Udupi Palace in Sunnyvale and Chaat Paradise in Mountain View
Two chaat places in two days! A record for me. I haven't had chaat since the day when I dragged CHF and MH up to Vik's Chaat Corner in Berkeley. Both places are vegetarian, so if you're a carnivore, forget about it.
Udupi Palace was up first. I must admit that I wanted to go there because I'd seen it in Zagat's for years, and was curious about the place. The restaurant, located in a stand-alone building on El Camino in Sunnyvale was bare-bones, with cafeteria-style tables and chairs. Although they had a lunch buffet, MH and I opted for ordering a la carte. MH ordered the chana masala (whole chick pea curry), and I got the medhu vada appetizer (small, fried lentil cakes with salad and dipping sauce), and the paper masala dosa, a huge paper-thin dosa with a thick potato and onion side to spread on the bread. All were tasty, but not terribly spicy, even though we told the waiter to spice it up. The dosa could have used more tang; I've had them taste almost like sourdough bread, and I like them better that way.
Chaat Paradise was next. It's located in a strip mall on El Camino in Mountain View, just north of I-85. This place also had bare-bones decor, and service was terrible (we had to flag down waiters any time we wanted anything, including simply to order), but the food was awesome. I got the Chaat Thali 1, with two vegetables (their choice), dal, raita (excellent, and thick), kadhi, rice, papad, and two plain rotis. MH got an incredible samosa in spicy chickpea sauce - the best dish of any that we tried at either restaurant. MH also got a potato and onion-stuffed roti, which was really tasty. I'd go back to this place over Udupi Palace, but would be more aggressive with my demands to the waiters.
Both places were extremely cheap. About $15 for two people. You really can't beat that for a filling lunch.
Udupi Palace was up first. I must admit that I wanted to go there because I'd seen it in Zagat's for years, and was curious about the place. The restaurant, located in a stand-alone building on El Camino in Sunnyvale was bare-bones, with cafeteria-style tables and chairs. Although they had a lunch buffet, MH and I opted for ordering a la carte. MH ordered the chana masala (whole chick pea curry), and I got the medhu vada appetizer (small, fried lentil cakes with salad and dipping sauce), and the paper masala dosa, a huge paper-thin dosa with a thick potato and onion side to spread on the bread. All were tasty, but not terribly spicy, even though we told the waiter to spice it up. The dosa could have used more tang; I've had them taste almost like sourdough bread, and I like them better that way.
Chaat Paradise was next. It's located in a strip mall on El Camino in Mountain View, just north of I-85. This place also had bare-bones decor, and service was terrible (we had to flag down waiters any time we wanted anything, including simply to order), but the food was awesome. I got the Chaat Thali 1, with two vegetables (their choice), dal, raita (excellent, and thick), kadhi, rice, papad, and two plain rotis. MH got an incredible samosa in spicy chickpea sauce - the best dish of any that we tried at either restaurant. MH also got a potato and onion-stuffed roti, which was really tasty. I'd go back to this place over Udupi Palace, but would be more aggressive with my demands to the waiters.
Both places were extremely cheap. About $15 for two people. You really can't beat that for a filling lunch.
posted by epicure | 9:36 PM
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