The SEAFOOD paradise – GAJALEE

“Rocky and Mayur have ventured out to explore food from all parts of India and curate videos on Askme.com  I’m contributing my part by relishing my favorite dishes at GAJALEE COASTAL FOOD  and sharing my views with you all! You can also upload your video review on AskMe and stand a chance to meet Rocky and Mayur.”

On to the Review 😀

Let me just begin by telling you guys, “Gajalee” literally means an informal gathering in Malvani or Konkani. So be it planned dinners with your loved ones or a spur of the moment plans, this place is an apt choice for all occasions. Me being a sucker for seafood, knew that my weekday lunch is going to be of my most favourite cuisine. I was a little worried about the distance though, since the closest Gajalee restaurant from Bandra was in Vile Parle, Juhu. (They have 4 other outlets in Mumbai – Vile Parle East, Andheri East, Lower Parel & Andheri west) But the yummylicious food was all worth the distance :).

The carpeted pathway leading up to the restaurant welcomes you, as you can see me posing away. Before we could even ask for a table, they knew our booking (Since we were on time) and a very helpful staff member led us to the restaurant on the 1^st floor which faces the garden and the road side. We chose to sit across the full length glass window with a scenic view of watching the hustle bustle of the suburb go by. The ambience is so warm hearted with a separate bar area too. The décor is spacious, posh and pleasant. I especially loved the fish market painting right at the entrance,those happy faces are your sneak peek into this premier restaurant.

Their menu boasts of not only seafood delicacies but an array of chicken and lamb dishes too. While I was making up my mind with the orders, Anil (who took our order and helped us select our dishes) recommended the Gajalee special starters – Koliwada prawns and Fish seekh kebabs with Solkadi. The first page on the menu lists down all their must haves with pictures!

Prawn Koliwada with Sol Kadi which was a perfect mix of a crispy & crunchy starter with the most famous chilled coastal drink to wash it down with 🙂 Below as you can see is another beautifully presented yet made with sheer finesse – Fish Seekh Kebab!

Both the orders arrived in less than 10 minutes and that was by far the most quickest service ever. The prawns koliwada were crispy and fresh and medium spicy. Usually the koliwada masalas are very spicy but they had perfectly balanced it out since the staff asked us in advance our preferences, they especially took care of this in every dish that came along. The fish seekh kebabs were presented beautifully with beetroots and they tasted even better. The white masalas again gave it a distinct flavour and sipping away with solkadi was an added bonanza to my taste buds.

For the main course I opted for Fish thali, crab green chilly sauce and clam koshimbir.

The first Main course dish we got was The Crab Green Chilly.

The crab green chilly sauce had just the right amount of spiciness and the gravy was medium thick, which made it easier to be had with chapatis too. The sweet crab meat, mixed with the green chilly sauce, topped with sips of solkadi in between was the right mix of heavenly coastal food.

How can I be at the best seafood restaurant in Mumbai and not order a seafood thali. All these dishes are a big hit amongst my friends and also they were highly recommended by the chef, hence I ordered the above for my main course. Again all the 3 things arrived within 15 minutes, which is really quick. The thali consisted of surmay gravy, solkadi, bombil fry (which is a must try), potato sabzi, chapatis and rice. The ginger – garlic dip with the bombil fry is to die for. The crispy rice batter on the bombil (Bombay duck) gives the dish just the perfect and tasty covering required. The surmay was very fresh and it had been made in a rich, thick and red coconut gravy, an absolute must have with the rice (the ever famous coastal staple). The chapatis were soft and big (approx. 4 small regular chapatis size).

My personal favourite amongst the lot (trust me this was a really hard one) was the “clam koshimbir” which was a fusion of finely grated coconut and famous coastal tadka! I loved everything about this dish, more so because the taste was very similar to a clam dish my mom makes at home 🙂

The best part of choosing to dine at Gajalee is that, they show you the fresh fish/crabs/lobsters etc before they get to the cooking. You actually get to pick your own seafood and the entire process is very delightful, more like you are shopping for it yourself.

The grand finish to my very mouthwatering and lip-smacking seafood meal (the best I’ve had in ages) was the variety of sweet dishes to select from. Right from mousse to cakes and caramel custard, there’s a little something for everyone out there with a sweet tooth. I tried the custard caramel (since it came highly recommended), red velvet cake and the mango jelly mousse and each one had a taste to remember.

A big shoutout to Laxman and Anil from Gajalee for taking such good care of us and presenting our food with such elated faces 🙂

Gajalee – I rate it a 5/5 for the food, services, promptness, staff, ambience, presentation and for the experience overall. Must say, I have found my favourite seafood restaurant, which serves awesome coastal dishes and much more!!

You guys have to visit “Gajalee” with your friends or family or colleagues for an experience to remember :). Give them a big shout out on their Twitter and Facebook