Parley with a pomfret

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 05 April 2014 | 18.47

Searching for Goa on a thali? Mirror does the leg work

Growing up as a Goan tossed 600 km away from the homeland, a career choice I nurtured as a child was that of a pirate. Whether I managed to find my booty or take a detour to the bottom of the sea bed, one thing the job promised was a fresh catch. Sadly, the lack of premier league grad schools offering degrees in the subject made me drift towards journalism. But I continued my voyage through the mean streets of Mumbai for the perfect plate of fish curry-rice and squid tawa fry. Here's what I found.

The home experience
If you are homesick, and looking for the solution at the bottom of balchao, Sushegaad at Mahim will give you a taste of home. The fish thali (Rs 150) is served with surmai fry, plain coconut curry, sabzi, chapati and rice. Order a dry tisrya masala (shell fish; Rs 100) or makli masala (squid; Rs 150) as accompaniment. We hear the menu is prepared with ingredients sourced from Goa to give it an authentic flavour. Mori amot tik (shark; Rs 100) in a hot red curry is a definite winner thanks to the soft meat that crumbles off the spine. Owners Savita and Raju Karekar, mother and son duo from Calangute, will guide you through the menu in case you aren't a fish connoisseur. Savita mavshi watches over the preparation of every dish, which is why you are likely to find her perched by the kitchen counter as thalis fly by. Mavshi's top pick: the prawn cutlet. Lunch hour is serious business, so try not to dillydally with placing the order.

Undercover fiesta
Unlike Sushegaad, where the aroma of freshly fried fish wafts onto the street outside, Girgaum's Shree Ram Boarding House is like a secret society. It's possible that you walked past the building that houses the eatery next to St Theresa Church without realising the feast that lies beyond. Don't trust Google Maps in this case (we did, and found ourselves roaming in circles).

Look for a sign on the facade of the decrepit building, go past a glass door and open another with signage in cheap red paint. The restaurant-cumbar looks like a cheap watering hole and it is, but the crowd is tame. Choose a table close to the billing counter that management has reserved for 'ladies and family'. It's well worth the effort for the fish rave that lies inside.

It may sound like a members' only lodge but the name is deceptive. The only thing exclusive here are the spellings on the menu. Extra "grevy" costs Rs 30.

The rather confused menu that also includes north Indian fare has a special knack for Konkani cuisine. We tried the prawn thali (Rs 150) and chose to order vade (Rs 5 each) instead of rice. Add a crab masala (Rs 120) and prepare to get your hands dirty. The crabs are small in size but big on taste.

The masalas that drench most preparations seem to be closely related so opt for a pomfret (Rs 150) or bangda (Rs 100) fry instead of a range of gravy dishes.

Best kept secret
There is no reason that the Goa Bhavan Canteen should let us or anyone else in. The restaurant facilities are reserved for those who live in their guest house. But the management of this government-run establishment say they bend the rules because there isn't "any decent place to eat" in the Gulmohar Cross Road area, Juhu. Sure, we'll bite.

The canteen is literally in the living room of an apartment on the ground floor of a residential complex. A big flex banner invites you in. Don't expect the waiters to find you a table, and be prepared to share it with a crowd. Foreign tourists, students and avid foodies find their way to the canteen where the menu has not found its way to the written word.

Ask the waiter or a regular patron for the list of thalis they offer (chicken, mutton, types of fish and prawn). You will have to remember how many extra servings of rice, chapati, veggies or fish you ordered because your waiter won't be keeping track.

We ordered pomfret, bombil and surmai along with the bangda thali. The thali comes with mandeli, fish curry with sizeable pieces of bangda, and two vegetable preparations whether you want it or not. The bombil, usually part of the supporting cast, made quite an impression in a nonspicy rawa fry and the portions were larger than at most restaurants.

After an hour of no conversation, we raised our heads only to realise the plates were wiped clean and the initial argument about over-ordering had proved unnecessary. The bill was a grand total of Rs 750.

An unlikely hero in this episode was the sol kadi — fresh, light and with small bits of floating cucumber. This place is a no-nonsense canteen although for some reason, the kitchen is decorated with a bright blue Disney princess peaking through billowing curtains that waiters scurry through. Random never tasted so good.


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