Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Lakshmi Vilas Vegetarian Take Away

Several weeks ago, Erin and I embarked on our own little op shop tour, so she could show me her fav op shops near her new workplace, we went to about five large op shops around dandenong and Noble Park. It was a great day, but by about 4pm we had worked up a nice appetitie, so upon her recommendation decided to give Lakshmi Villas a go. It's a small Indian vegetarian cafe on one of the mains streets in Dandenong, not far from Dandenong Savers. Excuse my phone pics.

It has a small bain-maree selection of curries and a small but very affordable menu:

I had the masala dosa, which has become my fav Indian dish since going g/f since it's generally g/f although it's worth double checking since I have found one place that mixes the rice flour with wheat flour. For $7 this one comes with the usual soupy type sauce, a spiced tomato based chutney and typically a coconut based chutney. Since they had ran out of the coconut chutney, she offered me an extra side, and I choose the chickpea curry. The masala dosa itself was superb, crispy, with the right amount of chilli in the spiced potatos although I'm yet to meet a dosa I haven't liked. I could tell though that creamy coconut chutney though would have finished off the dish perfectly. It left me slightly hungry which was good since it was so close to dinner time and I was going out for dinner afterwards. But if I was going there for lunch at a regular time then I might order an extra dish, although Erin has warned against having the masala dosa and the set meal.
Erin chose one of the set menu items which comes with 3 curries, rice and papadums. And being the lovely friend that she is, she allowed me to try each of them. She had a potato curry, which reminded me more of regular roasted potatoes rather than Indian curries but was crunchy and delicious, the same chickpea curry that I had and a nicely spiced dhal.
It reminds me a lot of Ganaesha Villas, just such a shame it's so far away from the Northern suburb where I live, otherwise it really would become a regular place for me. I can't believe that I couldn't find any reference to it in a blogger search, apart from Keira's reference to their coconut chutney.

Lakshmi Vilas
5/31 Pultney St
Dandenong
9793 7726
Tue-Sun 11-8pm.

5 comments:

  1. The op shops around Dandenong/Noble Park are really good! I haven't had an op shopping trip there for ages but had always planned to try Lakshmi Vilas while there, will definitely have to go next time I am over that way.

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  2. Op shopping and Indian sounds like a great afternoon!

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  3. I've never had dosa, and every time I see it on a blog I tell myself I must! I'm not sure if anywhere in Canberra offers it, though. At least, I know for sure my favourite Indian places don't, and I can't give them up, because their dhal is like crack....

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  4. I love that place! We trekked out there twice in the last month, and its been great both times. Shame about them running out of coconut- its the best bit of the Dosai.

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  5. I love dosa - but I also have problems with wanting something else and it is so filling - and delicious - I don't know that area of melbourne - it is a shame it is so far away and I have had a few trips out that way recently and not known I should have stopped there

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