Restaurants / Reviews
Kal Dosa, Gloucester Road: ‘Not your average Indian’ – restaurant review
Kal Dosa was recently opened by Raja Munuswamy, Saravanan Nambirajan and Jyoti Patra, the owners of Nutmeg in Clifton Village and Nadu on Stokes Croft, and is inspired by train journeys through south India.
“Imagine the aroma of freshly steamed idlis, crispy dosas, fluffy vadas, fried and steamed fish and flavorful sambar, enjoyed by locals on a train cabin for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” the experienced restaurateurs write.
“Hop off the train and you’re hit with fragrant biryanis, aromatic pulaos, and an array of curries and vegetable dishes that create a wonderful combination of flavours that truly represent the essence of South India.”
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These are lofty ambitions and, set against Bristol’s thriving and somewhat saturated Indian food scene, with award-winning restaurants like Hotwells’ Indian Rassasy and St Werburgh’s Namak, this new restaurant has much to compete with and live up to.
Yet, from a recent visit, Kal Dosa well and truly bucked the trend of traditional Indian dining, offering innovative dishes and intriguing flavour combinations in a laid-back yet thought-out setting.
Kal Dosa’s mission is “to bring back the nostalgia and flavours” of travelling on the Southern Indian Railway
Sitting what used to be Spicer & Cole, the new food venue’s decor is sleek, bright and thoroughly Instagrammable – with blue and dusty pink features and tendrils of plants dangling from bespoke shelves.
Drinks-wise, there are cocktails, mojitos and pints from Bristol Beer Factory and a relatively concise food menu made up of curries, small plates, sides and, of course, dosa.
Dosa is a crepe-like dish and very popular street food
Thick, thin, sweet or savoury, dosa, or dosai, are a family of pancakes from south India that can be served as breakfast, a snack or a main meal at any time of the day and made from anything from oats to chickpeas.
At Kal Dosa, the ones served are more than two feet across and rolled in on themselves so they hang off their plate, prompting people’s faces to light up with childlike glee when they are served. To not try them would be a crime.
After much deliberation (the six flavours all looked tempting), we opted for a chilly cheese version made with a rice and lentil pancake (£8). Arriving on our table, on the side were a trio of condiments: a dollop each of minty green relish, a cooling coconut dip and what seemed like a chilli and tomato chutney. It also came with a cup of sambar, a kind of a lentil stew.
Digging in with impatient (and soon-to-be oily) hands, the dosa packed in a punch of flavour which was mostly spice but also rich, salty cheese and soothed by the four condiments.
The curry was a hearty dish that could definitely be shared between two
After our dosa came kaur kari kozhamu (£14.50), or braised lamb cooked in roast coriander and spiced coconut sauce – probably a dish that most closely resembled something I had tried at a regular Indian takeaway.
The lamb was tasty and rich, if a bit chewy, but ultimately outshone by more adventurous and unfamiliar flavours presented by the menu’s small plates which were made clear by one-sentence explainers for those not well-versed in south Indian food.
Three of Kal Dosa’s inventive small plates
Of the small plates, first up was cauliflower kemp bezule (£5.50): lovely florets of crispy cauliflower liberally tossed in yoghurt, green chilli and curry leaves.
Sadly, the next dish, kuzhi paniyram (£5.50), was a let-down. Although promisingly golden from the deep-fat fryer, the texture of the savoury dumplings was dense and unyielding and the overwhelming favour was oil – a far cry from the fluffy and light morsels I had envisaged when ordering.
Much better was the southern fried paneer (£6) – chunks of sticky and indulgent cheese which, at the end of an evening of feasting at Kal Dosa, will tipped me into a welcome, spice-induced coma.
With a hoard of exciting and innovative dishes combined with a fresh interior and locally-brewed drinks, it does feel that Kal Dosa has achieved what it set out to do – bringing the vibrant cultures and incredible food offerings of the tropical, mountainous and coastal states of south Indian to a little pocket of Bristol.
Kal Dosa, 16, The Promenade, Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, Bristol, BS7 8AE
All photos: Betty Woolerton
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- Award-winning restaurant to close after 13 ‘incredible’ years
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