OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: ANUPAM'S COAST II COAST

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: ANUPAM'S COAST II COAST

When you decide to eat out, what determines your choice of restaurant? Some factors could be the novelty of a new place, positive references from family and friends and the type of cuisine they are famous for. Recently, we had lunch at Anupam's Coast II Coast at Bengaluru's popular Church Street, hosted by Prem's cousin: Rati. I guess all three factors mentioned steered us to this restaurant!! We thoroughly enjoyed the lunch! 

This restaurant carries on the tradition of yummy food started by its older avatar at Koramangala (another part of Bengaluru which is chock full of restaurants catering to myriad tastes). The one at Church Street is open from 11 am to 3.30 pm for lunch and from 7 pm to 11 pm for dinner.

There wasn't much of a crowd when we walked in around 12.30 but by the time we left after a sumptuous meal all the tables seemed to have filled up.

Rati and I chose Sol Kadi as an interesting drink to start the meal with. This is a traditional appetiser  made with Kokum, buttermilk, and spices. It was tasty and spicy. Prem settled for his usual Bira White beer. The crisp pappads were the perfect accompaniment for our drinks. They kept disappearing as fast as they came in. 

As you may guessed by now, we had come here in search of our favourite seafood. This restaurant is run by Tulu people who are excellent when it comes to Mangalorean sea food. Naturally we opted for fish and prawns in different forms rather than chicken or mutton.

The Pomfret Rawa Tawa Fry was lip smacking with the pomfret shallow fried on the tawa with a light coating of semolina or rava. Actually for all these dishes, you get a variety of fish to choose from- such as Pomfret, Kane, Anjal etc. We opted for Pomfret or Maanji as it is called in Tulu. It was so tempting that we started eating before remembering that we had not taken any picture!! 

Next up was something we were craving for, to be honest! Steamed Maanji or Pomfret - cooked with a green masala- was melt in the mouth soft and came served in the pack of banana leaves it was steamed in. The taste was out of this world. Perhaps the best dish of the day for me! 

We also loved the Prawn Pullimunchi- again traditional Tulu fare made with Yetti as Prawns are called in Tulu. This came with soft and porous Neer Dosas and with hot steamed rice. Pullimunchi gets its name from "Puli" which means sour and "Munchi" which means chilly in the Tulu language.  This was delicious too. It probably looks more fiery hot in the picture than it actually is. 

We also enjoyed the Kane Raw Fry - this dish had the Kane fish marinated in Mangalorean masala and evenly coated with semolina or rava and then fried till crisp and golden. This too was a big hit! 

When it came to desserts, we had the Tender Coconut Payasam which was a more traditional dessert to finish the meal. It was soothing and cool after the spicy meal.

We tried to persuade Prem to join us in this dish but he chose to stick to his favourite - Caramel Custard! 

Overall impressions: The service was quick and efficient. They let you take your own time without hassling you but were quick to serve the dishes on time. The food was excellent and I would strongly recommend Anupam's Coast II Coast, especially if you are looking for Mangalorean or Coastal style sea food. 

RAVA POMFRET FRY

 RAVA POMFRET FRY

Although we are largely vegetarian at home, once in a while we enjoy eating seafood, mainly fish and prawns. In today's dish, I have used black pomfret, which is called Kappu Maanji/Paplet/Halwa. 

Apart from being very tasty, one of the biggest benefits of the pomfret is that it is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and has numerous health benefits. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes made with pomfret, such as:-

• Paplet Masaledar 
• Maanji Pulimunchi

Often, I just like to shallow fry the pomfret. Today's recipe is for Rava Pomfret Fry where we apply spices on the pomfret slices and then shallow fry them dipped in a coating of rava/semolina.

This is easy to make and yet the fish tastes amazing!! 

Ingredients:-

• Black Pomfret, 3-4  pieces about 250-300 grams
• Rava/ Semolina, 1/3 cup
• Lime Juice, 1 tbsp
• Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 and 1/2 tsp 
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 2 tsp 
• Garam Masala, 1/4 tsp
• Oil, as required to shallow fry
• Salt, to taste

Method:-

Wash the pomfret slices thoroughly and drain away the excess water

Apply lime juice to these slices and set aside for a few minutes and then drain away the lime juice

In a bowl, mix together ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala,  and salt 

Apply this mixture evenly to the pomfret slices on both sides and keep aside for about 10 minutes

Take the rava in a plate and dip the pomfret slices one by one in the rava so that they are evenly coated on both sides

Heat a pan with oil and shallow fry the pomfret on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes

Next, drizzle oil on and around it and flip the pomfret to shallow fry the other side

Switch off the gas and transfer the pomfret to a serving plate

Serve the Rava Pomfret Fry with onion rings and lime wedges 

PAPLET MASALEDAR

 PAPLET MASALEDAR

The silver pomfret is called Paplet in Marathi. Pomfrets are really good for health as they are low in calories and fat but are rich in protein and have high quantities of Omega 3 fatty acids.

One of our Maharashtrian friends had invited us to lunch some years ago. The dish that stole the show that day was the pomfret. I simply had to ask her for the recipe for this dish which is popular in the Konkan areas and in Goa. She gave this willingly but in a general sense as she did not know the exact measurements.  

I tried it out a few times before I perfected it and am glad to share my version of this popular dish. 

Here's hoping you will love it - as much as we do!! 

Ingredients:-

• Paplet (Pomfret), 500- 600 gms or about 7-8 slices
• Onions,  2
• Garlic Cloves,  7
• Poppy Seeds, (Khus Khus), 2 tsp
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup 
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp + a little for marination 
• Chilli Powder, 4 tsp
• Coriander Powder, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Powder, 1 tsp
• Tamarind, 2 tsp 
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 and 1/2 tbsp

Method:-

Clean the pomfret, de-gut and make into slices.

Wash the fish slices 3-4 times in water and drain the water fully 

Apply turmeric powder and salt to the fish slices and keep aside to marinate for about 15 minutes 

Chop the onions

Crush the garlic cloves 

Soak the tamarind in warm water for 10 minutes and extract the pulp 

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a kadhai and sauté the chopped onions, crushed garlic and poppy seeds till the onions turn translucent

Next add the fresh coconut gratings, mix well and fry for a few minutes

Allow it to cool and transfer to a mixer jar

Now grind this mixture to a fine paste adding just the required amount of water

In the same kadhai, heat the remaining oil and on medium heat add the ground paste and sauté for 1-2 minutes

To this add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt to taste

Remember that some salt has already been added to the fish for marination 

Saute this for about 1 minute 

Add the tamarind pulp and immerse the fish slices one by one

Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes or till the fish gets done and the gravy thickens

Switch off the gas and transfer to a serving bowl

Serve the Paplet Masaledar with hot steamed rice 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: SOUZA LOBO, CALANGUTE BEACH

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: SOUZA LOBO, CALANGUTE BEACH

You can't visit India and not go to Goa! Check out the many interesting options for places to see, things to do and goodies to eat detailed in the Goa Tourism site. You can't visit Goa and not hang out at Calangute beach! And, here's my recommendation....you can't go to Calangute Beach and not eat at Souza Lobo!! This restaurant which offers diners a wonderful view of the sea ( if you are lucky to get a table, that is) was established in 1932. It looks to me that they have successfully built and nurtured a reputation over 85 years, which is a long, long time in the restaurant business.

I must confess that we were pointed to Souza Lobo by recommendations in Trip Advisor. They have received fairly impressive ratings so we decided to make it our first option when we were looking for a place to lunch.

We started with Fresh Lime Soda, Pineapple Juice, and Strawberry Milk Shake which was most refreshing coming in as we did from the hot sun.

As we sipped on these, we ordered our starters which turned out to be incredibly tasty. We began with the conventional Fish Fingers which were delectable especially with the tartar sauce.

The next starter was a killer! The Goan Masala Fried Prawns were simply out of this world! They were so well marinated in the thick masala and served with a light salad and potato finger chips.  Highly recommended!

For the main course, we chose a filling Pomfret Curry served in an eye catching earthenware pot in which interestingly the ladle was made out of a coconut shell. To go with the Pomfret Curry, we had plain rice which made for an excellent combination.

Overall, we were delighted with the food and the service. No wonder travelers using Trip Advisor have rated Souza Lobo so highly. We would gladly endorse their recommendations with our own.

Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5

So, if you are in the Calangute area around meal time and wondering where to go, head straight for Souza Lobo!

Post and Pics by Prem Rao