Along Cowley Road, a taste of South India sits within a rather inviting building, complete with burnt red accents and the occasional fairy light: Dosa Darlings. After many of my friends had moved to the area into their second-year houses, it only seemed right to try out a restaurant located somewhere beyond a five minute radius of Turl Street. For one night, I left the joys of Najar’s and the Covered Market in search of a new place to add to the ‘treat’ rotation.
Walking inside, the atmosphere was immediately welcoming, complete with dim lighting, though not too dark given the sparkle of lights decorating the restaurant, and the candle perched in the middle of our table. It was looking to be a lovely evening, which was only further confirmed by the rather beautiful-looking jug of water (still, not sparkling) on the table. This was nothing like the typical uninspiring water containers I had become accustomed to receiving during my summer in the US.
We ordered a selection of food for the table – I have learnt that ordering as a couple is far superior to having individual meals – since there was so much on the menu that looked appetising. There were the famous dosas and other classic curry dishes, as well as vegetarian options, and ‘little plates’. After some difficult deliberation, we started with two vegetable samosas (£6.50 total), accompanied by a tamarind chutney, as well as a plate of beef chukka (£9.50). Whilst I did not try the latter, I was assured on good authority that it was quite delicious – and I can confirm that the samosas were delightful. They were fresh, piping hot from the kitchen, and generously sized too, leaving us with some leftovers (though not for lack of enjoyment).
The first dishes were speedy, but we then waited another 50 minutes until our main courses came out. Ordinarily, this would have been fine, but here everything was ordered to come together. The wait took a little away from the experience, mainly because, after looking around, it was quite clear that most tables were emptying – even those who had arrived after us. We did finally receive the selection of poppadoms (£4) we had ordered some time earlier to nibble on. This was genuinely quite exciting; there were several types which were all different, not just in shape but also in flavour, texture, and, best of all, colour. So, I suppose, had we not been waiting for so long, we would not have had time to enjoy the novelty of this selection.
This period of delay gave us our most memorable experience of the evening by far. My boyfriend returned from the bathroom, sat down, and exclaimed: “You won’t believe what they’re playing in there.” He was correct; I did not believe him until I went to test the claim myself. Playing very loudly in an otherwise quite chic bathroom was the booming voice of Stephen Fry narrating to me the journey of the ‘Golden Trio’ in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – not quite what I was expecting, given the relatively inoffensive and quiet music playing in the background of the rest of the building. Either way, I did enjoy my short time hearing about Harry’s journey within the Ministry of Magic before returning. Eventually, the main event was here: a prawn moilee curry (£16) and a walnut cinnamon and honey dosa (£9.50).
The curry wasn’t particularly memorable and was quite light on prawn, but the flavour was enjoyable and paired with what was left of the poppadoms. For those who have not enjoyed a dosa before, they are quite spectacular in their own way. Dosas are cone-shaped savoury crepes, and mine was so big it didn’t quite fit on the plate. It was, however, utterly delicious, and drowned in honey. I think our combination of flavours may have negated the savoury component slightly, but nonetheless it made the wait worth it. It had a Goldilocks quality, in the sense that it was filling, but not overly so in the way some breads and dipping snacks tend to be.
Just before the restaurant had completely emptied, we decided to ask for the bill, and it was here that our waiter made up for the earlier inconvenience. He brought over two desserts for both of us to try. I wasn’t quite sure what it was at the time, but after a few Google searches, I believe it was ras malai, since it had a spongy disc in the middle soaked in a bath of milk flavoured with a range of spices. The spongy part was not quite to my taste, but the milk component had a unique (but enjoyable) taste to it which, I suppose, is all I can ask for in a complimentary dish.
Despite the longer-than-anticipated wait time, the evening was memorable and, at the very least, was a great environment to spend a couple of hours in. I would recommend trying a dosa to anyone; they have so many options that finding a flavour to suit you shouldn’t be an issue. It’s not the place to go for a cheap evening out, but it is by no means overpriced. So if you’re looking for a place to go for a special occasion, or a reason to venture past Magdalen Bridge, then Dosa Darlings is just right.
