Restaurant Review : The Konkan- Seafood Restaurant , Bangalore

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“Though I was born far far away from Sea , I am a Seafood lover and can eat it everyday ”

Nitin Hajela

Konkan Cuisine

The Konkani food from the three coastal states of Goa, Maharastra and Karnataka has a distinct similarities. As we are aware that cultural traditions and food go hand in hand and thus this cuisine also reflects the lifestyle of this belt.

There are two style of cooking in this coastal cuisine , namely the Brahman and the non- Brahman / Christian style. The former uses little spice and more of coconut based ingredients while the later is known for the dishes cooked with lot of spices.

Apart from the ingredients like spices and coconut , the locals extensively use seafood like prawns , crabs and fish in their meals. Quench thirsters like Buttermilk and Kokum Kadi usually part of the meal.

The meals are usually accompanied by a cup of plain buttermilk or in kokum season, a cup of kokum kadi. Although Konkani foods are pre-dominantly non-vegetarian, the vegetarian fare is equally delicious.

The Konkan – Seafood restaurant

Barring few , I feel that there is dearth of good coastal seafood restaurants in the Bangalore. The Konkan at St. Marks Road, opposite the Hard Rock Cafe is the latest entrant to the league of restaurants serving the Konkan cuisine.

As an avid fan of Konkani and Mangalorean cuisine , I decided to pay visit to this newly opened food destination with couple of my seafood loving friends, earlier in the week.

The Ambience

Situated on the first floor above KC Das sweets, the interiors are simplistic and have striking resemblance of old colonial style windows and furniture. The place exudes sense of warmth and provided feeling of exuberance among the diners.

Simple and Impressive interiors of The Konkan

The Menu

It was lunch time and we commenced our food trail here with fish starters , Surmai Tawa Fry and Silver Fish Rava Fry. We loved both the spicy marinade flavoured King fish and the mildly flavoured crispy little fish.

Seen here : Rawa fry Silver fish ( above) and Surmai Tawa Fry (below)

I am sure most of you will agree with me that the Kokum and Coconut milk based Sol Kadi goes best with the spicy coastal meal. Highly refreshing , it is a tasty digestive that soothes the stomach after a spicy meal during summer time. We relished couple of glasses each during our spicy meal.

Sol Kadi (above)

The earthy moderately spicy flavoured Crab Chilli is one unmissable dish here at The Konkan. Made with masala from blended paste of whole spices and fresh coconut , it is a definite winner and I could not resist licking the left over from the plate with my fingers.

Crab Chilli

Kane or the Lady fish is a integral part of this cuisine and we ensured that we try two variants of Kane Masala from the menu. The first one , the Kane with red masala , quite similar to the traditional Mangalorean Catholics Style preparation while the other one ,the Chef’s special , was cooked with a green masala paste. We found both very delicious but there was difference in opinion between my friend and me on which one was the better.

Seen here :Kane Chef’s Special Masala (above) & Kane Masala Fry (below)

For those who love mild flavours, their Konkan style Prawn curry , with delicately balanced flavoured yellow curry complimenting the small sized prawns in it, is a must try.We had it with Neer Dosa & Sana and love it absolutely.

Konkan Prawn Curry

For us, no Manglorean meal is completed without relishing a Ghee Roast. The Prawn Ghee roast and the Mutton Ghee roast , that we tried , had spicy and tantalising amazing flavours. Some may argue about the authenticity of the Ghee Roast here and in other places. But the answer is simple , as there is nothing called “authentic Ghee Roast recipe” and one will find variations from one kitchen to another within the Mangalorean bunt community , even at its place of origin, Kundapur.

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Mutton ghee roast

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Prawn Ghee Roast & Neer Dosa (above ) and Sana (below)

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Finally we ended our Konkan food quest on a sweet note with delicious portions of Ragi Manni and Payasam.

Ragi Manni (above) and Payasam (below)

The Verdict

I loved the food at The Konkan and I feel that the place has immense potential to be one of the top Konkan and Mangalorean cuisine serving restaurant in Bangalore. Most of dishes that we tried like Mutton and Prawn Ghee Roasts , Chilli crab, the Kane Masala Fry and the Surmai Tawa fry were fabulous. The portions are decent and are priced appropriately. Its location in Central Business District is just perfect to be Mangalorean food destination.