Eating Non-Veg at a Pure Veg Restaurant

I normally enter Chennai Dosa from the Ealing Road side, as I always start my shopping for Indian food products from Alperton, but this was the first time I entered from the Wembley Central side. I began wondering why things looked different as we sat down. Maybe they have had the builders in and tarted up the place a tad. Well it had been a year or so since we were last here. But so much fluorescenty lights. So India.

Then as we looked at the menu, it contained meat. Mutton and chicken were on the menu. What the f@*k had happened since we were last here. Has the world gone mad? Have all the veggies in the world finally seen the light and finally understood that meat was where it was at. Or was I tripping.

So without further ado, we began ordering as much meaty product as we could before they realised it was a pure veg restaurant and were about to tell us that they were playing a joke. I was half expecting an Indian Jeremy Beadle to jump out and surprise us. That would have been a good thing as I could have smacked him one, as I always wanted someone to do that when I was young. Never happened. Shame.

As it was before 12, and still officially breakfast time, I ordered my favourite South Indian breakfast. Idlis. Damn those black lentil and rice cakes are awesome. My last ones were at Delhi airport as I was ready to board my Oman Air flight back to London. They normally come in two’s or three’s, but Chennai Dosa gave me four. Awesome. With it came a thick coconut chutney, and I ordered some chicken gravy for me to dunk my idlis in. No chicken, just the gravy. Man it was tasty, thick and had a little kick to it. Yum yum.

Lina had to wait an age for her Dosa. By the time it came we had finished off my idlis, and the two thick mango lassis we had ordered. Damn they were good.

The dosa when it did arrive was worth the wait. It was full of a spicy crushed potato masala and a thick unxious mutton curry inside. Man, that was good. You could really taste the spices in the sauce.

The pancake was freshly made and was still quite hot when we started tearing it apart and devouring it, the potato masala and the mutton curry. Not that we were particularly ravenous, it was just so good we could not stop. People at the other tables were looking at us in bemusement, until they got their dosas, then they understood.

I was still waiting for them to apologise for serving us meat as we left, until I saw the “Sorry, we serve meat here” sign, and next door was the pure veg restaurant that we had eaten at all those times before. Damn. Now I know I can have great dosas and great meat currys. Brill. I’m coming back.

I wouldn’t say Chennai Dosa is a destination restaurant, but if you are ever shopping in Wembley or Ealing Road, then I would definitely hold off until you can get to the top of the hill, and either go for the pure veg or the non-veg restaurant. I’m now in favour of the non-veg now I know it exists.