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| - If you, like myself, have read the reviews on this place and have never really strayed from the creamy and undeniable Northern-style curries that dominate the Indian food scene in Pittsburgh (and everywhere else in this country), you may have some high expectations for Udipi. So when I finally dragged a group out here to Monroeville to try some South Indian cuisine for the first time, I was excited see what the hype was all about.
Between the 5 of us, we tried the PAPER MASALA DOSA, a PANEER DOSA, an ONION & PEAS UTHAPPAM, a VEGETABLE UTHAPPAM, a SOUTH INDIAN THALI, a plain BHATURA, and a round of MASALA CHAIS and COFFEE. Udipi's strength clearly lies in its carbier offerings, as the dosas, uthappams, and bhaturas were enjoyed by all, with the SAMBHAR and COCONUT CHUTNEY as flavorful accompaniments. Some crispy dough, some creamy filling, plus a savory sweet dip make for a perfect bite. The paneer filling didn't sing like I would have hoped--the flavor fell flat and it was a strange texture that was more mushy than anything else, but wrapped inside its dosa shell, it was perfect tasty anyway.
The thali was the biggest miss for me. I honestly couldn't assign every dish to its name, but the only ones I really enjoyed were the RASAM and a sticky rice garnished with dried fruit. The rasam was so wonderfully spiced and aromatic, I committed to another side order, and the sticky rice was toothsome and fragrant. The PORIYAL was tasty enough, as was the ubiquitious SAMBHAR, but I mostly left the rest of the savory dishes and the PICKLES, as well as the PAYASAM, which I had been excited to try as I love milky desserts, but just didn't care for the flavoring of. I like soft breads, so the CHAPATI and the PAPADUM just weren't my thing, and Udipi's versions were no exceptions.
The chais tasted sinfully creamy, almost too much so to sip, and my tiny cup was gone in minutes. It would be great if they would offer refills, as the cups are so small for their price. I enjoyed the creamy coffee as well, though it was a bit too indulgent for my black coffee-loving husband.
In total, our Saturday lunch was an adventurous and flavorful meal and well worth the trek as first-timers, though I ultimately much prefer the aloo gobis and korma dishes that I find much more satisfying. I wish I had ordered a quart of the rasam to go, as I likely won't be back.
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