THEME: FOOD TRUCKS

There are so many great things to say about Sreelekha Mekala and her dosa truck but I'll start with how excited, happy and grateful I felt to go there.

To stand in an ex-car lot with a bunch of other fans of south Indian food, to wait half an hour for a lovingly made dosa, to take it across the road and eat it on the grass verge with ants and sunshine – it's exactly the kind of food adventure I love.

The dosa – a folded, filled pancake made from fermented rice and lentil batter – is gently sour, crisp on the cooked side, slightly giving inside, just as it should be.

The fillings are lively with housemade spice blends, freshly roasted and ground each week. Potato masala is touched with ginger, green chilli, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Keema is spicier, made with minced chicken, garlic and a powerful masala.

Ghee podi dosa is slathered with a paste made from clarified butter and spiced lentil powder with the addictive, finger-adhering properties of Cheezels.

There's evident pride in quality and affordability and even the wait time. Dosas simply take a while: the hiatus is part of the proof of their calibre.

There's much more to say. We could talk about the fact that a food truck was Sree's dream ever since she was a little girl in Hyderabad and that she paused a promising IT career to pursue her passion. We need to mention the team: apart from husband Ajit, Sree's crew is all-women and all-nations.

We should say how hard it was too. On Chai 'n' Dosa's first day, she made a meagre $60. But word spread, so much so that police came by recently to inspect the dosa-inspired traffic jam. When Sree gave them masala dosa, they understood. You will too.

Address: 310 Ballarat Road, Braybrook, 0420 262 274, instagram.com/chai_n_dosa

Open: Mon-Sat 8.30am-1.30pm, 6pm-midnight; Sun 8.30am-2.30pm (check ahead)

Price: Dosas $4-$11

Rating: Four stars (out of five)

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