Ahhh Franky Dosa, sounds like a Bollywood film star but is in fact the star of the menu at Lasan Eatery. I hesitate to call this place a curry house as you would automatically think it another Balti type establishment. This is definitely not that, it’s modern and light with a pared back menu from across India. Eatery is the right name for it with casual banquette seating and small open kitchen as you walk in. What curry house can you see your order being skilfully cooked?
Or for that matter in what curry house can you also order a dosa? A South Indian stuffed crêpe made from lightly fermented batter of ground rice and lentils. Served with sambar (a thin flavourful veg curry) and chutney, being southern they’re usually veggie and at Lasan Eatery there’s the standard dosa stuffed with spicy aloo. But there’s also chicken-stuffed and of course the very special mr Franky Dosa stuffed with mutton. They make their dosa crispy here just how I like it. They’re quite large for a starter so I tend to have a few sides of tadka dhal, aloo gobi or matter paneer to make up a whole meal. But then I would missing out on the excellent main curries. A classic Bhuna Gosht tickles the tastebuds every time I order it, sadly my favourite Rajastani Laal Maas didn’t make the recent menu reshuffle. Maybe I should start a petition to bring it back?
Lasan Eatery
1355 Stratford Road (opp. Waitrose), Hall Green, Birmingham B28 9HW
Lasan Eatery is no more, it has morphed (i.e. rebranded) into the Raja Monkey Cafe. The menu has been cut down, with the most vicious axing being Franky dosa. The plain aloo dosa is still there but the focus has shifted onto the Thali set meals. Which I have to admit are pretty delicious but it remains to be seen whether such a simplified menu can appeal as much as the old one.
The rebrand looks a bit like it’s to reduce the pressure on the kitchen, and perhaps so people don’t confuse this casual eatery with the mothership in town. Perhaps the cut-down menu is no bad thing as the waits did get very long during busy periods. But not sure the brand really fits the menu, thalis don’t really conjure up Indian street food to me. But anyway, I’m sure it will continue to be very good.