Near JW Marriott Hotel, Juhu Tara Road, Mumbai
In 1977, Mahesh Lunch Home brought its superb Mangalorean fish gassis, sukkas (seafood dry fries) and a special way with gabuli (roe) to Mumbai. If you worked in town, you just couldn’t do better for lunch. The fish was crisp, the sol kadi tart, and the bartender quick. But the cooks at Mahesh’s Juhu branch, opened 25 years later, need to take some lessons at the original restaurant in Fort. The menu at Juhu is huge. Two pages each of prawns, crab, fish, shellfish, each done in a dozen different ways (including tandoori, Chinese). I ordered the coastal basics, and these were so poor, I’m glad I didn’t experiment. The prawns in the masala fry (Rs 200) were tough. They even messed up the bangda fry (Rs 80), which is the easiest fish to cook. The surmai curry (Rs 160) and squid sukka (Rs 175) saved the meal. The latter was cooked to a perfect texture and you could taste the masala on every grain of coconut. The service was erratic, with our beer order forgotten, perhaps because of the Sunday lunch rush. If it’s authentic Mangalorean you want, Harish (Tel: 26713553) in Irla is a short ride away, and they have a bar too. Try the shellfish.
