Nov 02, 2007 10:55 AM
7501 Views
I have had my fair share of the Gajalee’s and the Mahesh’s of the world. Other than the fact that you had to drive yourself to the crowded confines of Vile Parle or(till about 6 months ago) Juhu, they were also not so easy on the wallet. My mom being a CKP(for those who can’t expand on the acronym, it stands for Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu, a sub species as well known for their beautiful women, case in point being Sonali Bendre, as for their love of good food and a good life) can make killer sea food at home, so blowing 1000 bucks on a dinner for two doesn’t make too much sense. A visit to Fishland introduced me to the delights of excellent Malvani style, sea food and besides being easy on the wallet; it is easy on the tummy too after a glass of their spicy sol-kadi.
Located just off the ST Workshop, diagonally opposite to Pratap Theatre, Fishland doesn’t seem much from outside. Climb down into a basement sort of a structure to find a bustling place divided into Non AC and AC section. Try the Non AC section, if the weather permits you, as this is where you will come across people bent over their surmai and rawas and eating with a sense of purpose, the kinds who don’t usually talk too much between mouthfuls. The seating is a bit cramped and the interiors are not too much, just some stained glass motifs of fish and a fish tank with some cat fish swimming around. I started off with a sampling of their Pompret and after having a look at the one which they charge according to the size, I stuck to their small ones and ordered for fried Pomprets. Priced at Rs.85, they were slightly bigger than my palm with fingers outstretched.
There are also options available for getting them fried in either a mixture of flour or with kolhapuri masala rich in Red Chilli or for the health conscious they can also give you a patra which is steamed fish wrapped in some leaves. Try the Murdusha(a.k.a kane, rhymes with the Maharashtrian surname Rane and does not sound like Able’s brother) if you are in for something beyond the obvious pompret, surmai, rawas routine The restaurant also has a Thali concept where you can choose between a Surmai, Chicken, Mutton or a Prawns option. You get a curry, a fried piece, vegetable, sol-kadi, chapatti/bhakri and Rice.
Priced between Rs.75-Rs.100, it is a filling option for those wanting to get down to eating without spending too much time on ordering. The service is extra quick and the Pompret was on our tables before we could finalize the main course. There are some preparations available in chicken and mutton also(they claim to serve only desi chicken and not broilers, but seems criminal to order chicken in a place called Fishland and the other reason being I’m not a big fan of desi chicken. We decided to order Tisrya Masala(oysters) and Mori Masala(baby shark) accompanied by rice bhakaris. For good measure, we asked for a plate of bombil fry(Bombay duck). Both the dishes proved to be a delight. Those not used to Malvani fare could find it is a little spicy though, but I liked the fact that the natural taste of the fish was not overwhelmed by the chilli. This was the first time I tasted the Mori fish and found the meat to be very tasty, but a little tough as compared to the Pompret.
This was more a function of the type of fish that the Mori is rather than a freshness of the fish, I was told by my dinner companions. The bombil was deepfried in a coating of flour and rava(soonji) and not too oily. The only fault that I could find with our dinner was that the coating for the bombil was a little too thick for the meat that it held inside, which kind of diluted the taste a bit. A glass of Sol-Kadi to wash down all that fish was necessary and unlike the cold subtle Sol-kadi of Mahesh, this one was a little spicy, more like Spiced Sol-Kadi. The bill came out to around Rs. 450 for three people and most of the main dishes are priced around Rs.55-Rs.75. The owner who looks obviously Konkani also makes sure that you pick up a paan on your way out. Overall, excellent ‘value for money’ restaurant which leaves you with a satisfied feeling of having had good food and makes you want to go there again. Ratings Food – 4 Ambience – 2 Service – 3 Value for Money - 4
