Sacred Hearts’ Sandra in Bandra

Benne dosa

Three people, packed in an auto, stop right outside Benne, Heritage Bangalore Dosa on 16th Road in Bandra where there is a long queue. The rickshawallah, an old man, asks worriedly, "What is this queue for?" "It's for a restaurant," one of us replies."Sab bakwas hai - logo ke paas faltu paisa zyada hai (It's futile - people have a lot of money to waste)", dismissing the idea of people queuing up for food..

We get off and join the queue, trying to look away from his (and those passing by)'s judgemental eyes, taking solace in the thought that we weren't alone in this. Benne is Bandra's new craze, and because they couldn't keep up with the demand, they have been operational only for a few hours a day, five days a week.

Next, the shopkeepers whose entryway the queue was obstructing kept getting annoyed. ‘Move aside, don't touch this, stand here - they showed no remorse in expressing their discomfort. The only chilled-out guys were the Le 15 patisserie, right next door to Benne, who didn't object at all. We messaged Pooja Dhingra to ask if she had tried the dosa, to which she replied that the queues had been discouraging. No neighbour privileges or back door entry here, it seems.

The queue outside Benne, Heritage Bangalore Dosa on 16th Road in Bandra. Pics/ Ashish Raje

After standing in queue for about 25 minutes (it seemed like forever in this sweltering, humid weather), we entered the tiny eatery through the wooden doors, adorned by bird-shaped leaf torans, to be welcomed by cool blasts of AC - thank god for tech mercies! There must be at least 15 people in that 150-square-foot cafe with a stand-as-you-eat community table and alcove seating, but it didn't feel cluttered. Everyone was minding their business and respecting personal space. We headed to the kiosk to place our order on their short menu of South Indian favourites (benne, idli, vada, akki roti, Mysore pak and a variety of coffees) and were assigned a system-generated cool name inspired by Bangalore streets and locations - we were Sacred Hearts Sandra that evening. And if you have a long list of things to order that you prefer to eat in a sequence, we suggest you don't be Sandra. They don't have the space to hold your order once it's made (except for coffee), so order patiently, even if it means going back to the kiosk thrice. Tell yourself you deserve it, and continue to annoy everyone outside waiting for their turn.

Filter coffee

From our order, the quick ones to arrive were ghee podi thatte idli (Rs 95), served with two chutneys - tomato-onion and coconut-mint - and vada (R70). The idli's texture was disappointing. For someone who eats idli and dosa twice a week and eats at darshanis in Bengaluru, this idli was tough to break with a wooden spoon. The chutneys were a letdown. They lacked the ‘kick'. The vada was soft on the inside and crispy outside, peppered with seasoning and well-cooked. True to the Bengaluru tradition, they didn't come with sambhar.

The food here is served on sustainable areca leaf plates; filtered water is kept on the table with disposable glasses, tissue, and wooden cutlery for quick use. Next, we tried three kinds of benne - the benne podi plain (Rs 175), benne plain (Rs 175) and benne masala dosa (Rs 175). We were delighted by the perfect balance of crispiness on the outside and softness on the inside - just like any benne should be. Our neighbour, however, complained (yes, we were eavesdropping) that hers wasn't cooked thoroughly. Served with white butter, it had the same two chutneys, so nothing exciting happened there to lift the overall taste, but we were happy with the podi and masala versions. We also ordered the akki roti (R130), a flatbread made with rice flour, spices, herbs and vegetables, a popular breakfast item from Karnataka Cuisine. It was pretty flavourful on its own but was crispier than we liked.

Our meal concludes with a Mysore pak (Rs 60) and filter coffee (Rs 50), something we will come back for when there are no queues, of course. Despite the minor hiccups, the overall experience at Benne was satisfying and worth the wait. Not that Benne is a pioneer of any sort in Mumbai - we've had Cafe Madras, Cafe Mysore, Anand Bhavan, Amba Bhavan, Sharda Bhavan, Ram Ashray, and Arya Bhavan at Matunga Circle nonchalantly churning out non-Udupi-style, delicious dosas for decades. But full marks to founders Akhil Iyer and Shriya Narayan for making it upbeat, honest, reasonably priced, and oh-so Bandraesque!

What: Benne, Heritage Bangalore Dosa
WHERE: Louis Bell building, 16th Road, Bandra West
TIMINGS: Wednesday to Sunday, 5pm to 11.30pm
Rating : Good
Benne didn't know we were there. Sunday mid-day reviews anonymously and pays for meals.