Dosa: A vegan restaurant with 'healthy power food' - review

The motto of Dosa, a small vegan restaurant in downtown Tel Aviv is “healthy power food,” and on a recent visit, I discovered how good an all-vegetable meal can be.

My son David, who has been vegan for over 12 years, accompanied me on this jaunt to the city that never used to sleep but seems pretty somnolent now. Rehov Ben-Yehuda, once full of enticing stores, is gray and silent and even Dizengoff has lost its glitter. Wars can do that.

But people are still dining out and for vegans, Dosa is a really attractive proposition. It’s ostensibly Indian, but in a very moderate, i.e., not overly spicy way.

A dosa is a kind of pancake made from rice and lentils, originating in South India. They are usually very thin and can be filled with an unending variety of fillings.

Mickey Sela has been in charge of Dosa for the last seven years and together with chef, Chen, they do a great job of making guests feel welcome. He speaks perfect English and is a hands-on proprietor.

The platters are very aesthetic and presentation is obviously important to him.

Delicious vegan Indian food in Tel Aviv

The first dish to arrive at our table was a tri-color dosa, the House Dosa, which was a combination of yellow, green, and orange ingredients. The yellow part, we discovered, was made from potatoes, the orange from sweet potatoes, and the green from fresh spinach.

There were three chutneys to eat with the dosa: the first made with cashew nuts, ginger, and coconut, the second with herbs, and the third with carrots. They were totally unlike the chutney one buys in the supermarket – not sweet but full of flavor and probably a great deal more authentic to their South Indian origins. (NIS 67).

The dosa itself was quite salty, thin, and crispy – altogether a great start to our Indian feast.

The next item was a plate of uttapams which are made from the same dough as dosas, but are thicker. These were served on a bed of yellow rice, with cubes of butternut squash, topped with mushroom and green lentil sauce. They were really yummy. (NIS 48/68).

Next to arrive were two bowls of hot soup, one of potatoes in a red spicy sauce and the other, Sambar, made with red lentils, tomato, and tamarind. (NIS 34).

We asked about dessert and at the moment there is only one: kulfi, a traditional South Indian dessert that is served semi-frozen.

It was a bright yellow shade, thanks to the various spices in it, including cardamom and turmeric, and was quite sweet, although no sugar is used in any of the dishes at Dosa. It is also gluten-free. I thought it really good, even though I don’t think Haagen-Dazs needs to worry about the competition. Ice-cold water was the drink of choice for all these special flavors.

Although it is strictly vegan, Dosa is under Tsohar kashrut supervision and is closed on Fridays and Shabbat.

We left Tel Aviv feeling very full, having enjoyed a delightful gastronomic break from the reality we are all experiencing.

• Dosa
• 188 Ben Yehuda St., Tel-Aviv
• 03 6591961
• Open: Sun-Thu, 12-10 p.m.
• Friday, Shabbat – closed.
• Wheelchair accessible.
• The writer was a guest of the restaurant.