosas and the must have Thatte idli.
Ghee Upma Pesarattu Dosa: Pesarattu stuffed with rava upma and drizzled with ghee. The Pesarattu dosa has filling of upma instead of the more common potato mash that is used in most dosas. The dosa also is made from batter of whole green moong beans. It is like the MLA Pesarattu which is so named because it originated in the MLA quarters in Hyderabad, where the upma was used as filling in the green moong bean dosa. The Ghee Upma Pesarattu Dosa here is their own version of the MLA dosa.
Nalla Karam Dosa: Dosa layered with Rayalaseema style black chili (nalla karam podi) spice powder along with upma and ghee. This dosa is a local Tirupati-Rayalaseema favourite.
Mysore Masala Dosa: Dosa layered with butter and stuffed with butter-potato-upma mix. Mysore Masala Dosa is different from other dosas because it is coated with a flavourful, spicy red chutney made from red chilies and garlic before the potato filling is added. The batter also includes flattened rice (poha) and well-fermented cooked rice, giving it a softer, more porous texture inside while remaining crisp on the outside, unlike a regular, thin, crispy masala dosa.
Set Dosa: Also known as Sponge dosa, it is made from a fermented batter of rice, poha and lentils. It is served with chutney and sambar. It has a thick and crispy base but spongy and porous top.
Thatte idli: It is a popular variation of the traditional South Indian Idli, known for its larger, flatter, and softer, disc-like shape, which gives it the name “Thatte,” meaning “plate” in the Kannada language. Originating from the Karnataka region, particularly Bidadi, it is prepared by steaming the batter in special flat plates or molds, resulting in a unique, spongy, and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
In line with our mission as Local Guides, post the meetup we enhanced the presence of this restaurant on Google Maps:
More than 15 new high-res photographs have been added
Detailed review highlighting the detailed menu and must have Dosas here
The Tea/Coffee counter had still not opened
We then moved to Nellai restaurant for Bellam tea and “Chai pe charcha”. This will be covered in separate post.
