For Aleem Tooalim, bringing Dosa to The Pizitz Food Hall is about introducing new flavors to a region where they are not widely known. He wants people to be amazed and shocked when they taste explosion of spice and flavor in the crepe-like dish his restaurant stall will serve.
Similar to a crepe or pancake, a dosa is made with flour, rice, and lentils, and then filled with chicken or lamb, and it can also be served as a vegetarian dish with eggs and various vegetables. Dosa at The Pizitz will be a quick-serve style stall where you choose your base and then select the toppings from a customizable menu.
Tooalim’s familiarity with the dish started at home. He grew up in India with an exceptional cook for a mother—always the chef at family gatherings. It was her dishes that he wanted to recreate on a larger scale to share with more people and that were much the inspiration for Paradise Biryani Pointe, the Indian restaurant he owns in Hoover.
Tooalim previously started a few Indian restaurants in Atlanta that served dishes such as kabobs and chicken and vegetable curries, but ultimately he decided to move to Birmingham to be near his support system of family and friends. When he heard about The Pizitz Food Hall from local blogger Scott Doty, he immediately knew it was the perfect place to open his next restaurant, and in a few short weeks, he’ll get to start serving it up in The Pizitz.
Photos by Yellowhammer Creative
