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Church Road, Hove
01273 735835
Open 8.30am-8pm on Mondays
8.30-10pm Tuesday to Sunday.
Review: November 17, 2006
May and Natasha Thakker
Specialising in South Indian cuisine, Waves is Brighton and Hove’s first dosa diner.
What started out as an ordinary newsagent selling an everyday mix of magazines, postcards, cigarettes, sweets and drinks soon expanded to include Indian clothes and accessories and then a cafe/deli.
Now the Thakker family, who run the business, have gone one step further, building an attractive mezzanine gallery and introducing a fully-licensed restaurant which offers a relaxing environment suitable for either a lunchtime snack or an evening meal enhanced by buzzy Indian music, attractive art work and friendly service.
A dosa is a traditional dish, similar to a savoury crepe, which comes served with a selection of tasty accompaniments such as coconut chutney and sambar (vegetable dhal). There are 11 varieties of mouth-watering dosa to choose from, including masala dosa, which is stuffed with a lightlycooked filling of potatoes, fried onions and spices; egg dosa, which is served wrapped around a spiced egg omelette with onions, tomato and coriander; chicken masala dosa, filled with spicy chicken and onion; and a sweet and savoury banana dosa, served with coconut and date chutney.
For nutri-conscious eaters, there are also a couple of gluten-free versions – rava masala, filled with a mild blend of spicy potatoes, onions, green peas and cashew nuts, and the rava special, wrapped around onion, chilli and cheese.
Dosas are Waves’ speciality but there is plenty more to choose from. The menu is extensive and varied, with a healthy emphasis on home cooking, fresh, authentic ingredients and traditional recipes.
This is not the kind of thing you would find in a typical curry house. It is much lighter – although if you want to leave with a full stomach, that certainly won’t be a problem.
May Thakker and her daughter Natasha are responsible for much of the day-to-day running of the restaurant as well as the cooking. “A lot of our food is Indian snack food, like your fish and chips,” says May. “It’s the kind of thing you would see being sold in street markets. It is very traditional and it’s what I grew up eating in Bombay.”
Try the delicious dhai poori (£4) which are little puffed tortilla balls filled with boondi (humus), potato and spicy yoghurt and garnished with crispy vermicelli, coriander, chaat masala and tamarind and date chutney. The overall effect is tangy and refreshing with plenty of crunch.
Along with a couple of samosas (£2.75) and a plate of Bombay bheal (a medley of puffed rice, vermicelli, potato, onion, tomato and coriander with sweet and chilli tamarind and date chutney, £3.75), dhai poori make a great starter. Follow with a dosa or a Waves-style club sandwich with a Indian twist.
There is Bombay club (potato, onion, tomato, cucumber and green chilli chutney, £4.95), which can be toasted with cheese, or there is chicken or mango tikka (£5.25). If you can, make room for a lassi, which is a refreshing, cooling, traditional Indian yoghurt shake blended with either mango, rose or cardamom, served salted or sweet.
There are plenty of other interesting soft drinks, from rose falooda (rose, vermicelli and ice cream milkshake) to coconut water, and a good selection of wine, bottled beers and spirits.
For dessert, traditional Indian sweets – sweet being the operative word – are also available, such as the syrupy gulab jamun, buttery milk barfi and jalebi.
Review by Xenia Gregoriadis
pictures by Kate Howell
- If you are interested in restaurants in Brighton, Hove and Sussex, visit www.theargusfoodguide.co.uk
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