Restaurant Review: Udupi Cafe, Indianapolis, Indiana

It's hard to find Udupi Cafe in Indianapolis, Indiana. In fact, I'd wager that Udupi rates as one of the best-hidden culinary gems in Indianapolis. First, it's on a side of town where one expects to find a great variety of ethnic cuisine, but not necessarily on a side of town where you'd really want to go. Let's face it, the area around Lafayette Square Mall just isn't what it used to be. Leo and I happen to spend a good amount of time in this part of town, simply because we live about five minutes away. But I never feel completely safe in the area.

Second, Udupi is hidden inside Indian Plaza, which I never even knew existed before two days ago. So even if you know the address (4225 Lafayette Road), finding Udupi's front door just isn't a simple matter. In fact, I've driven by this place for the last ten or fifteen years, noticed the sign for "vegetarian indian cafe", and  I always assumed it had gone out of business, since there was no visible storefront. 

Then, two days ago, I was out running errands and I was super-hungry. I didn't want to go grocery-shopping on an empty stomach, so I decided to treat myself to a dim sum lunch. Well, the dim sum place was closed, so I decided to go on an Indian adventure. And what I found amazed me. 

The strip mall (yes, I know) where Udupi is located happens to have another Indian restaurant at the end. I assumed that was the Indian restaurant, but then noticed a door with a sign reading, "Indian Plaza." "What's that?" I thought, and decided to venture forth. 

Inside, I discovered a small Indian paradise. A little spa beckoned me with eyebrow threading and facials. A boutique tempted me with sparkly, beautiful jewelry. A massive grocery offered huge bags of scented rice, fresh produce, some of which I'd never seen before, and avast array of music and Bollywood films. And nestled in all of this cultural richness was Udupi Cafe.


On my first visit, which happened late for lunch (2 PM) on a Saturday, the staff was just about to tear down the buffet to start getting ready for dinner. When I happened along, though, they were completely welcoming, asked about the books I had with me, gave me a guided tour of the buffet, including recommendations, spice levels, and even made up a dessert plate for me, complete with masala tea. The head chef wandered out into the dining room to shake my hand when I was finishing my meal, and I had a lovely chat with a cake artist who stopped by to say hello to the staff. And when I was paying my bill, (under $10 for full buffet including dessert, beverage, and tip) they surprised me with a little to-go tub of my favorite dessert that day.


I took my dessert (gulab jamun, fried dough balls made with milk and flour and soaked in simple syrup) home and shared it with Leo and told him about my adventure, and we decided to go back the next day so he could experience Udupi for himself.


When we returned, the staff remembered me and welcomed us in, asking about the book I'd been reading. I introduced them to Leo and they showed the exact same level of service and friendly warmth during a reasonably busy Sunday evening dinner that I'd experienced as the only patron mid-afternoon on Saturday. Leo fell in love with the buffet, too. 

Dosas

The flavors of Udupi are rich and warm and focused on Southern Indian cuisine. The matter paneer, one of my favorite Indian dishes, which is a tomato-based sauce with peas and cubes of cheese, has a deeper flavor than I've experienced before. The sambar, a vegetable stew, is only mildly spicy (though I thought spicier at dinner than at lunch) and wonderfully accompanied by saffron rice, idlis (steamed rice cakes), any of the bonda (fried potato mixtures), or the fresh naan (a soft flatbread) they bring you on request. They'll also bring dosas, a crepe made from lentils and stuffed with a potato, lentil, and spice mixture. Though it's not to my particular taste, there's a cold bar as well, with an array of raitas and chutneys, plus puri, which is an unleavened bread that comes out a bit like crunchy, hollow balls that you can fill with a mint sauce, a chutney, or a cold mashed potato mixture.

Saffron rice, sambar, mattar paneer, and bonda

And just when you've overdone it on too many trips to the savory buffet, there's dessert: at least four choices of delicious sweets await you. The galub jamun is a personal favorite, but I also fell in love with the kheer, a sweetened rice pudding made with raisins, and shrikhand matho, a yogurt-based mango dessert with fresh peaches and pears stirred in. The sweetest dessert I've had at Udupi is the motichoor ka ladoo, made with milk, gram flour flakes, and puffed rice.

I have yet to have a single dish at Udupi Cafe that I don't like. Even if I discover something that isn't to my particular taste, it's all prepared so well that I still enjoy it. And the welcoming staff makes the dining experience even more pleasant. In fact, Suresh and Raj invited us to a Cultural Cannibals event featuring a friend's band, Bollywood Bahngra, next Friday...after we sample their Friday night Indo-Chinese buffet, of course.