Bay area veggie - Rajjot

K now has a big reprieve from my anti-California/pro-midwest tirade. The reason? My new job, or more specifically, the location of my new workplace. I am now just a mile away from "little India" in Sunnyvale and this translates into some really cool vegetarian lunch choices (and no more subway!! yaay!!!)

One of the best places in the bay area to get vegetarian food, especially if you like home style cooking is Rajjot. Located at the intersection of El camino and Wolfe road in Sunnyvale, it is hard to miss. Don't let the lack of decor or mismatched furniture put you off. The food is seriously good, at extemely reasonable rates (a piping hot desi lunch for about 6 bucks!). I've tasted almost all the vegetarian dishes in the menu (except the sweets), so here are some of my favorites dishes:

1) Samosa with channa - The potato stuffing in the samosas is perfectly seasoned, and you get more channa than you can finish in one sitting

2) Rajma/Dal makhani/Yellow dhal and rotis - This is one of my lunch staples. For $2.50, you get a generous serving of rajma or dal (or any other veggie side dish). The rotis are piping hot, and served with mixed vegetable pickle and sliced onions (very dhaba-ish)

3) Saag - There is no paneer, but the saag by itself is creamy and flavorful

4) Malai kofta - Sure, it is sinful with waaay too much cream. But, with the flavor of ghee and a sweetish tinge, just a tablespoon sized serving is good enough to spice up your meal

5) Gobi/Masala/Paneer/Aloo paratha - These massive parathas paired with raita and pickle are filling and satisfying

Unless you are eating by yourself, Rajjot is not really a sit-down kinda restaurant to take your family to. But, it is the perfect place for takeout. During lunch, anytime after 12:15 pm, the place could get crowded, so do try to get there earlier. You can phone in your order, and don't let the rather gruff staff turn you off. They have tons of customers, and i guess, they believe in giving customers an authentic indian experience in more ways than one!

Bay Area Restaurant Review - Dosa Place in Santa Clara

I am totally spoiled for veggie food choices in the Bay area. I want to spread the word, so, you are going to read a lot of restaurant reviews from now on. And its ok if you dont live in the Bay area. Hopefully, this blog should come as a handy reference when you visit, or, you could get inspired and try some of the fantanstic dishes at home.

We went to the Dosa Place for dinner last night. The restaurant has just opened this week, and my husband and I truly enjoyed some good ol south indian hospitality. The appetizers - medhu vadai and potato bonda were pretty routine, but got us hungry enough for the main course - the dosas. The menu has the widest variety of dosas I have ever seen, including some really creative ones like California dosa, and Guacomole dosa (er.....i'm not sure if i'll ever end up ordering that). Traditional treats like Adai, pesarattu upma, and kal dosai are also available. With the chef's recommendations, K ordered Chettinad dosa and I ordered the California dosa. My dosa was pretty good - a lighter version of a masala dosa, but with the masala spread all over the dosa (instead of a lump in the middle), and with chopped almonds, a little cheese and lots of green peas.

K's Chettinad dosa was incredible. Again, the masala was distributed almost throughout the dosa, and rolled up in a rather unusual way. It had the trademark chettinad saunf masala taste, and it was absolutely lipsmacking. I usually do not praise restaurant food a lot, but this dosa was too good. I am the type that usually ends up requesting for a second cup of sambar, but we ended up leaving the sambar virtually untouched, as the dosas had to be enjoyed fully. The chutneys were pretty good - apart from the usual coconut chutney, they serve an unusual peanut chutney and really spicy red chilli chutney.

We finished the meal with some creamy mango lassi and chai. I cannot wait to go again. I may just give the guacamole dosa a try!