Trishna - seafood lovers paradise. Review on Trishna, Fort, Mumbai

Trishna, a small restaurant tucked into the by-lanes of Fountain, is a sea food lover’s delight. To get there, one has to go through Kala Ghoda, through the lane between Khyber & Rhythm House. Just go into the lane & take the second left & your there.

There is always an enthusiastic smiling doorman & a valet or two ready to take your car, so there are no parking problems. At night especially there is ample parking whether or not you depend on the valet as it is mainly an office area which is naturally quiet after office hours. The location is also quite safe to walk too, as are most parts of Bombay.

As you enter, you will see a rectangular room with a bar at one end & tables regimentally placed all through the restaurant. Some years ago, they also opened the next door area as an extension to the restaurant, the access to which is within the original restaurant itself.

I must warn you that this is a place to go to purely to eat. The ambience is non-existent & the décor is ghastly. It is a place to walk into, relish your meal & get out.

The one thing I must complement the restaurant on (other than the food) is the hygiene. This is one restaurant where you will find the table cloths & napkins always washed & clean (although a bit weathered). The whole place in general is spik & span & an honorable mention must go to the bathroom which is always very, very, clean. This in my opinion is the barometer to measure the hygiene levels at any restaurant. If the bathroom is not clean, neither will the kitchen be generally.

The star attraction of Trishna of course is the food. Here I would like to emphasize the quality of the seafood. It is always very very fresh. In years & years of eating there, never once have I had any cause to complain of the quality of the seafood. Even at the Taj restaurants I find once in a while there is a strong fishy odor to the seafood but here it is never so. I cannot comment on other meats as I have only always had the seafood. Some of the dishes I recommend are

Prawns in schezwan sauce – outstanding(but spicy)

Squid butter pepper garlic – superb

Whole pomfret Hyderabadi – excellent

Crab – with a sauce to your liking

Trishna daal – for the vegetarians

Rawas in a green sauce.

& many more but these are my favourites.

For those who like to have alcoholic beverages there is a full bar, though in my opinion with this kind of food nothing complements it more than a chilled beer or white wine, both of which are always available & excellently chilled.

A characteristic of this restaurant is the number of foreigners who frequent the place. The restaurant is always peppered with foreigners thoroughly enjoying the food. This further goes to show that the hygiene levels are very good.

The waiters are clean no-nonsense & efficient. Unlike a fancy 5 star restaurant, they will not try & make polite conversation with you, nor will they try & recommend the most expensive dish on the menu(unless you ask). They will serve you quietly & efficiently & will stay out of your way while you are eating.

Although the large crabs, lobsters & jumbo ponmfrets & tiger prawns are expensive, there are several alternatives which are more than suitable. I find the quantites quite good & the prices reasonable for the quality of food being served.

Last but not least, in the extension, there is a huge fish tank with the most exotic & unusual marine fish which is worth a look at. It is extremely well maintained & beautiful to look at.

Although there are several seafood restaurants in Mumbai, there is only one Trishna.