Thanks to its many diverse communities and its perch on the shore of the Arabian Sea, Mumbai serves up a rich spread of seafood. The list below rounds up the finest dishes of coastal Indian cooking, from Malvani to Bengali, and the Mumbai restaurants that do a wonderful job of keeping the authentic flavor of their food intact. Some of these places are so small and so good that they either do not have, or simply do not need, a website. Here are six restaurants we recommend to travelers:
Konkan Cafe: Best Fine Dining
This upscale seafood restaurant inside the Vivanta by Taj hotel is styled like a coastal bungalow on the palm-lined Malabar shore and dressed in warm, muted tones. The food is every bit as inviting. It is the brainchild of chef Ananda Solomon, who spent months living in people's homes down south, coaxing wise old cooks into sharing their secret techniques and closely guarded recipes. No surprise, then, that everything here comes down to seasonal freshness and flavor, with some dishes even cooked in earthenware pots. Linger by the seafood display before making your pick from this coconut-rich menu.
Know your menu: kurdi (prawn) mango; Mangalorean fish curry; meen polichathu (fish in banana leaf); pomfret rechado; and a seafood thali.
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Trishna: Best Tourist Trap
Despite the cramped interior and a location down an obscure lane in the business district, Trishna draws foreign travelers and local Mumbaikars alike. Even though the steady stream of tourists has gradually left the waiters looking a little worn out, locals keep coming back for some of the plumpest shellfish and fish in the city. While the cooking is mostly Mangalorean, a Hyderabadi influence shows up in a few of the dishes.
Know your menu: crab, either in garlic butter or as a gassi, a fiery-red curry; koliwada prawns (the medium and small ones taste better); squid in garlic butter; rava Hyderabadi; and lobster caliminar.
Highway Gomantak: Best Goan Restaurant
"This is Goan food, certified by Goans," says Ramesh Potnis, the owner of Highway Gomantak. Furious at being passed over for a corporate job, Potnis quit and turned his attention to food instead. Using old family recipes, he asked his wife to cook up 10 dishes, which they served in their own garden. As the reputation of Highway Gomantak grew, he turned it from a backyard operation into a full-fledged restaurant.
The kitchen, still overseen by his wife and children, pulls in office workers from the nearby Bandra Kurla Complex at lunchtime. Evenings bring a more relaxed mood, with families and children lingering over dinner. It is a wonderful deal.
Know your menu: prawn fry; tisrya (clam) masala; chanak fish fry; fried mussels; fish thali; and the local bombil (Bombay duck) fry.
Fresh Catch: Best Home-Style Cooking
A pelican with a full beak stands by the door. As a metaphor for hospitality, nothing could be more fitting, because at Fresh Catch the catch is always fresh. This wood-paneled restaurant with just seven tables may be small, but it is big on flavor. That is because its owner, Francis Fernandes, hand-picks every ingredient and spice in his hometown of Karwar and brings them to Mumbai himself. Even the coconuts. Karwar cooking is wonderfully light, with none of the greasy dishes here. The spices do not overwhelm the food, they lift its flavor.
Know your menu: "Treasure of Konkan" prawns; kane fry (lady fish); fish roe; rehad prawns; pomfret curry; crab meat in garlic butter; and tisrya (clam) sukka.
Chaitanya: Best Spicy Malvani Cooking
For the best home-style Malvani cooking in town, head to Chaitanya. A relative newcomer to the seafood scene, this tiny 10-seat spot in the heart of Mumbai is the labor of love of a simple homemaker who adores cooking. In her kitchen, Surekha Wolke uses spices to give seafood an earthy, lemony flavor. At the same time, she is not shy with coconut and garam masala. This is where Chaitanya wins out over other commercial places that lean only on the sheer fire of Malvani food.
Know your menu: bangda (mackerel) tikhle; tisrya (clam) masala; crab masala; surmai fish fry; pomfret curry; mori (shark) masala; and crab sukka.
Oh! Calcutta: Best Bengali Cuisine
Oh! Calcutta is one of the few places serving traditional Bengali food in Mumbai. From a food lover's point of view, that is great news, because here you can taste the sweet-water fish that Bengalis adore, which is no everyday treat. Taking authenticity to a whole new level, the chefs bring in most of their fish, pabda (butterfish), hilsa (ilish), rohu (carp), and bhetki, straight from Calcutta. No wonder Bengalis flock to Oh! Calcutta.
Know your menu: bhapa ilish (a boneless Bengali fish delicacy steamed in banana leaf); smoked hilsa; Calcutta-style fried fish; prawn cutlets; and chingri (prawn) malai curry; roi (rohu fish) macher jhol (curry).
