Southern Comfort: Dosa Corner

Dosa Corner adds tasty South Indian dishes to Columbus' culinary scene

I've found from my time here that the Indian restaurant quotient of the Columbus area is fairly similar to the San Francisco Bay Area. Many are familiar with the styles of dishes more typical of the northern regions, and believe me, my spouse and I do love ourselves a spicy meat-based curry along with a freshly baked naan bread from the tandoor more often than not.

However, that's probably the extent of what many people think of as Indian cuisine, and I have personally tried to learn more of what dishes and their respective taste profiles are related to other regions of India as best as I can. That's perhaps what makes Indian restaurants like Northwest Columbus' Dosa Corner a nice breath of fresh air to me. Similar to Dosa and Udupi Palace in San Francisco, Dosa Corner brings the tasty dishes more typical of Southern India to the forefront. The fact that they do this in an budget-friendly manner is like bonus money found in your pants pocket.

Inexpensive has been and still remains a part of the Dosa Corner's winning combination, but our latest visit there revealed the nice surprise of what seems to be a continual upgrade in appearance and service. While the exterior and interior of this restaurant (which has reached its 10th year anniversary last October) would be considered far more functional than fancy, the sprucing of the space is quite evident. The building exterior looks just slightly more inviting, and the interior adds an Indian touch via artwork, various photos of Dosa Corner's offerings, and other related media scattered along the walls.

In addition, the fast-food style paper plates and plastic utensils familiar to those who decided to dine in have now been replaced by standard flat- and service-ware; some dishes were even brought to us on metal serving trays similar to other Indian restaurants we have visited in the area.  Personally, my spouse and I did not mind this lower-end aspect at all on our previous visits; regardless, this change was well-received by our group and I imagine any other longer-term frequenter of this eatery.

The menu and the interior are fairly simply laid out at Dosa Corner

Dosa Corner is truly one of those places where we have never felt limited by the fact that they do not serve meat dishes; in fact, that factoid rarely enters the conversation at all. Simply, pretty much everything we have had from this eatery has been uniquely flavorful, from the appetizers (the Samosas and Mirchi Bajji (green peppers stuffed with special masala and fried in chickpea batter) being two of our personal favorites) to their dosas (crepes) and utthapams (pancakes) and onward.

Clockwise from Top Left: Onion Pakora, Puliyogre, Onion & Hot Chili
Masala Dosa, and the Spicy Spinach Uthappam

On this visit, we were entertaining a friend from out of town, so we were able to pull a few more items off the menu than usual for sampling. We enthusiastically gobbled orders of our standby Samosas ($3.59) and Onion Pakora fritters ($3.99) while awaiting our mains. With our friend, who is somewhat unfamiliar with Indian cuisine and generally not a fan of hotter/spicier foods, somewhat unsure of what she would enjoy, my spouse suggested the Puliyogre ($6.95) as something she would enjoy. Indeed, this blend of tangy tamarind rice with herbs and nuts brought a satisfied smile to our friend's face as she finished her bowl.

My spouse and I both went for something with a tiny bit more kick, and my Onion & Hot Chili Masala Dosa with herbed potato and my spouse's Spicy Spinach Uthappam, topped with fresh spinach, onions, chili and spices (both dishes $6.99 each) were both prepared well and quite flavorful.

As we were relaxing with full bellies at the end of the meal, we realized upon looking at the cabinet (filled with Indian sweets such as Mysore Pak, Kesari Bath and Pongal) beside us that one of these days, we'll have to save room for dessert. A friend's Indian baby shower we had attended had brought an absolutely delicious Carrot Halwa onto my own personal dining radar, and this was a delicacy I have been kind of craving ever since.

And how convenient that Dosa Corner has this sweet treat on their menu. Not that I really needed an excuse to return, but how can I not go back for another visit now?

Dosa Corner
1077 Old Henderson Road (Northwest)
Columbus, OH  43220
(614) 459-5515
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Freshly Minted: Yuan-Ye Fresh Kitchen

One of the things I personally miss as a close-to-work lunch option is a Chinese restaurant. Back in San Francisco, I had several options, but the cuisine just isn't as prevalent here in general, and definitely not so in the downtown area.

That's why I was personally excited by the signs touting the opening of Yuan-Ye Fresh Kitchen at the old Maki Go sushi location near the corner of Broad and High. Also, food items on the initial menus looked quite intriguing, containing things that I had never really seen on the typical American-Chinese menu Also, the mention of steamed buns, crepes and other items for breakfast you don't find in the downtown area put this place on my must-visit list.

Based on these first visits, the family-run Yuan-Ye has work to do and is learning on the job. For example, the table layout was setup in a way that blocked customer flow in and out of their space and lent the impression that they were still in the process of moving in (they have fixed this quirk recently.) Also, there's not much advertising the restaurant's opening other than sandwich board signs outside their store and a newly installed but somewhat hard-to-read awning.

Yuan-Ye's chalkboard-style menu

Customer service is similar: the owners are earnest in their attempts to provide good service but it remains disheveled at times, Unlike many takeout joints, Yuan-Ye does not have steam table setup at the front counter; menu items are mostly brought back from the back kitchen, save for items displayed in the heat lamp display case. Truthfully, this case probably isn't the best way to show items like their chicken legs or their Ye-Ye fish, nor does it lend a notion of freshness as referenced in their restaurant name.

Regardless, I'm game to try most anything, and what I've tried so far has been a mixed bag. The most winning item so far has been their minced pork steamed buns (2 for $2.99) they serve for breakfast. The pork filling was moist and had a pleasant savory taste, with hints of ginger and a thirteen-spice (I had only heard of five-spice before) blend. These buns also passed my freeze test: as I grew up as a child, my parents would occasionally make huge quantities of their delicious siopao, a Filipino steamed bun. This siopao eminently freezes well after their initial steam cooking, and these buns were similar in nature when I brought some extras home for future consumption.

Their pork potato noodles ($6.45) were unlike any noodle dish I've ordered before and didn't look like much at first glance. Consisting of cubes of what seemed to be ham and potatoes within a mass of noodles and greens, this dish actually proved to be fairly tasty.

Clockwise fr. top left: steamed buns, Ye-Ye fish,
Chinese crepe, and pork potato noodles

Their Chinese crepe ($3.99) probably is a jian bing (煎饼), but it is missing a crunch aspect typically found inside this street food item. Regardless, it is emblematic of the mixed-bag you get here. On the plus side, the crepe itself was freshly made at the front counter, was cooked well, and tasted just fine. The egg they placed on top of the batter was a nice touch that is typical of this creation.

On the minus side, the turkey they used within was supermarket level (think Oscar Meyer) and the paste they used to brush the crepe (reminiscent of soy sauce) was unevenly salty, making some bites of the crepe unpleasant due to the sheer saltiness.

Despite the heat lamp treatment, the Ye-Ye fish ($4.99) was a decent tasting filet with a predominant cumin flavor.

Yuan-Ye has some unique items to offer and adds some diversity to the downtown dining scene, but overall they are still a work in progress. The uniqueness of these items also may be an issue as they may not be enough to bring in less adventurous eaters (they have added a Pad Thai dish recently.) The speed of their service may also need to be improved to satisfy the eat-and-run downtown crowd. Improving their overall consistency and service should be the first thing on their docket to ensure their stay in the area is not a short one.

(09/03/2014 Update: Alas, this last sentence might have been prescient; a large "Closed" sign has been on the door the past two days, and there's no indication that they'll be reopening in the future.)

Yuan-Ye Fresh Kitchen
12 E. Broad Street (Downtown)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 216-6198