Jun 15, 2016 4 min read fort greene

Dosa Royale Brings Spectacular South Indian To Clinton Hill

This isn't a chef. It's a magician. (Courtesy Fort Greene Focus/Justin Fox.) — This man isn’t a chef. He’s a magician. (Courtesy Fort Greene Focus/Justin Fox.)

Dosa Royale’s opening in Clinton Hill was a homecoming of sorts for its owners, but the South Indian restaurant is already thinking of expansion.

Thiru and Heather Rajamani, the co-owners of Dosa Royale (258 Dekalb Avenue, between Vanderbilt and Clinton Avenue) live in Clinton Hill and their their other restaurant, Dino (222 DeKalb Avenue), is just a couple of blocks away. They love the neighborhood and feeding it is a part of their mission.

“I live here and I want to eat my food,” said Thiru of Dosa Royale, which is the first South Indian restaurant in the neighorhood. Dosa Royale used to be in Carroll Gardens (316 Court Street), but the move made sense for Thiru, who added “I love this neighborhood. I wanted to open here before Carroll Gardens.”

Dosa Royale had a soft opening 16 days ago, and business has been booming. “I closed the restaurant early on Sunday because we ran out of food!”, said Rajamani. Given the great start, they’re thinking of opening a second location in a few months, perhaps in Bushwick, according to Rajamani.

About that food, which extends well beyond dosas.

This is a masala dosa. It is impossibly huge. (Courtesy Fort Greene Focus/Justin Fox.)

I experimented with dosas in college, but these are unlike any I’d had before. I ordered the masala ($12), and before long, an absolutely huge dosa appeared before me. It was joined by a tomato sauce, a yogurt sauce, and a third that was something akin to lentil stew. This large, filling, slightly buttery, dish struck me as a sort of crepe on steroids. It was very, very good. I’m told that the more complex variants are even better. Spoiler alert: I’m going back to try them.

This is the Chicken 65. Presumably, so named because I could eat 65 pieces of it. (Courtesy Fort Greene Focus/Justin Fox)

This is the Chicken 65 ($9), which is described as “Indian-style ‘popcorn’ chicken.” It is slightly sweet, slightly spicy, with a perfectly crunch crust. I could eat several servings. I might have eaten two (ok, definitely. I buried this for a reason.) Please do try it. You’ll thank me.

Eggplant Kulambu (Courtest Fort Greene Focus/Justin Fox)

The eggplant kulambu ($12), a curry made of eggplant simmered in sesame, peanut, coconut, and cashew-based curry, is filling and hearty. It’s got a touch of heat, but it’s actually quite rich. It’s very good, but I doubt you’ll finish a whole serving. The manager of Dosa Royale, Samir, said to allow some time for the curries, as like everything on the menu, they’re made from scratch.

The best (coconut) rice I ever had. (Courtesy Fort Greene Focus/Justin Fox.)

The curry came with coconut rice ($6) and it’s the best rice I ever had. The coconut renders it slightly sweet and deeply flagrant. It’s a bit chewy, but that’s a good thing because it allows the flavors and many textures (!) to linger. It’s not often that the rice is the best part of a meal, especially one this good.

Coconut rice pudding (Courtesy Fort Greene Focus/Justin Fox.)

For dessert, I had a sweet coconut rice pudding made of rice, coconut, coconut milk, and vanilla. It was light, sweet, and very refreshing. At six dollars, I recommend it.

Dosa Royale has only been open for a couple of weeks, but already it’s easy to get comfortable in their backyard garden. Remember to bring cash, though there’s an ATM on site. It all feels very familiar, which makes sense given that it’s a sort of homecoming for the Rajamanis.

Dosa Royale
Address: 258 Dekalb Avenue, between Vanderbilt and Clinton Avenue
Phone: (718) 576-3800
Try: Anything, but make sure to get the coconut rice.
Avoid: Nothing, but if you get a dosa, go big.
Kids: They’ll love the Chicken 65.
CASH ONLY