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Dosa Express is the newest South Indian Vegetarian restaurant in Fremont, offering traditional South Indian tiffin items. Located on Thornton Ave, across from Suju’s, the restaurant is airy and spacious and was quite busy on a friday night, a week after it officially opened. The food was quite good, and on par with some of the other Fremont restaurants, like Saravana Bhavan and Dosa Hut. They have over 30 varieties of dosas on there menu! Here’s what we ordered : Dahi vada - was the typical south indian “thayir vada” with cilantro and seasoning, and without the green and sweet chutney added, as in the case of the north indian version. Parotta Kurma - Parotta was perfectly done - crispy, yet soft. Kurma was made with cashew gravy and tasted delicious! Onion rava masala dosa - I had asked for it to be crispy and well done. I was not disappointed! It was crunchy till the last bite. I could eat it without any of the accompaniments it came on the side (Potato curry, sambar and 3 types of chutney). Free milky chai was an added bonus to all the good food. Do check it out the next time you are in the area! >> Got a question about this page that you need answered quickly? DM me on Instagram @SolaraStills and I’ll be happy to help! I only accept DMs from followers, so hit the follow button before sending.

After many unsuccessful attempts to visit this place over the years, we finally made it to Punjabi Dhaba in Fresno. We went in to try their famous stuffed parathas without realizing the size of those. These parathas ended up being the largest we had ever eaten! Their masala orange juice was equally delicious and complimented the parathas and the dahi and the pickles very well. We ended our visit with a bag of freshly made matris to go. The owner was very hospitable and friendly and recommended what to order. When we ordered 2 parathas, he did warn us that the parathas are big, but we, unfortunately, did not heed his advice. Imagine our surprise when the parathas arrived at the table! Check out this hidden gem if you are in the Fresno area or on your road trip to Sequoia national park or to SoCal. >> Got a question about this page that you need answered quickly? DM me on Instagram @SolaraStills and I’ll be happy to help! I only accept DMs from followers, so hit the follow button before sending.

Amrutha Vilas is a newly opened vegetarian restaurant in San Ramon that serves all the popular South Indian dishes in a pleasant, casual setting. Service was quick and the free cardamom chai added to the experience. The chutneys all tasted fresh and the tangy ginger chutney was my favorite. Check it out the next time you are in the area. Here’s what we ordered : Ghee Masala Dosa - Just the right amount of crispiness and potato filling. Loved the taste of ghee in every bite. 8/10 Onion Rava masala Dosa - Nice and crispy and roasted dark, as per our request. There was a generous sprinkling of onion, which we loved. 7.5/10 Sambar vada - 3 vadas dipped in sambar. The vadas were hard and had not fully soaked in the sambar. 6/10 >> Got a question about this page that you need answered quickly? DM me on Instagram @SolaraStills and I’ll be happy to help! I only accept DMs from followers, so hit the follow button before sending.

Son & Garden - a brunch resto in Menlo Park and San Francisco, made popular by Instagrammers and selfie seekers. Although the restaurant itself is very pretty and the food and drinks presentation is top notch, the same cannot be said about the service, location or the taste. We had to try twice before we could get a table. The place is overhyped and not worth the time, IMO.

Vada Pav is a relatively new (read 5 month old) establishment in Mountain View dishing out Bombay street food. It is a small place serving food in paper and plastic products (absolutely not a fan). Their namesake was sub par, to say the least. The vada was quite bland and I like my pavs lighly toasted, not straight out of the bag. Vada pav The second item we tried, Mumbai amul cheese sandwich, made up for the mediocre vada pav. It brought back mouthwatering memories of that one time I visited Jay sandwich near Linking Road in Mumbai. Amul cheese Mumbai sandwich The third item, Amul cheese potato frankie was not done well with the fillings unevenly distributed. Eating first a mouthful of raw onions and then a blob of amul cheese followed finally by bland potato filling towards the bottom took my stomach for a spin. Amul Cheese potato frankie The final redeeming factor was the shrikhand. It was almost as good as the best one I have had, with the right amount of nuts and sweetness. Shrikhand All in all this restaurant gets only 2 out of 5 Solara stars, with points taken away for disposable tableware, uninspiring vada pav and frankie which felt more like a prank-ie.

Puranpoli is a relatively new restaurant in Santa Clara, which dishes out traditional Maharashtrian food. We were holding off from trying the place until they started serving in actual plates and metal cutlery instead of paper and plastic products, and when that didn’t happen for over a year, we decided to try it out anyway. The food was good - it was on par with Annapurna or Mumbai Chowk, but any sort of ambiance was non-existent. We felt it was overpriced for that kind of no-frills restaurant. But the topping on the cake was its namesake - puranpoli, which was the BEST we have tasted in the US. This place gets 3.5 solara stars out of 5. Vada Pav - absolutely delicious. Sabudana vada - crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. The yogurt based sabudana vada chutney was new to us and was yummy. Bharli Vangi with chapatis. Vangi was well cooked and the gravy was mild and good. Kothimbir vadi - we had not tried it before. Didnt care for it much. And finally, the puranpoli - it was evenly rolled out, with just the right amount of jagguary filling and adding the dollop of ghee on top took us to childhood heaven! The best puranpoli in the Bay Area without a doubt!

K-Cafe &Patisserie is a fairytale Tea Room in the middle of San Jose. Beautiful flowers, art nuevo paintings, pink suede furniture and bronze sculptures welcome you for a delectable afternoon tea. The scrumptious tea sandwiches and pastries are covered in fresh flowers and are a treat for all the senses. To experience their top notch personal service, I highly recommend making a reservation for an afternoon high tea. This is a great place to come with girlfriends or just to celebrate a special occasion. A selfie-seeker or an Instagram fiend's dream come true! This place is too pretty to not add to your "must try" list. A perfect venue for a girls tea party or to mark a special event. With an impressive drinks menu, we decided to forgo the traditional afternoon tea, and went for a strawberry-lychee smoothie, flan latte and cafe latte instead. Art nouveau pieces covered the walls, and crystal chandeliers adorned the ceiling. Their menu is French-Asian inspired. We opted for the vegetarian high tea menu. Each item was unique, yet delicious Not sure if there were more pastries or flowers! Lots of pretty photo ops in the garden, including this carriage turned container for plants. Numerous murals provided great Insta-worthy moments.

Once Upon a Dosa is a new cloud/ghost kitchen which recently popped up in San Jose. This joint puts a twist to the traditional dosa by serving it in the form of waffles with unique toppings. Being a self-proclaimed “dosa nazi”, I was apprehensive to try this spot, but played along to please the daughter. I was pleasantly surprised by the overall taste. As expected, the waffle version wasnt as crisp as the dosa, but the toppings were good, including the coconut chutney. 4 out if 5 Solara-stars, with 1 star deducted for the soft waffles. This was the best - chole and potato topping with coconut chutney on the side. I think my taste buds and eyes were in conflict - how can what looks like a waffle taste like delicious, well fermented dosa (leaning towards adai taste) ? Katta-Meeta paneer topping - wasnt too crazy about this. Dosa waffle sandwich (waffawich) with chilli cheese stuffing and coconut chutney on the side - was yummy!

Bingsoo is a Korean version of shaved ice, but shaved super finely that it is straight up powder. U Dessert Story in Berkeley does a different take on bingsoo that is as exciting to look at as it is to eat. This Volcano Bingsoo consists of cocoa powder, brownie, crispy chocolate rice cake, whipped cream and bananas. It is like a science experiment mixed with a bomb dessert! It was do huge that it took 3 of us to finish and we had to skip dinner! Go with a large appetite. Your kids will surely love all the drama that comes with this dessert.

Paesanos Ristorante Italiano is an amazing little place right next to the arch of Little Italy in downtown San Jose. This restaurant has been around for almost 30 years, but we got a chance to visit it only recently. There is ample street parking available in front of the restaurant. The restaurant itself is small, with white table cloths and attentive wait staff, and makes a great venue for an intimate dinner or a date night. There is plenty of seating available in the front and back patios. What drew me to this particular restaurant was the fact that they offered my favorite Italian dish on their menu - the vegetarian lasagna - something which almost all other Italian restaurant offer, but with meat sauce. Every morsel of what we ordered was delicious, and the portions were quiet large. We ended the night by indulging in a large piece of tiramisu, one of their signature desserts. I give this restaurant 4 SolaraStars out of 5, for their excellent service, cozy ambiance and delicious food. Here are pictures of what we ordered : Appetizer : Melanzana Parmigiana (Eggplant topped with tomato sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Main Course : Ravioli Mama Rosa ( Cheese Ravioli, with mushroom, artichoke, sweet bell pepper and marinara sauce) Gnocchi alla Genovese (Potato dumplings in pesto and cream sauce) The piece de resistance - tiramisu

The Palm Court at RH San Francisco is a special occasion restaurant that offers a truly luxurious dining experience. The restaurant is located in the historic Bethlehem Steel Building, in the gentrified industrial area of Dogpatch. This is one of three upscale restaurants by RH in the Bay Area, the other two being in Marin and Napa. The beautiful Bethlehem Steel Building in Dogpatch This venue is not just about the upscale restaurant, but is also an RH furniture gallery, and hence provides numerous photo ops throughout the five levels of the building. Every corner provides an opportunity to pose for a picture and there are tons of beautiful furniture pieces on different floors to check out. Floor to ceiling mirrors, sculptures at every turn and plush sofas will make you want to live here forever! My daughter and I had a field day bringing out our inner models in each room. This is an excellent venue for an all-girls dinner. >> Got a question about this restaurant that you need answered quickly? DM me on Instagram @SolaraStills and I’ll be happy to help! I only accept DMs from followers, so hit the follow button before sending. The grand staircase that welcomes you at the entrance The hallway of chandeliers Wish this were my living room! A study fit for a king! Artwork of all shapes and sizes The light in every room was just perfect for photos One of the numerous bars Once done with our photoshoot, we moved on to the restaurant. We had made reservations over a month ago on OpenTable. The atmosphere at The Palm Court Restaurant is simply stunning. The dining room is decorated in a luxurious style, with cascading fountains, towering date palms, and glimmering chandeliers. The restaurant is also very spacious, so you don't feel crowded. The palm trees inside the atrium bring in a ton of natural light adding a bit of warmth to the lux feeling of Calcutta gold marble and sleek furniture. The restaurant atrium The menu choices for vegetarians is very limited in this restaurant. Hubby and I would not have selected this restaurant, if not for my daughter, who is a meat eater, whose birthday we were celebrating, so we wanted it to be special. The menu features American cuisine with a focus on live-fire cooking, and the wine list is extensive. All dishes were beautifully presented and looked appetizing. Here's what we ordered : For drinks, they didnt have any choice of mocktails or cocktails, other than the house special, RH bellini, which the daughter ordered. The bubbly Bellini Truffle fries : It is hard to mess up with shoestring fries, but somehow the fries tasted stale and lacked any flavor. It came with a cream sauce on the side. We had to ask for ketchup to tolerate the taste. Truffle fries Charred Baby Peppers : The colorful roasted peppers dipped in a balsamic glaze were flavorful and delicious. Charred Baby Peppers Maitake mushroom: was satisfied with the potatoes at the bottom, but slightly disappointed by the bland mushrooms on top. The sauce that came with the truffle fries would have been a good edition to this dish. The potatoes were good, but mushroom needed more flavor. It was just sprinkled with parmesan. Maitake Mushrooms Cauliflower Steak : This was surprisingly good. Although it was just a head of cauliflower, with greens on the side, the cauliflower was delicious and quite enjoyable. Cauliflower Steak Hearth Burger : The burger was juicy, flavorful and filling. Hearth Burger For dessert, they brought out birthday ice cream for my daughter, which was nothing but vanilla ice cream topped with sprinkles. We thought for an upscale restaurant such as this, they could have done better with the complimentary birthday offering. Birthday dessert The service at The Palm Court left much to be desired. Since the dining room was very large, it was very hard to get our waiters attention and had to ask multiple times for condiments and water. After finishing dinner, we headed to the rooftop to take in the views of the city and the harbor. The opulence of the building continued on the rooftop with plush seating and firepits to keep one warm during the cold San Francisco nights and for those Insta-worthy shots. Rooftop bar With the Bay Bridge in the distance Overall, I was very pleased with the ambiance, which totally blew me away. I didnt care for the food as a vegetarian, but this place is popular for its vibe, and not necessarily for the food. I would recommend this restaurant experience for a special occasion, but advise keeping your food expectations low. Here are some tips for dining at The Palm Court: Make a reservation in advance, especially if you are planning to go on a weekend night. Dress in semi-formal attire. Come during the early evening hours for the best lighting. The natural light from the windows makes for beautiful photos. Use the props to your advantage. The fountain, the date palms, and the chandeliers are all great props for photos. Be creative. Don't be afraid to experiment with different angles and poses. I hope you enjoy your dinner at The Palm Court! >> Got a question about this restaurant that you need answered quickly? DM me on Instagram @SolaraStills and I’ll be happy to help! I only accept DMs from followers, so hit the follow button before sending.

The only Michelin starred South Indian restaurant in the Bay Area, Rasa, recently closed its door for good, to everyone's disappointment. Rasa was also rated the best Indian restaurant in the Bay Area by San Francisco Chronicle, for its richly flavored food without skimping on authenticity. However, the chef, Ajay Walia has flipped it into a second location of his 20-year-old San Carlos staple, Saffron. Unlike the original Saffron, which is predominantly a North Indian restaurant, the new Saffron Burlingame menu is a fusion of South and North Indian delicacies, while retaining some of Rasa's favorites, such as the Bombay Slider. Every one of the items we ordered were flavorful with a unique blend of unique yet progressive blend of East meets West. The interior has also had an aesthetic makeover, with the addition of a beautiful chandelier and plants making the bi-level space look light and airy. The service was a little slow as we had to remind them of a missed dish. All in all, I give this restaurant 4 out of 5 SolaraStars, with 1 star deducted due to the inattentive service and inconsistent serving size of small versus big plates, as mentioned below. We started off our dinner with our drink order of mango lassi and mango-ginger-jito. The mango lassi wasnt like your traditional drink found at all run-off-the-mill Indian restaurants. Instead, it was rich and creamy, light on the mango, with slices of almonds and cashews mixed in. The mango-ginger-jito mocktail was sweet and sweet at the same time and lip-smacking good. The drinker amongst us had a pinot. Mango ginger-jito and Mango lassi For appetizer, we ordered the Bombay slider, which we had fond memories off from the Rasa days, and we were not disappointed! The potato vada between the two buns had the right amount of spiciness, and the chutney on the pav was so flavorful. The kale salad on the slide was a nice touch and the gun powder with ghee was a nice twist to this Bombay traditional vada pav. I was disappointed that each plate came with only 2 sliders, as I could have easily eaten 5! Next up were the Indian Railway peppers, which were crispy sweet banana peppers, topped with greek yogurt, lime and shredded carrots and radish. Despite the yogurt filling, the peppers were crispy and flavorful, but with only 3 pieces per plate, it left us wanting for more. For our main course, we decided to order the various innovative dosas. The mushroom uttapam was interesting, to say the least, with wild mushrooms generously mixed in it. Being a dosa purist, I was skeptical about this fusion dosa, and may not have liked it, had it not been for the delicious drumstick sambar, tomato and coconut chutneys that came as accomplishments and made me forget I was actually eating mushrooms in dosa. The other dosas we ordered, including Genovese basil dosa, spicy Bollywood dosa and the ragi dosa were all very good. However, what was confusing was all dosas were listed as small plates on the menu, but were extremely filling, compared to the Bombay Slider and Railway peppers we had ordered as appetizers. L to R : Genovese Basil Dosa, Ragi Dosa, Bollywood Dosa, Mushroom Uttapam We also tried Allepey Vegetable Curry, which was very close to the traditional Avial. It came with a side of rice, and the curry itself was very creamy and loaded with vegetables and we literally scraped the bottom clean to finish every bit of this yummy curry. Chicken Biryani was also top notch. L to R : Allepey Vegetable Curry, Chicken Biryani By the time we had finished all of this, we were, not surprisingly, in a food coma and decided to skip dessert. In summary, Safforn Burlingame is an excellent place for a dinner with friends or to celebrate a special occasion. Food is overpriced, but this is an upscale restaurant, and it is understandable that with the innovative menu, the chef is trying hard to win back the Michelin star he once procured with Rasa.