Fish Tales
With
the Shravan ending sometime back and Ganesh festival just concluding, I remember
a funny incident from one of the books/ play written by the great satirist Pu
La Deshpande , in which a devote Kobra short for Kokanst Brahman who has kept
the ritual of not eating non-veg food beginning Sharavan and continued upto
Anant Chaturdashi is so desparate to eat some fish . That when a friend of his
describes the fresh fish available in market saying the Bangada ( Mackerel ) is
so fresh that they were still jumping on the wooden board of the Kolin who was
selling the same at the local fish market. This prompts the Brahmin to say to
his wfe “ Aare Kaku Gannya mahant hota Bangde aale aahet bazaarala . Me kay
mahnto ek pishvi de mala . Ganapati che visarjan jyawar thet jato bazaarala ani
antoch tode. Tawa garam karun thev bhajun khauya doghe , Kay mhantes go Kaku”…..
But
jokes apart I can sympathize with that character as I myself have been
abstaining from eating non-veg during Shravan and continuing it up to Anant
Chaturdashi and being a GSB myskef I can totally relate to his feelings. Though not so
desperate but if anyone asks me join for a veg lunch or dinner after the two
month abstinence, you will find a big frown on my face.
So
here’s my take on some of the best fish restaurant in Dadar – Mahim area and
some out of Mumbai.If you are true Dadarkar you can’t miss the oldest and best
fist restaurant in the vicinity of the Iconic Sena Bhavan going by the name of “Gomantak
Boarding House” or simply known as Gomantak.
It is high recognizable by the
long serpentine que in the form of a waiting line just outside the restaurant stretching
upto a few shops down the footpath. And on the weekends you need have lots of
patient as you may have to wait nearly 45 minutes to an hour before you get to
be seated and have your food. But the wait is worthwhile as the fish served
here is so tasty you will be licking your fingers dry by the time you end your
lunch / dinner. For those of u who like their
seafood to b subtle, this cuisine is not recommended. However ones who like
coastal Maharashtrian food, this place is excellent- worth the wait. The Same items that are in a la carte section of
the menu are also found in thalis. Bombil fry is one of the best I have
had so far. The Rawa coating is not much and hence the taste and flavour
of fish came above others.
Flavours of masalas is enjoyable and the fry was crisp outside and flaky and juicy inside. Shell fish sukka has a dry , intense, flavourful gravy. It had incorporated flavours of shell fish as well as the spices.
Loved the taste. Crab masala is exceptional and mouthwatering . The gravy has masala flavour but not the least in your face type rather the texture comes from the ground coconut gravy and the authentics spices used to make this preparation. The flavour of crab is beautifully incorporated in the gravy. It takes a lot of calibre to make a thin yet super yumm gravy.
Mutton masala is also very good. It has a light thin gravy but flavourful and yummy. Flavours of meat and spices make their presence felt. Meat pieces are soft and chewy and generally good to taste. Prawn rice or Kolambi Pulav as it is known is spicy, somewhat hot and good to taste .We enjoy all their offering s whenever we visit this place. And not to forget all the food has to be washed down by tasty and strong but robust sol kadi.
Flavours of masalas is enjoyable and the fry was crisp outside and flaky and juicy inside. Shell fish sukka has a dry , intense, flavourful gravy. It had incorporated flavours of shell fish as well as the spices.
Loved the taste. Crab masala is exceptional and mouthwatering . The gravy has masala flavour but not the least in your face type rather the texture comes from the ground coconut gravy and the authentics spices used to make this preparation. The flavour of crab is beautifully incorporated in the gravy. It takes a lot of calibre to make a thin yet super yumm gravy.
Mutton masala is also very good. It has a light thin gravy but flavourful and yummy. Flavours of meat and spices make their presence felt. Meat pieces are soft and chewy and generally good to taste. Prawn rice or Kolambi Pulav as it is known is spicy, somewhat hot and good to taste .We enjoy all their offering s whenever we visit this place. And not to forget all the food has to be washed down by tasty and strong but robust sol kadi.
Next stop for fish lovers is another Gem going by
the name of “Chaiitanya” , the best fish and Chicken restaurant with a
distinct Malvani flavor and cuisine.
Surekha Walke is a serene counterpoint to the flurry of activity around her. Her kitchen assistants busy themselves preparing for lunch / dinner service at the Dadar outlet near Agar Bazaar just opposite the old Sahakari Bhandar . A small family run restaurant with good food and great ambiance. Surekha Walke the owner herself inspects the day’s catch. If its lunch time / dinner time the restaurant will be teeming with customers some of whom would have had to bear the brunt of the Mumbai heat and humidity while waiting outside to get a table here. The tenacity of these customers patient is testament to this eatery's reputation and the yummiliscious food it serves.This Dadar outlet opened only 8 years ago and promise to serve authentic Malvani cuisine that it started serving in their 1st outlet in Malvan market.
Surekha, who sources her coconuts, garam masalas and tirphal – a typical Coastal spice known for its pungent flavour ,from her Malvan home where she strted flagship restaurant 25 years ago.She is joined by her son Mitra at their Mumbai outlet whereas her husband Nitin juggles between the outlets in Malvan ,Sindhudurg and Sawantwadi. Before venturing out into Hotel business the Walke’s had no formal training or knowledge of running a restaurant. .When Chaitanya opened for business in Malvan there were only an handful of restaurants in the area that too with limited operating hours. You couldn’t find anythi open between 2:30 pm to 8:30pm. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s a ferry service ran between Mumbai and Goa. Soon tourists started flocking to Malvan and about 30-40 eataries spring up to cater to the heavy demand. In late 80’s the ferry services were stopped and most restaurant folded up. Then in the early 90’s a government engineering college opened near Malvan and a few students came to stay with the Walkes. Surekha Walke would serve them piping hot meals and soon by word of mouth publicity of her culinary skills spread. They then rented an eatery that had shut down and began their journey for fish curries and Malvani cuisine. Their turning point came in 1993 when a junior teachers conference was held near Malvan. Around 4 lakhs teacher from across Maharashtra participated in it.
Surekha Walke is a serene counterpoint to the flurry of activity around her. Her kitchen assistants busy themselves preparing for lunch / dinner service at the Dadar outlet near Agar Bazaar just opposite the old Sahakari Bhandar . A small family run restaurant with good food and great ambiance. Surekha Walke the owner herself inspects the day’s catch. If its lunch time / dinner time the restaurant will be teeming with customers some of whom would have had to bear the brunt of the Mumbai heat and humidity while waiting outside to get a table here. The tenacity of these customers patient is testament to this eatery's reputation and the yummiliscious food it serves.This Dadar outlet opened only 8 years ago and promise to serve authentic Malvani cuisine that it started serving in their 1st outlet in Malvan market.
Surekha, who sources her coconuts, garam masalas and tirphal – a typical Coastal spice known for its pungent flavour ,from her Malvan home where she strted flagship restaurant 25 years ago.She is joined by her son Mitra at their Mumbai outlet whereas her husband Nitin juggles between the outlets in Malvan ,Sindhudurg and Sawantwadi. Before venturing out into Hotel business the Walke’s had no formal training or knowledge of running a restaurant. .When Chaitanya opened for business in Malvan there were only an handful of restaurants in the area that too with limited operating hours. You couldn’t find anythi open between 2:30 pm to 8:30pm. Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s a ferry service ran between Mumbai and Goa. Soon tourists started flocking to Malvan and about 30-40 eataries spring up to cater to the heavy demand. In late 80’s the ferry services were stopped and most restaurant folded up. Then in the early 90’s a government engineering college opened near Malvan and a few students came to stay with the Walkes. Surekha Walke would serve them piping hot meals and soon by word of mouth publicity of her culinary skills spread. They then rented an eatery that had shut down and began their journey for fish curries and Malvani cuisine. Their turning point came in 1993 when a junior teachers conference was held near Malvan. Around 4 lakhs teacher from across Maharashtra participated in it.
When they would return from
visiting Sindhudurg Fort and would stop by at their eatery. They would work
round the clock to keep up the sudden surge in demand.The cooks would be up at
4 am to cook on coal and wood fired stoves. Their struggle paid off and soon and
a modest eatery made it into an “must visit” place in whole of Malvan.
In 2010 the Walke’s decided to branch out ot Mumbai & tasted waters with a small take away counter in
Shivaji Park before setting up a restaurant in Dadar in a few months time. The customers
who ate here could distinctly tell that Chaitanya’s curries were different from
those served in other near by fish eateries. The Walke’s realized that the
Mumbai water was not suitable for ther curries. The water in Malvan was hard
which gave their curries that authentic Malvani flavour. So for a year or so
the Walke’s would transport the water required for preparing the curries right
from Malwan itself.Even the coconut sourced locally in Mumbai didn’t give the
exact taste that they wanted to achieve. So the Walke’s started sourcing the
geela nariyal too from Malvan .
This special coconut is meatier version of the brown ones and is juiciest and once it starts to dry this produces oil & acquires a strong smell rendering it unsuitable for fish curries. It can be used for chicken recipes. The Walke’s continue to rely on the coastal town for their signature 18-ingredient “bhajlela” garam masala across their outlets for their signature dishes of Surmai , Kekda (crab)and Mori (baby Shark) . The Walke’s found a fix for the hard water issue , they started adding sea salt to the cooking water to get that hardness and the authentic taste.
This special coconut is meatier version of the brown ones and is juiciest and once it starts to dry this produces oil & acquires a strong smell rendering it unsuitable for fish curries. It can be used for chicken recipes. The Walke’s continue to rely on the coastal town for their signature 18-ingredient “bhajlela” garam masala across their outlets for their signature dishes of Surmai , Kekda (crab)and Mori (baby Shark) . The Walke’s found a fix for the hard water issue , they started adding sea salt to the cooking water to get that hardness and the authentic taste.
So if you looking to devour
some finger licking and mouthwatering fish recipes be sure to land at either
Gomantak or Chaitanya and have a blast with the spicy authentic Malvani cuisine…
