Philadelphia Chutney Company

1628 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Phone: (215) 564-6446

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Fax: (215) 564-2412

The brains behind this modest, fast food style storefront belong to a pair of guys whose roots lie in North India: attorney Nirav Mehta and Baldev Singh, who owns several restaurants in the ‘burbs. The cooks in back, though, are Tamils. And they make a damn fine masala dosa. The crepe, a good foot-and-a-half in diameter, carries a subtle tang of fermentation. Its textural attributes — crispy enough to crackle, pliant enough to fold around the potatoes — are in classic equipoise. The potatoes themselves are yellow with turmeric, fragrant with curry leaves, and zippy with mustard seeds — which turn up again in the snow-white, refreshing coconut chutney. The rest of the menu is a mix of vegetarian Indian street snacks and fusion-style fare, and the former far outshine the latter. Especially good is the Gobi Manchurian, crisp-fried balls of moist shredded cauliflower doused in a spicy sauce that all but demands a mango lassi on the side. Those charms fade the further the menu departs from its South Indian core.