I like food. I like indian food. So when people started asking me my advice on a new indian food truck ( @Swamisdosagrill ) both myself and the person asking me were shocked that I hadn’t known and tried the food yet. After multiple people approached me for my opinion I decided it was time I make a trek and try it out… for science of course.The first thing of course is that they are a foodtruck. I started on their webpage and eventually their facebook page for information of location(s), hours, etc. For the most part, these objects are movable and therefore sometimes hard to track down in larger cities. I’m fortunate that they are in a somewhat set location and with mostly set hours. (update: try Ali’i Marketplace.) I assume times they close early are for personal reasons or most likely because it’s a food truck and when the food is gone for the day, it’s gone. There’s not usually an extra fridge in the back you can store massive quantities in. That being said, I did mention to them that if they want some after hours business there was a location I know of that would love food at night, assuming there are no city/county/town/work place objections or law issues in doing so.

Ok. Quick synopsis. Good tasty food but the portions and prices were a little higher than I expected.

Now for the expanded version.

As I said before, someone mentioned the foodtruck to me and it became an obsession for me to try the food as soon as I could work it into my schedule. Dinner hours would be nice for me since I could have gone after work, but I’m working with what I’ve got. I also stopped trying to wait until others could go with me to share in the experience. It does free up the schedule when it’s just one person trying to make it. They’ve been very good and quick about responding to messenger messages. From their website https://www.indianfoodtruck.us you can see their front page and menu.

 and it wasn’t  menu

I’d like to point out that the food on the webpage might be mostly the right size but the dosa looks larger in the picture and it wasn’t filled that much. Of course, no indian place I’ve ever been to is filled that much. My eyes saw a much bigger dosa in the picture than on the plate.

Also, there is more on the menu than on the website and the prices may or may not be accurate. If they read these, keep the prices updated or just remove them/list them as changing per season/costs/phase of the moon, and let the recent price be on the menu at the truck.

I should also say for this experience that I already had had a pretty decent lunch but I happened to be close by and I couldn’t pass up a chance to finally go. I thought being mostly full to start with would affect my tastes and hunger, but no… mostly.

I was planning on just going for dosa and idly but the owner convinced me to go for the biryani as well, being a very popular dish bought.

I ordered all three and then started my wait.

The idly ($5) came first. Yum. Light and fluffy. The chutnies all tasted like mom made. The sambar was tasty but I wish there had been more of it.

Idly sambar

The dosa ($7) came next. I ordered a mysore masala dosa. It’s supposed to be hotter and has a vegetable mixture inside. As I said before, the picture made me think there was a larger one coming. For $7 (with the paradise tax included), it felt just a little off. Maybe $6 or keep the $7 but a little larger. I vote for the second option since I want more. The same chutnies and and a small cup of sambar, which I forgot to take a picture of. The small condiment size container you might see at a restaurant. I would consider bringing my own plate just so I could lick it clean after. As a kid I liked my sambar thin and without much in it. It wasn’t until much later that I learned to appreciate a more hearty sambar and that I should (and I do) finish it like a soup after being done with the meal, which I did.

Mysore Masala Dosa

Mysore Masala Dosa

I know I got the biryani ($7) and I know I took a picture of it but I couldn’t eat it. It’s sitting in the fridge right now waiting for me. It’s taunting me actually since I want to eat it but I’m just too full. Even for that level of full where you know you’ll be sick but your mouth is challenging you to keep going. “Yummy yummy yummy… oh my belly hurts.” Rinse and repeat.

Vegetable biryani

Bottom line is that I will go back and I will take others with me as there are things on the menu I still want to try. Will it become a consistent goto? Probably not. Those three dishes came to $19+tax=$21.79. Not a cheap meal. If I had finished the biryani off maybe it would have felt like a ‘full’ meal. As a ‘quick’ snack, the dosa and idly for $12+tax wouldn’t have filled me up. I’m thinking family style next time I go if I can wrangle people with me. Maybe tomorrow actually. One thing to note though is that you’ll not find idly and dosa anywhere else here that I’m aware of. For now suck up the cost and go eat. Your mouth and belly will thank you.

-SFA