Street Food Spotlight: Village Gujjus

Helen Graves
By Helen Graves Last edited 103 months ago
Street Food Spotlight: Village Gujjus

Where are they?

We tried their food at Cardinal Place, Victoria, SW1E 5JH, but they pop up in other locations, so check the website for details and times.

Who are they?

Village Gujjus are all about, in their words, “authentic vegetarian Indian street food”. It's nutritious yet soothing, made with care, and it's clear they take great pride in the details of their dishes, adding numerous garnishes, sauces and toppings.

What’s on the menu?

This is vegetarian comfort food. On a miserable day in August when it was pouring with rain, we were drawn to the tempting smells rising from multiple bubbling pots, and the sizzle sounds of bread and batter hitting the heat. We chose a dosa — a lacy crepe made from fermented rice batter, which is ladled onto a hot plate, swirled into a perfect circle and cooked until wispy thin. Fillings are heaped onto it — in this case spiced potato with vegetables like onions and peppers. The smell of the spices toasting revitalised weary minds and steered thoughts away from sopping feet. On the side, a fresh-tasting chickpea chaat, with chopped onions, pomegranate seeds and sev (small, dried pieces of crunchy noodle).

Spreading the dosa batter.
Dosa with spiced potato filling at Village Gujjus
Paneer tikka masala — with a kick.

The dosa was kicked with chilli sauce at our request, and then followed up with sour tamarind and herb chutneys. There’s attention to detail at Village Gujjus. The portion here is more than enough for one person, particularly with that hefty, intense potato filling. The refreshing chaat means it’s possible to work through more of this than is probably necessary however.

We also asked for a cheeky spoonful of paneer tikka masala on the side, which surprised us with its chilli poke. No wimpy spicing here. Respect.

Some things to watch out for, too, are their onion bhajis, and ‘pavs’, which are basically servings of curry with buns. The sight of them made our eyeballs dance and our mouths water. This is good Indian comfort food to warm even the wettest of cockles.

Last Updated 23 August 2015