This little eatery at Mahim dishes out a D Rajnikhant dosa with as much elan as it does a maple butter pancake or Nutella waffle
Dosas in the making at The Junction. Pics/Ashish Raje
On April 10, The Junction created a stir; serpentine queues skirted the pavement and vehicles crowded Veer Savarkar Marg. The Junction had used the ultimate way to reel-in customers — offering three select pancakes and three milkshakes at an unbelievable Rs 3 each.
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But, it's clearly not just the whittled down prices that keep patrons returning for more. When we walk into the café at 7.45 pm on a weeknight, it fills up within an hour. The interiors appear nondescript, with a black-and-yellow colour scheme, plastic stools, and granite slabs that serve as tables.
Paneer schezwan dosa
Two laminated menu-cards are placed before us: one that bears 46 different types of dosas and another for desserts and shakes. We start with the paneer schezwan dosa (Rs 150, all inclusive), and the Kerala masala dosa (Rs 120). The former bears the symbol of actor Rajnikhant's floating head, against the menu; 'D Rajnikhant Dosa', is a brand created by the owners of the cafe, and spelled numerologically.
The service is prompt. Both dosas come served on plastic-ware, with a side-dish that bears their respective fillings. There's also a side of coconut chutney and red chutney. The dosas are crisp and lined with masalas. The paneer schezwan filling comprises paneer, noodles and dollops of garlicky schezwan sauce coated with cheese shavings. The dish is chatpata, yet not too hot. The portion is large enough to make for a meal in itself.
Hazelnut and chocolate pancake
The Kerala masala has a filling of paneer, onion and cauliflower. Though flavourful, it lacks the aromatic Malabar and coconut flavours that the state in known for. We stand and eat as the stools are too low to allow for easy access to the slab-table. Next, we get the Ferrero Rocher waffle (Rs 180, all inclusive). The waffle comes served in a paper cone. It is crisp and covered in Nutella chocolate, making this a delicious end to the meal. But, served in a cone, it's messy to eat. The milkshake is served chilled in a charming glass bottle and we bite into tiny pieces of Oreo in each sip.
As crowds pour in, we get four dosas and three desserts packed. Now, even though we're located just a 100 metres away and though its all wrapped in butter paper and silver foil, the dosas immediately lose their crispiness. But, they do stay flavourful even a day later: the lavish use of onion adds bite to the onion sada (Rs 90) that is spiced just right; the spring roll dosa (Rs 150) is essentially a spring-roll in a dosa shell. It is filled to the brim with diced vegetables, noodles and sauces. The gun-powder dosa (Rs 120) comes lined with masalas but doesn't leave our eyes-watering. The cheese-burst dosa (Rs 150) coats the palate with creamy cheese flavours, which go down surprisingly well with soothing coconut chutney and the pungent red chutney, leaving us bursting at the seams. But, wait, there's dessert.
These come packed in neat, all-black containers with a see-through plastic lid. The classic maple butter Pancake (Rs 120) has a number of miniature pancakes that are soft and juicy, having been soaked in sweet syrup. We will be re-ordering the hazelnut and chocolate pancake (Rs 180), which tasted like a chocolate eclair with a nutty after-taste.
For an array of tasty dishes, which could feed a family of six, we paid a total of Rs 1,530, making it a steal. We only wish the seating was comfortable, or that takeaways wouldn't go soggy.
AT: The Junction, Jahangir Baug, Mahim West.
TIME: 10 am to 12 am
CALL: 7506360169
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