As Mahim welcomes another seafood eatery, we test the waters to see how it sizes up against its counterparts in the neighbourhood
Crab Thali
ADVERTISEMENT
There are many things that Mahim is known for — the iconic single-screen Paradise Cinema, the signboard outside St Michael’s Church, the Wednesday novenas and accompanying fair, bread pudding at the erstwhile Crown Bakery and of course, good seafood.
Interiors
Recently, another space joined the ranks of the restaurants offering fresh catch from the sea, prepared in different coastal styles. We chose a Monday for our dinner at Saibeni Gomantak. We entered, pausing to read about their caramel custard, and were immediately ushered into the ‘family room’ or the AC section. There, under the blast of the AC, we settled in for the difficult task of choosing from among the diverse seafood options.
Tisrya Pakoda. Pics/Joanna Lobo
Cast the net
Is there more to the sea than rawas and surmai? Saibeni Gomantak certainly thinks so. The menu had mori (shark), tisrya (shell fish), prawn, bombil and crab served fried, dry or in a gravy. They also offer vegetarians items — dal and aloo and its ilk, and chicken dishes, which we chose to ignore.
We were there to see fish, and eat it; which we did. We started off with Tisrya Pakoda (Rs 160), which had shell fish coated in a light gramflour batter. We couldn’t gauge its taste because the actual meat was little, and we ended up scraping batter off the shells.
The Tawa Prawns (Rs 250) came to the table smelling like the sea. A bite in, and we were in love with the Malwani staple. The prawns were fresh and although swimming in a layer of oil, the onions-and-tomatoes gravy had a tangy, garlicky flavour. We mopped up the last drop with Bhakri (Rs 30). Despite the red colour, the gravy wasn’t spicy.
We found this was consistent throughout our meal — the food wasn’t fiery despite the red colour and heavy use of masala. The only tears that night were of joy when we saw the bill (minus any tax).
Fish tales
The Mori Dry (Rs 160) surprised us because it wasn’t dry at all but had a light onion and coriander gravy; the fish was soft and very tasty. Bangda Tikhla (Rs 150) was supposed to be sour but turned out to be a simple fish curry, minus the coconut.
The pièce de résistance was the Crab Thali (Rs 290) starring one big, juicy crab in a thick, fragrant masaledar curry, served with wade — fried, puri-like bread that lacked flavour, and a heavy coconut curry. Our true test of any gomantak or seafood place is their sol kadhi. Here, the sol kadhi that accompanies the thali was thin, watery and not sour enough.
Tempted by the many advertisements for their Caramel Custard (Rs 40), we ordered it and were immediately disappointed at the gelatinous and too-firm dessert.
Saibeni Gomantak has the starkness usually associated with new spaces. It doesn’t care about interiors, which are a mix of dull grey, brown and white. The upper walls, inexplicably, have the names of famous monuments in the world. There’s no character to the place but it doesn’t matter. The food makes up for it, although we think we will stick to our usual haunts.
Time: 11 am to 4 pm, 7 pm to 12 am
At: 1, Lilian House, Bhandar Lane, LJ Road, Mahim.
Call: 24325181
Fresh Catch: Seafood soiree
It has been a Mahim institution for two decades but there are many things about Fresh Catch that have stood the test of time. The pelican with fish in its beak that proudly stands outside the restaurant, the photo wall with sepia-tinted images of all the celebrities who’ve eaten there, another set of photos showing beaches and fisherfolk, the 1980s and ’90s English music, and owner Francis Fernandes’ warmth.
Bangda Huggay. Pics/Shraddha Uchil
The taste, luckily, remains the same too. Fresh Catch was started by Fernandes, a Karwar resident. It is his mother’s recipes that add flavour to the seafood — prawns, crabs, bombil, pomfret, surmai, rawas, mackerel, calamari, oysters, ladyfish and shark. The food here is a mix of Karwari food with the odd Goan dish.
Sol Kadhi
On a weekday, we headed there for dinner to find the place to ourselves. As the instrumental version of Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called streamed over the speakers, we settled in. We started our meal with Sol Kadhi (Rs 80), which was a frothy, watery drink with a good sour kick but too much salt. The Prawns Sukka (Rs 380) was worth its weight in the oil it was covered in — the mildly spicy dish had crunchy, juicy prawns coated with a delicious onion and tomato gravy. The Bangda Huggay (Rs 350 for two pieces) had two fried mackerels stuffed with a spicy masala, reminiscent of the Goan rechead bangda. The fish was fresh and the masala not too spicy. Our favourite dish of the night was the Calamari Dry (Rs 425), which had the most tender squid served up in a thin, chilli-based curry. We mopped it up with the softest Neer Dosa (Rs 90).
Our two picks from earlier visits turned out to be the biggest disappointments. The Crab Meat Butter Garlic (Rs 725) came steaming on a banana leaf, topped with a layer of fried garlic. The crab needed more seasoning because on its own, it wasn’t juicy enough to hold the dish. The Seafood Pulao (Rs 435) was packed with prawns, crab meat and squid but lacked flavour.
To end the meal, we ordered the Caramel Custard (Rs 160) — creamy custard dressed with a dark sweet caramel.
On our way out, we gave a knowing nod to the pelican. After all, we did know what it meant to be stuffed to the gills with fish.
Time: 12 pm to 3.30 pm, 7.30 pm to 11.30 pm (Mondays closed)
At: Lt Kotnis Marg, near Fire Brigade, off LJ Road, Mahim (W)
Call: 30151696
Sushegad Gomantak: A slice of Goa
We've been to Sushegad Gomantak more times than we can count, simply because it never fails us. Over time, we’ve found our favourites, dishes that we keep going back to.
Tisrya Suke Thali. Pics/Joanna Lobo
The matchbox-sized restaurant, located opposite Paradise Cinema, is run by a Goan Hindu family that moved to Mumbai in the 1940s. The aging matriarch, Savita maushi, helms the kitchen, and can be found rattling off instructions to employees while she slips plates heaving with food to the waiters at the pass.
Makli Fry
This time, we began our sojourn with the Stuffed Bombil (Rs 200). Fried Bombay ducks are laid flat on a plate, slathered with a tangy prawn chutney, and covered with another layer of the fish. The Prawn Cutlets (Rs 150) comprised tiny, spiced potato patties filled with baby prawns and onion, crumbed and fried to perfection. We also liked the Makli Fry (Rs 250), squid coated in semolina and fried till soft.
Next, we order a plate of Tisrya Suke (Rs 150), which, although not really “suke” (Konkani: dry), was still delicious. The clams were juicy, and the gravy redolent with spices and coconut, begging to be mopped up with soft, hot Bhakaris (Rs 15). The Solkadhi (Rs 20) was a tad watered down but was a tasty drink of sour kokum, spices, and cooling coconut milk.
It was a meal worthy of a nice, long siesta.
Time: 11 am to 4 pm, 7 pm to 11 pm
At: A-11, Mahim Shivsagar Society, LJ Road, Mahim
Call: 24445555
- Shraddha Uchil
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
