Though Oota, Riverside, and Marigold offer some coastal dishes, Whitefield doesn’t really have any specialised coastal cuisine outlet. And that’s what took us to Maravanthe in Indiranagar. We had really liked Pulimunchi, in the same vicinity, and hoped for some equally excellent fare here as well. Maravanthe is diagonally opposite Meghana Foods on CMH Road, and surprisingly has valet parking! A flight of stairs takes you to a regular, old school, coastal restaurant ambiance complete with a fish tank in the middle. The seating is no frills but comfortable.
We began with a bunch of disappointments. The meals were unavailable (understandable, they are universally a lunch phenomenon) but we were also told that Sol Kadhi and Pundi had been sold out! Thankfully the other staple was around – Ghee Roast. We tried both Chicken and Squid versions. The first was really good – just beyond a moderate level of spice. The second wasn’t bad but clearly not in the same league. The buttermilk was good too – not the high tart and hyper spicy Kerala fare we’re used to, but a milder version.
The Prawns Uruval had a delicious tangy masala with prawns that were fried just right. We were also offered a fish of the day whose name we didn’t catch. But since it looked “healthy”, we agreed on a Tawa fry. The masala was good but the fish turned out to be more bony than we expected!
For mains we tried the traditional fish curry as well as the Pulimunchi. The first was a red chili and coconut based gravy for which we had chosen a seer fish. This actually had subtle flavours but that could have been a relative assessment because the Pulimunchi (Kane was the fish we chose) was spicy and tangy. The Neer dosas were soft and disappeared really fast. One testament to the deliciousness of the curries would be that we were slurping them long after we stopped ordering the dosas! We wanted to try the Coconut Pudding and the Ragi Manni, but only the latter was available. Surprisingly tasty dish this one turned out to be. Starring coconut and possibly jaggery as well in addition to the main ingredient, we really loves the smooth texture.
All of that came to around Rs.2500. The service was friendly and helpful, though they had some sort of penchant for clearing cutlery at a more than normal pace! We liked the place, but if I had to come to Indiranagar again for coastal, I’d probably choose Pulimunchi over this one.
Maravanthe, 322/1, 1st Floor, CMH Road, Indiranagar Ph: 49653410