Looks like Karachities can now taste Idli Sambar, Masala Dosa, Uttapam, Medu Vada and other mouth watersing dishes of South India.
http://www.dawn.com/weekly/review/review8.htm
A taste of South India
By Shanaz Ramzi
With Karachi expanding at an alarming pace, and traffic congestion making the life of commuters miserable, the news of a popular shop or restaurant being launched is always welcomed. The latest to join the bandwagon is Ponderosa, which has recently opened its second branch at Sea View after shifting its original restaurant to Mohammed Ali Society.
With an ambience that is far better and brighter than that of the old Ponderosa at Stadium Road, the new branch is a smaller set-up, comprising just one section of a building devoted to eateries. The ground floor and half the basement constitute Ponderosa, while a branch of the popular ice-cream parlour, The Dip Shop, occupies the first floor. The second floor will be housing a chaat outlet by the name of ‘Mirchi’, due to open in a few days.
Ponderosa’s decor is quite contemporary - with octagonal wood tables, huge glass windows, glass doors with stained glass simulation, and salmon pink walls - though one does wish that the artificial plants flanking the door would be substituted for real ones. It’s a shame that while the view from the upper floors is scenic, the main restaurant overlooks an uninspiring wall, rather than the sea.
The Dip Shop, on the other hand, is much more spacious than its original counterpart and has a very futuristic decor. With a combination of wooden and colour-crete flooring, false ceiling, and crushed glass tables with copper tube chairs, the ice-cream parlour looks trendy to say the least. Mirchi’s decor still remains to be seen, as the place had not opened when this reviewer went to visit the restaurant.
Ponderosa’s menu has shrunk substantially from what used to be offered at the old venue. Gone are the Chinese, Continental and barbecue varieties. Instead, this branch concentrates only on South Indian specialties, becoming the only restaurant in the city exclusively catering to this genre of cuisine. Although most of the fare on offer will appeal to people with a taste for South Indian food, some of the dishes are definitely superior to others. One must make it a point, for instance, to order the cheese pakora and idli for appetisers, as they are both delicious and taste even better with the accompanying South Indian chatnis’. The masala dosa are as scrumptious as ever, but the Mysori dosa, one has to acquire a taste for. With its many chatni forming the filling of the dosa, it has a smell that is not very enticing. The Mughlai and Madrasi thali asre both enjoyable - the former more to the tastes of Pakistanis who can’t live without meat, the latter catering to vegetarians.
The crockery, though melamine, is quite elegant and has been made to order, complete with the small containers holding the individual servings in a thali. The good news is that in spite of the obviously greater overheads this side of the Clifton bridge, the prices are the same as werein the old restaurant - at least so far!
The Dip Shop has all the varieties of ice creams and toppings available at its original outlet near Schon Circle and also claims to be making the best hot and cold coffee in town.
Mirchi also promises to be an interesting eatery, the concept behind it being that of a desi fast-food restaurant.
So for an interesting option of a pot-pourri of South Indian and Pakistani favourites combined with an alternative for those with a sweet tooth, one should head towards Sea View for one’s next gastronomical adventure. But make sure you are prepared to climb stairs to enjoy the desi and sweet delights!