To start with, this is relatively a spacious South Indian restaurant as compared to other smallish eat-outs that exist in that crowded area that is full with lot of students from nearby colleges. The menu is creatively designed and you'd be surprised to see that Idali costs only Rs. 25, and then discover that for many items they are quoting price per piece unless mentioned otherwise (that's what their menu says), which is rather unusual for any restaurant here. Anyway!
Now food - we visited it just for quick evening snack and could not taste lot of dishes there, but whatever we tasted was really very good! We tried Wada-Rassam, Podi Mini Idalis, and not to miss - Filter Coffee. And everything was really delicious. Rassam was one of the best I have ever taste, beats many other established south-Indian restaurant in Pune, including famous Wadeshwar. The Wadas are bigger than what you'd get normally (see the pictures) and they were just perfect in taste. The pricing, Rs. 68 for 2 pieces is quite appropriate for its quality and quantity.
We had to wait a bit longer for our Podi Mini Idalis, and when they arrived the dish only had 11 mini idalis instead of 12, and they used one small piece from bigger idali to make for the missing 12th mini Idali. I think they ran out of stock due to demand on that day. Nevertheless, these mini podi idalis were delicious - right amount of ghee to give that beautiful taste, but not too oily. Podi was quite tasty without being unnecessarily spicy. They serve 3 varieties of chutneys instead of just one. Serving on banana leaf makes it look more authentic and quite aesthetically appealing as well. The samabar was good as well, but their rassam is miles ahead of sambaar in its taste. Next time, I am going to ask for rassam instead!
Filter coffee was perfect again - as you'd expect in any typical South Indian restaurant. We were quite full after thus, so could not try more dishes, but they also serve appam, idiappam and few gravy's, stews and we are planning to taste them soon! But if what we've tasted now gives any indications, the food is quite exceptional compared to most other south-Indian joints that exist in Pune. IMHO, they are second only to restaurants like South Indies or Zambar, arguably the best South Indian restaurants in Pune. Obviously, Iddos is more of snacks & breakfast restaurant, and they have only few items for lunch/dinner on their menu, whereas the other two are specialized fine dining South Indian restaurants. But Iddos taste is almost at par with them.
Wada-Rassam, you must try this rasaam!
Banana leaf waiting for Podi Mini Idalis with 3 Chutneys
Podi Mini Idalis, with perfect coat of Ghee and Podi
Well, they took 20 long minutes to arrive, and we had finished more than half of them in 2 minutes, and then I realized about the photos!! :p
I really hope their management listens to the customer feedback and add more lunch/dinner items to their menu and I am also personally requesting them to add a glass of rassam to their menu! It is the kind of rassam that could make you travel all the way to that place, forget about all the traffic and inevitable parking problems that exist in that area, and relish its taste! Slurp.... :p
The ambiance is pleasant and vibrant - the big screen TVs with world cup matches make it perfect!
As for service, most of the serving staff seems to be from north-east India, and hey don't really understand their menu or its variations or ingredients well but they are quite warm and smiling and make an effort to help you with the menu. Our Podi Mini Idalis took longer than what we anticipated, but I think I understand the reason as they didn't have enough of them ready.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this restaurant if you're looking for the best South Indian eat out for quick snacks or breakfast! Don't miss the Wada-Rassam when you visit!
Food - 4.5/5
Service - 3.5/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Value for money - 4/5
Overall - 4/5
Zomato Link: Iddos, Kothurd Pune
