Seafood at Majestic, Bangalore

 Last weekend my friends and I headed towards Majestic, Bangalore for some basic time-pass shopping. It was Saturday morning and we landed up in the place at around 11 30 am. Wandering around the various bazaars and markets, we wound up our activities by around 1 pm. Starving and ready to eat anything put in front of me, I asked my friend for any suggestions. Fishland was mentioned - a coastal Mangalorean seafood joint (of course with a name like that, it should have been obvious..) This place is a little tricky to find but the best directions that I can provide is that, its right behind National Market and near Tribuvan theater. It is definitely one of the old-world places with a feel good atmosphere to it. Walking up to the first floor, you get two entrances - both to restaurants run by the same management. The one on the left is a proper dining mess hall where food is served traditionally (no air-conditioning but a bright airy hall) while the entrance on the right is an a/c room where a bar is also attached for those who want to have drinks with their food. Also, in the a/c bar area, the fish meals option does not exist. The warm hot day outside and all the roaming decided it for us and we walked through the right door entrance into the air-conditioning.  The ambience is like any typical a/c Bar restaurant in Bangalore (bright, dark colors with random lighting and closed spaces). Sitting down, we were approached immediately by a waiter who told us the specials. Ordering a chilled beer first, we also ordered chicken tikka and pomfret fry (Mangalore Rawa-fry style). The beer came in double quick time while both the starters were on our table in 5-10 minutes.

First the chicken tikka - tender well cooked meat and generously coated with masala - made this a brilliant starter dish to complement the chilled beer quenching our thirst. Then the pomfret - one word - magical.. perfectly fried, the rawa crumbs coating the fish exquisitely. Once you break through the crisp crust, you bite into the tender well cooked meat that is moist and fresh. The fish was stripped bare to the bone in less than 5 minutes. The rawa also had the right masala mixed in which gave a spicy touch to the dish.
Once this vanished from our plate (which was in a blink of the eye) we placed our main course order - kori roti with chicken stew. Now Kori roti is a typical Mangalorean dish best described as follows: crispy dry wafers made of boiled rice like a paper thin roast dosa. This is typically had with a spicy chicken stew filled with red chillies. Now, the best way to eat this dish is to pour the stew on top of the kori roti and wait for it to soak through. This makes the roti soft enough to be eaten and this also ensures the spices of the stew to be absorbed completely by the roti.

Absolute heaven and bang on the money in terms of flavors, taste and authenticity. The chicken was as before - well done, tender and spicy to boot , while complementing the kori roti to the hilt. Even before the plate was half empty we had run out of stew which the waiter was gracious enough to refill (at no extra cost) earning him and the establishment fantastic brownie points on customer service and satisfaction.
By the end of this, we were totally stuffed and decided to skip dessert subsequently. Wrapping up - quaint little old world place near Majestic, serving unbelievable authentic Mangalorean seafood. You can try the fish meals or the a-la-carte option and you won't be disappointed. The above meal (including the beer) cost approximately Rs.1000 for two making it a not too expensive place.

Location: Sujatha Complex, 1st Main, Gandhinagar
Phone: 080-22258080
Wallet Factor: Moderately Expensive