Surati Farsan Mart

Rating: 6.5/10
Date visited: July 4, 2009
Party of four
Lunch

We escaped the mad rush of July Fourth into the City by taking a drive and hike to the Laguna Mountains. It's very beautiful - I highly recommend it.

After hiking in the hot sun for couple hours, all four of us were ready for some soul food. I have been craving dosa for a while (ever since Ben took us to the restaurant in Perth and we had to walk out without one!). Everyone wholeheartedly agreed to the proposal! Yeahhhhh!

We headed to our San Diego's "Little India" - a collection of shops and restaurants on Black Mountain Rd. There was quite a few choices, we chose the Surati Farsan Mart. It was quite clean and was smelling good!

We ordered quite a lot:
Bhel Puri, Pani Puri, Ragda Petish, Falooda, Mysore Masala Dosa (for all), Jalebi, and tea.

Bhel Puri - Done right. Tasted just like it would at the Juhu beach stalls.

Ragda Petish - Done very well too. Perfect balance of spices and an appropriate amount of the sweet and sour sauce. I have to admit, I have not had too many Ragda Petish back home in India. But I liked what I ate.

Pani Puri - Our friends liked it, not a favorite for me though. I am not a big fan of Pani Puri done the Western Indian style. For me, nothing can beat the flavors of the Bengali 'phutchka' served at the dusty roadside stalls in Kolkata. My mouth still waters when I think of it. I wish someone here in the US can replicate the dish.

Falooda - Our friend had this and he liked it very much. The rose in the drink made it very soothing and tasty.

Mysore Masala Dosa - We all ordered the Mysore Masala Dosa. They take the regular dosa and put a generous helping of the very hot 'gun powder' mysore masala podi on the inside. It is awesome! There was a time when I used to eat the masala podi out of the bottle - of course, it made my mom very mad.
I also like my dosa not be served as a triangle but as a big crispy roll. I love it when the server brings the huge crispy tube, more than half of it sticking outside the plate. I love to attack it slowly from one side, crumbling it slowly, one piece at a time.
They served the triangular one here, it's OK. It's not easy to do the big tubes with masala inside.
The sambar was sub-par. May be the northerners cannot make the sambar as it should be. It was too concentrated and and not sour enough. I can guarantee you that most Americans would have trouble with it.
The chutney was totally inappropriate. They served a mix of mint chutney and coconut chutney! That's not want is usually served with a dosa. I want my white coconut chutney please, and with the correct consistency.

Jalebi - How could I have resisted the temptation?! They do not serve by the piece, so my husband got me 1/4lbs. They were good! It was cold though - it could do some warming in the microwave - just 15 secs zapping should have been enough. Anyway, I thoroughly devoured the whole lot, loving every bit of it. (OK, I am not that impolite, I shared some with the rest of the group.)

Tea - Our friends got the tea. They said that it was like the tea you would get at the railway stations in India. I am not sure if it's a compliment or not. Sometimes we Indians do crave for those cheap roadside vendor offerings - I suppose its more nostalgia rather than good taste. So be it, what ever pleases us at that moment is good enough.

Overall, it was a fulfilling meal. I had not had Indian food for a while - this meal satisfied that craving. I would go there again - may be when I need to buy some grocery or when some visiting friend has a similar craving. (Ben and Rasha - come over..)

Address: 9494 Black Mountain Road, San Diego, CA 92126
Website: http://www.suratifarsan.com/default.asp
Ph: 858 549 7280
Timing - don't know.
Does not serve liquor.