Choose Your Lobsters and Crabs

CityInfo
Cover Story, Mumbai

What You See Is What You Get
At Mahesh Lunch Home, you can choose your lobsters and crabs before it is cooked and served.

It may not be a good idea to count your chickens before they are hatched, but you sure can choose your seafood before its served to you. At Mahesh Lunch Home, the seafood of your choice is brought live to your table before it is cooked and served to you. You can choose your lobsters and crabs before the chef begins working his magic and transforming them into appetizing and finger-smacking dishes.
The restaurant is known for its Prawns Gassi which can be had with Appams.
“Gassi is another name for curry, except that it has a little more body than the conventional curry does. It is made by grinding coconut with handfuls of red chillies, with cumin seeds, coriander seeds and tomatoes for taste, kokum and tamarind water, thereby assuring that the taste is both hot and sour,” said Suraj Shetty, director.
Started as a humble Mangalorean eatout specialising in seafood in the corporate hub of Mumbai, Mahesh Lunch Home has grown to become a much sought after destination for seafood.
“When we started 27 years ago in Fort, the restaurant was frequented mainly by office-goers in the area,” said Shetty. “But the consistent quality of our food has attracted people from all over Mumbai.” Mahesh Lunch Home has also gained an equal amount of popularity among foreigners visiting the city. Begin your meal with a glass of Solkadi, which is a popular Mangalorean drink. It is the Konkan elixir for the digestive system. The extract of a tamarind variety called Sol (kokum), it is tonic for the soul. No Mangalor-ean meal is complete without this appetiser. The ingredients for this drink are supposed to have soothing properties and help combat acidity. Solkadi comes as a highly recommended drink if you order a plate of Crab Curry and rice.
Mahesh Lunch Home is modest in every sense, except for its food, which is exemplary. The interiors of the restaurant are simple yet contemporary. The décor combines glass, wood and brick to create a welcoming warmth. The lighting is subtle, concealed behind frosted sheets of glass with fish embossed on them. A massive fish tank at the far end of the restaurant will not escape your eyes. It has some beautiful fishes. Mind you, these fishes are not for eating!
The staff at the restaurant is friendly. And if you can’t decide what to order, follow their advice. Rest assured, you will have no regrets. And if you want to play safe, order Solkadi with Fried Fish and Rice – satisfaction guaranteed.
Everything is incredibly fresh, but favourites include Surmai Fry, Pomfret Curry and Tandoori Pomfret. Also recommended are the Prawn Koliwada, Crab Tandoori, Pomfret in Green Masala, or any of the fish curries. Some of the more popular dishes are Pomfret Tandoori, Crabs in Butter Pepper Garlic and Lobsters in White Sauce. They have delicious Pomfret, Surmai, Mackerel and Prawn Masala. They also make excellent fish in gravy called Fish Masala.
If you’re tired of the usual rice or chapattis, try the Neer Dosas. They are thin dosas or crepes made of rice flour. They are thin, light, puffy and delicious; they simply melt in the mouth. They go very well with Fish Curry or Prawn Masala.
Mahesh Lunch Home also serves meat, chicken and Chinese dishes, but only the misguided would come here and skip the sensational seafood.
And if all of this has set your tongue on fire, polish it with a cool malai kulfi for dessert.
Mahesh Lunch Home is a restaurant infrequent visitors to Mumbai must visit, if only to sample what the seafood craze in Mumbai is all about.

Mahesh Lunch Home
8B Cawasji Patel Street
Ph: 2287-0938

Juhu Tara Road
Santacruz West
Ph: 5695-5554
12 – 3 pm & 7pm – 12.30 am