In a nutshell:

Stood the test of time – excellent south Indian vegetarian food – one of the best I have had in Kolkata so far.

Google Map: Jyoti Vihar

Cuisine Type: Vegetarian

Meal for 2: Rs. 100 onwards

Short Description – In case u r in a hurry:

YUMMRAJ’s favourite South Indian Restaurant is Murugan Idly Chennai. So, any good South Indian restaurant gets compared to Murugan.

If ur usual lunch time is 1.00 in the afternoon, pls plan to reach 20 – 30 minutes before coz that is the waiting time. There is a fruit vendor in front of the restaurant who does good business while u wait, cut in front of u & served. The empty ground floor of the restaurant also serves as a waiting area. I wonder why that empty place is not used for seating people!!!!

The food is very good – dosas, idly, vadas, uthapams etc & very good filter Coffee – I maintain Murugan is still better. But if we do not compare with Murugan, this place is super good. A must try.

Detailed Description – In case u have the time to enjoy reading:

The idly is served freshly made & hot, very soft, lumpy (no pinholes), has a fermented feel to it & thoroughly enjoyable. If Murugan idly is rated 10, the idly here stands at 8.75.

The Medu vada is soft inside, crispy outside but the vada at Banana leaf Kolkata is much crispier & hence better. There is no whole black pepper in the vada as in Murugan & hence is a little short on flavor. If u do not compare with other eateries, the vada is good on its own.

While choosing the dosa we came across an option called Butter Ghee Masala Dosa. We said ‘how can u have 2 in 1’. The waiter said ‘Yes sir, there is both’. We decided to try this strange combo & WOW – that was a cool decision. It was a dosa fried in ghee & served with a generous dollop of white butter. The dosa was thick, soft & had a crispy outer layer, it also had a very nice fermented feel to it. The potato filling was excellent & was served separately in little steel bowls. I wud rate this 9.25 if I rate the Dosa at Murugan to be 10.

With all the above u get a good sambhar & a coconuttee frothy chutney.

But if u r willing to shell out an extra Rs. 25, u get the special Chutney – thick, grainy, robust, coconuttee, topped with crispy roasted urad daal that added an unexpected twist – mindblowing – better than the chutney at Murugan.

The filter Coffee is also good.

Overall – Highly recommended.