Udipi Cafe – Houston

FOOD

The freshly made dosa is the place to begin at Udipi’s weekend vegetarian buffet. This thin griddled crepe comes plain or folded around a soft potato filling, alongside the curries, vegetables and rice. Plain leaves more of the lightly browned crepe in each bite; the filled version puts the potato against that thin outer layer. Having the dosa freshly made alongside the self-serve dishes is a particularly agreeable arrangement. Both keep the griddle cooking at the heart of this South Indian lunch.

Avial carries that South Indian character into the vegetables. Udipi cooks a mixed selection in spiced coconut sauce. The sauce has coconut’s mild sweetness and richness, with the vegetables still central to the preparation.

Paneer tikka masala brings the other curry into focus: cubes of fresh cheese in creamy tomato gravy, seasoned with herbs and spices. The paneer holds its shape, with a mild, milky flavor beneath the sauce. Tomato gives the gravy a little sharpness within the cream, while the cheese stays soft enough to cut through with a fork. Avial and paneer tikka masala give lunch two different curries to enjoy, each with a sauce and a main ingredient worth tasting separately.

Bhatura is the large puffed fried bread alongside the curries. Tear it open and the airy shape settles into softer bread, with a fried surface around it. Bhatura has more of the chew of bread beneath its fried surface than a thin dosa. Rice is available too, but bhatura is an enjoyable part of the meal in its own right.

Small puris and medhu vadas have also appeared at the Sunday buffet. The puris offer fried bread in a smaller size, while the ring-shaped vadas are made from lentils. Their browned outside gives way to a softer center, with the lentils giving them more body than the puffed breads. Dosa may draw the first attention, but the vadas are another part of South Indian cooking to enjoy while they are offered.

The sweet choice can be pineapple kesari bhath or rice pudding. Kesari bhath has semolina’s fine-grained body, with pineapple flavor through the cooked sweet; Udipi also lists pineapple sheera on its menu. Rice pudding offers a softer, milk-based spoonful, with the cooked rice giving it a different texture from semolina. The pineapple sweet makes fruit part of the finish, while the pudding keeps things gently milky. A little of either follows the coconut vegetables and spiced curries very comfortably.