Pathil – Karama

Pathil is a rustic looking, self-confessed snack house in Karama. I’m told their name is a play on the word Pathiri, which is a pancake made of rice flour indigenous to Southern India. How this is connected to the bakery look they seem to be aiming for with their interior I don’t quite know but, if homely and cosy were part of their designer’s brief, they’ve done a good job.

• 

• 

• 

• 

What caught my attention about this restaurant was the variety it has for breakfast. I can’t remember the last time I saw a menu which covers dosa, omelette, pancake and waffles on the same page…or at all for that matter. The rest of the menu is equally diverse offering burgers, pasta, pizza, curry and biryani. How cool is that? Want something cooler? It’s what they call their unlimited breakfast. For a laughable 19 dirhams you can order everything on their breakfast menu…as many times as you can eat.

Needing no encouragement whatsoever I ordered my Karama staple of idli-vada (dip is not available) followed by a masala dosa. The thought of having a pancake after my dosa, which in fact is also a kind of pancake, did cross my mind but I chose a masala omelette instead. I was not surprised to find that the idli and vada were warm-ups rather than freshly made. So was the sambar. I know this because the inside of the vada was still cold and the sambar was only tepid (I sent it back to be properly heated). The dosa was better but realistically, if you’re a dosa-idli-vada fusspot like me, take your cravings elsewhere in Karama.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I was not impressed with the masala omelette either. It simply wasn’t exciting, just eggs, chopped chilli and raw onions – Boo! Come on Baba, throw in some diced tomato, a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, a sprinkle of garam masala…something. At least their desi tea was good.

• 

• 

Pathil opens at 07:00 on weekends (on weekdays it starts at 11:00). I was surprised to find a cooing couple already there when I walked in with the deliveries at 07:45. The deliveries continued throughout my hour there (I would have expected them to have a service door for this sort of thing). It was interesting looking at all the ingredients a restaurant kitchen takes deliveries of but not appreciated. Highlight of my meal was the smiley waiter who looked after me. I am a morning person and instantly connect with other morning people. I’m going to assume everyone there is as happy, friendly and cheerful this young lad (see picture).

Pathil is an interesting concept which is still a little rough around the edges. As it is, I think it’s ideal for groups of people who each want something different; kids for example where one could have pizza and the others a burger, frankies, fish fingers so on and so forth. This more than anything is Pathil’s strength and USP – variety and diversity. Yeah, even though I was not too impressed with my breakfast, I’m still going to recommend this place for the variety it offers.

Hey! Now read this –
Xerxes physically dines at, or orders from, each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join me on Instagram @ravenousxerxes or email me on xerxes@dellara.com.