Mumbai Food: Jonty Rhodes was bowled over by this Juhu eatery's Benne Dosa!

Its a photograph posted by former South African allrounder Jonty Rhodes on his social media handle that makes us believe that Ten One merits a visit On a 40hour trip to Mumbai last month he visited the restaurant located opposite JW Marriott in Juhu and called it his favourite vegetarian cafe where he had polished off the Benne Dosa A phone call to its landline reveals that Rhodes has visited the threemonthold restaurant twice already We also learn that Ten One stands for October 1 celebrated as World Vegetarian DayBenne DosaWe drop by on a weeknight to find the twolevel airconditioned space packed with diners of all age groups mainly Gujarati sitting on mahoganyhued stiff benches with back rests with a wall caricatured with Mumbais street food scene as the backdrop Our ears catch strains of conversations A couple in their 60s checks with the waiter to ensure the kadhi is mithi a young lady explains Bisi Bele to a friend as the khichdi of South India and another diner urges his family to pick the dishes saying Menu ma bau badhu chhe theres lots on the menuAnd hes right The menu is extensive starting with salads and shorbas moving on to tandoori and north Indian fare and deepdiving into Gujarati Rajasthani and South Indian specialties It also includes global flavours from Sicilianstyle savoury crepes to pizzas sliders risotto and Greek GyrosGatta SabziThankfully we know where to start and order Rhodes recommended Benne Dosa Rs 195 Plated on a banana leaf the dosa is accompanied by two types of chutneys mdash tomatogarlic and coconut mdash along with sambhar Aloogadde Palya potato fry and a spoonful of clarified butter that we spread over its circumference A bite of the soft and fluffy meshpatterned dosa and we can hear strains of Carnatic music that drown the chatter It tastes even better with the pungent tomatogarlic chutney tempered with mustard seeds and crunchy urad dal and the gingerspiked coconut variety We avoid the sweetened sambhar and polish off the dosa with the perfectly mashed potato fry making for a hearty mealNaachni BhakriFrom the Clay Oven section we pick Zaffrani Rath Aloo Rs 275 The flavours of roasted sweet potato with charred edges cut through the hung curd marinade tinged with cloves and cinnamon However they leave a dry taste in the mouth as its insufficient We wash them with the Kokum Sherbet Rs 125 a blushhued concoction with a tangy kick from the fresh fruit rather than kokum syrup interjected by nutty flavours of toasted cumin seedsKokum SherbetNext we call for Rajasthanistyle Gatta Sabzi Rs 275 with portions enough for three The tiny barrels of chewy gram flour dumplings swim in a thick and wellcooked sourandspicy curdbased gravy tempered with ginger garlic jeera and green chillies thankfully without any grainy texture of gram flour greasing our palate We enjoy it with the rustic and crisp Naachni Bhakri Rs 75The cricketer enjoys Benne dosa at his favourite vegetarian caferdquo on a visit last month Pic courtesyJonty Rhodes Instagram accountHaving had a safe ride so far we decide to try the Texan Burrito Bowl Rs 395 which promises rice pilaf cottage cheese and avocado We realise that the order was a mistake at the first bite The pilaf is cloyingly sweet with kidney beans thrown in the mix much before they even turned al dente and the avocado is bitter The bowl is abandoned and we decide to leave making a mental note to stick with Rhodes choice the next time we come hereReviewFOOD FlavourfulAMBIENCE VibrantSERVICE EfficientCOST ReasonableVERDICTTIME 8 am to 1230 amAT Near Melting Pot Juhu Tara RoadCALL 33716083