Chennai Srilalitha

"Small and chaotic it may be, but this Tamil vegetarian café serves some of the best South Indian food in north-west London. Ignore the rest of the large menu and go straight to the ‘signature dishes’ section where there are regional dosas, idlis, and an uthappam not easily found elsewhere. These are specialities from the regions of Andhra Pradesh (including the city of Guntur), Karnataka (including Bangalore), Malabar Coast, Hyderabad, and Tamil Nadu (Chennai, Karaikudi and Madurai). Paper-thin, khaki-coloured maharaja pesarattu is a great choice: made from whole green moong beans and stuffed with a scoop of snow-white upma (savoury semolina flecked with mustard seeds and curry leaves) and topped with chopped red onions. Madurai sandwich uthappam is also worth a try: pancake cushions tangy with properly fermented batter, stuffed with turmeric-golden mixed vegetables, and potatoes. The accompanying sambar is also good: redolent of black peppercorns and a comforting amount of pumpkin pieces." - Sejal Sukhadwala