If you are looking for the most authentic Konkani seafood in Mumbai, Gajalee is the place to be. This restaurant proves that you do not need to dine in 5 star locales to savour a good fish.
There are AC as well as non-AC dining areas, but as there’s a huge rush after 9, I suggest not being choosy. The non-AC section is spic and span as well and the patrons are mostly local families, owing to the non-alcoholic menu.
Let the aerated drinks (Rs 30) be spared. Try the Solkadi (Rs 25) – a slightly sour juice made with kokum and bright pink in colour. You might find it pungent at first, but it goes best with the spicy seafood fare. The most common dish here is the seafood thali (Rs 285) – Bombay Duck fries, fish curry, couple of other appetizers and roti/rice. But if you want to be amazed and don’t mind losing some cash, go for something more exotic.
This time, we tried the Fish Tikka starter (Rs 450) made with Surmai. It was cooked to perfection! Quantity was okay for two persons. We wanted to have a crab and were treated to choosing between two live ones. Having a crab without the shell is no fun. You want to wear a bib, get both your hands dirty and use the shell cracker and the tweaking forks to the fullest. We asked the crab to be prepared in Schezwan sauce (Rs 1881). We’d earlier tried crab tandoor and lobster Schezwan and wanted to have the best of both worlds this time. The tandoor preparation is a little dry. Schezwan has more gravy and is spicier. This was accompanied with Ghavne (Rs 25 each) – thin dosas. We unanimously declared the meal as the best crab we've ever had! The total damage was Rs 2566.
Some other dishes worthy of being mentioned here include the prawn biriyani, crab soup and stuffed pomfret tandoor.
Do not be deceived by the modest ambience. This is a popular celebrity spot. The staff is excellent, with suggestions as per the likes of the patrons, helpful when you need a shell to be cracked and has a good fleet of valet parking attendants.
I think I was born an omnivore just to dine at Gajalee.
cerealKiller
