Gautham Iyer and his wife Caroline opened this very small South Indian restaurant in December 2012 and have not looked back since. The customers come regularly and the reviews are good and this little place has earned a reputation far beyond Cork city - which, of course, is down to the excellence and authenticity of the food, which is also very keenly priced for the quality.
Gautham - a veteran of Electric Picnic and some very successful pop-ups - is an expert forager and everything on his entirely vegetarian menu is prepared freshly on site.
The ever changing menu will be new to many people, but the service is very friendly, considerate and helpful with queries. Some customers may be wary about the spicing, but it is not at all extreme - in fact, if it's not hot enough for you, you are encouraged to add more heat with their pickle.
Some popular Indian specialities like dosas and samosas are regularly featured, including Samosa Chaat; an enhanced version of the classic with chick pea chole (curry), red onion, rice puffs and garnish, it is crunchy, nicely spiced and very tasty.
The Dosas are like big pancakes or crepes and come plain or with various fillings - Onion or Masala, for example - and all are served with homemade chutneys (tomato, perhaps, or coconut) and sambar (a kind of soup, maybe with a bit of spice). There are some rice dishes too, one to look out for is Tamarind Rice, which is a lovely mix of colours, flavours and textures, and comes with a spinach Kootu and poppadom.
Happily, they also have a lovely range of cooling drinks including the great tasting Mango Lassi, Fresh Lime Soda (with sugar or salt), a summery Mango Misty, the refreshing Apple & Mango Juice and some sweet ones too such as Mango Kulfi.
And then you can finish with something sweet, from the counter. All the baking is done by Gautham’s wife, Caroline, who provides plenty of temptations to to indulge in with your Badger and Dodo coffee - a Chai Masala Brownie, perhaps, or a slice of Pistachio and Rosewater Cake, or a Cashew and Coconut Cookie... All are equally delicious and, like everything at this super little cafe, handmade with care and authenticity.
