Launched in May 2024 as a 250 sq ft darshini-style eatery in Bandra, the brand quickly grew, opening outlets in Juhu and Delhi’s GK. (Express Photo)Benne, the dosa brand celebrating Bangalore-style benne dosa — buttery, crisp, golden-brown on the outside and soft, almost pillowy within — is expanding its footprint.Launched in May 2024 as a 250 sq ft darshini-style eatery in Bandra, the brand quickly grew, opening outlets in Juhu and Delhi’s GK. It is now set to enter South Bombay with a sprawling 4,400 sq ft outpost in Chowpatty, a stone’s throw from Sukh Sagar.While there is no confirmed opening date due to the ongoing LPG crisis, founders Akhil Iyer and Shreya Narayan are hopeful of opening this Friday. The husband-wife duo is currently hosting trial runs for friends, family, and early supporters.Among those spotted at the Chowpatty outlet on Wednesday afternoon were actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, who had also visited the Bandra outlet shortly after its launch. If you remember, a photo of a pregnant Padukone — a Bangalorean herself — with Singh and exiting Bandra outpost had gone viral at the time. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Varinder Chawla (@varindertchawla)Benne was born out of a simple craving. Iyer, founder-producer of The Artist Collective, and Narayan, a psychologist, found themselves missing authentic Bangalore-style benne dosa in Mumbai. So they decided to make it themselves.“I learnt the art of making dosa from a master who runs a successful thela on Avenue Road in Bangalore,” Iyer had told us earlier, adding that his observations and attempts to get the details right helped shape Benne. Iyer, founder-producer of The Artist Collective, and Narayan, a psychologist, found themselves missing authentic Bangalore-style benne dosa in Mumbai. So they decided to make it themselves. (Express Photo)After two months of trials, the brand launched in May 2024 as a compact darshini-style space — a quick-service neighbourhood format serving fresh, hot food made right in front of customers.“What I am offering is a Bangalore-style benne dosa that is crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, with a golden-brown finish,” said Iyer, who is often seen manning the griddle himself, and rejecting dosas that don’t meet his standards.Story continues below this adOn Wednesday afternoon, we saw him set aside dozens of dosas during trials. “We are striving to achieve that perfect balance between crispiness and softness — where the batter is well-fermented without a sour aftertaste,” Narayan explained.Heena Khandelwal is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express, Mumbai. She covers a wide range of subjects from relationship and gender to theatre and food. To get in touch, write to heena.khandelwal@expressindia.com ... Read More © The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Mumbai Restaurants