Fabulous Seafood At Fresh Off The Boat

My brother and his family were visiting, and I wanted to take them out to lunch. When I asked them their choice of cuisine, they opted for seafood and I immediately homed in on Fresh Off The Boat. (I had been to FOTB a few months earlier hence am combining two visits in the same write up.)

As we had made prior reservation, in spite of being a busy Sunday afternoon, we were led to our table without any delay. As it was a hot summer day, we immediately ordered glasses of refreshing Sol Kadi. I’ve had Sol Kadi and many places and pretty good ones at that, but I have to say, the Sol Kadi at FOTB figures among the best!

The starters we ordered were Tisryacha Sukka (1), Prawn Rawa Fry (2), Surmai Fry (3), Bombil Rawa Fry (1) and Neer Dosa (3).

The Tisrya were very well made. The sukka masala was delish and paired well with the Neer Dosa. 

I could find no fault with the Prawn Rawa Fry, Surmai Rawa Fry Bombil Rawa Fry and Bombil Koliwada. 

The fish and the prawns were perfectly cooked; neither was overcooked or rubbery. Instead of the jumbo size we ordered the regular sized Surmai and that size was not bad at all. The pieces were quite large. 

As for the Bombil, while both styles were marinated and cooked well, what I liked best about them was that FOTB hadn’t used huge bombils which are terrible to eat as they tend to have those fine bones which give an ‘urgh’ feeling to one’s palate. These babies were small to medium size; absolutely perfect!

While we went on to order mains, my little nephew decided to order a Sizzling Brownie. We also ordered a Sprite and Thums Up for ourselves. The Sizzling Brownie, however, was nothing to write home about. It was very average. The quality of brownie and chocolate used could have been better.

For mains we ordered, Crab Kheema (1), Prawns Ambitik (1+½) and Indrayani Rice (2).

Crab Kheema was the only dish that did not wow me. There was simply too much masala. It totally overpowered the taste of the crab. They need to tone down the spice factor so as to allow the crab’s sweet flavour to shine through.

The Prawn Ambotik (with added triphal – happy sigh!) and the ghee laden Indrayani Rice, blew me away. 

The Prawn Ambotik did not feel spicy at the first two morsels but the tirphal and the spices slowly reared their head and we soon found ourselves wiping our brows. What a perfect curry-rice combo this turned out to be! If you like tirphal based spicy curries please, please do not miss out on this! You can thank me later. 😉

We ended our meal with a yummy Malai Kulfi. It was a simple, no-frills kulfi but no complaints there.

As I paid the bill, I came to realize this was one place in Pune that truly served good seafood. I say this because I have been to FOTB earlier. At that time we had ordered Baby Lobster (cover pic), Fried Pomfret, Chicken Lollipops, Bombil Rawa Fry, Sukha Chicken Kerala Style. 

I remember everything served being excellent. Had there been something amiss, I for one, would have surely remembered. *evil grin* Plus, I have photographs of that visit which I shall post along with the pics taken this time. 😊

The owner/partner, Akshita, and another lady (I did not get her name) are always around to ensure each guest gets precisely what they ask for. The seafood served at FOTB is fresh, their chef knows his/her job really well, their service is good and their ACs works well in the summer heat (a big plus for that). Can’t ask for more than that, eh?

I do not recollect the amount I paid at the first visit, but the amount billed this time was INR 5406. I used a food discount card and that gave me a 15% off on my entire bill. The final amount paid was INR 4825.00. As they levy no service charge, I decided on a 10% tip as the service was good.

If you haven’t been to FOTB I suggest you do so immediately. It’s truly an amazing place to visit if you love seafood as much as I do. Believe you me, you won’t regret it!

Thank you Akshita and Team FOTB for the deliciousness you serve.

Food: 4.5/5 (Zomato does not have a 4.5 tab hence rated FOTB as 4/5 on their website) 

Ambiance: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Address: Shop No 2, Upper Ground Floor, Kedar Empire, Karve Road, Paud Phata, Erandwane, Pune
Tel: 020 71967150

A few more photographs from this visit and the one before that...

Caught in the act.... :) 

Moolchand Paratha - New Delhi - I'm Glad I Did Not Miss This!

While in Delhi last week, on a food trail, I was advised by a friend (Amit Uppal - thank you), to visit Moolchand Paratha. I finally managed to squeeze a bit of time to visit them. I visited their Lajpat Nagar outlet.

I chose the Cheese Paratha and the Aloo-Pyaz Paratha and... we requested them for some white butter to go with it. They gave us tiny Amul butter sachets. I do feel a smear of white butter would have been way better.

The Cheese Paratha was stuffed with Amul Cream Cheese. It was nice but a wee bit of chopped onion and tiny bits of green chillies added to the cream cheese would have given the paratha a better texture and lent it some 'oomph'. 

As for the Aloo-Pyaz, it was fanfuckintastic! Loved the chaat masala sprinkled on the paratha/s and combo of Potato-Onion stuffing was great. They hadn't mashed the potatoes; they were chopped, and the translucent onions bits lent a lovely flavour to the paratha. I'd go back for this one time and time again.

Let me add, we had both parathas without any butter coz Amul butter was not what I was looking for. Even without butter, both parathas were delicious!

I paid approximately INR 150 for both parathas. Total VFM stuff this! 

P.S: I merely managed two photographs, from and in the car, as there was chaos with regard to parking. 

Location 1 - Address: Moolchand Metro Station, Lajpat Nagar 4, New Delhi

Tel: +91 9871734042

Location 2 – Address: Shop 3, Opposite Deshbandhu College, Krishna Market, Kalkaji, New Delhi

Tel: 011 40105204 / +91 8448504175

Oh! Calcutta - New Delhi - Dil Khush Kar Diya!

When in New Delhi, I met a school friend (she was once a Mumbaikar - we've been together since kindergarten - touchwood) who resides in Delhi with her family. We met over breakfast and, of course, we discussed food. She happened to mention that Hilsa/Illish was available in the market which meant Oh! Calcutta would definitely have it on their menu. She suggested i give the Illish at OC a try before bidding Delhi 'adieu'.

I'll have you know, I have always steered clear of Illish because it's a very bony fish. But... I happened to be near Nehru Place where Oh! Calcutta has a branch hence decided to heed her suggestion.

We ordered Smoked Hilsa Boneless and Bhapa Illish Boneless. While we were waiting for the food to arrive at the table, the Captain sent us complimentary glasses of Aam Panna. The Panna was perfect; tangy with a hint of sweet. They also served us some fried papads with a yogurt dip and spicy, roasted tomato chutney. While i did not touch the yogurt, the tomato chutney was fab!

The Smoked Hilsa was perfectly done and lightly slathered in a delicious sauce. As it was in the appetizer category, it was served with scrumptious, crisp fries and steamed veggies. The fish was fresh; that fabulous hint of 'fish oil' came across beautifully. I'd, undoubtedly, score this a 10 on 10.

I'm not a big fan of mustard hence was a tad apprehensive about the Bhapa Illish. I've had Bhapa Illish before and i haven't enjoyed it. When i saw the dish, i wondered how I'd get myself to eat such a 'mustard-y' fish. I hesitantly took a bite and all i could manage to do was moan in gastronomic ecstasy. The mustard was perfectly balanced. It had a definite sharpness to it and a tinge of bitterness but in no way did it feel excessive to the palate. Oh my God! I loved it! This dish, too, gets a perfect 10 from me.

By the way, the fish was indeed boneless. I could not find a single bone in either of the dishes. If served boneless, Illish is definitely a fish I could fall in love with.

Each dish cost INR 975 plus government taxes and service charge. The total bill paid was INR 2201. 

If the food I ate at OC is anything to go by, I truly hope they someday reopen a branch in Pune. I know I'd be a regular there.

Location 1 - Address: Ground Floor, E Block, Opp Satyam Cinema, Nehru Place, New Delhi
Tel: 011 26464182 / +91 9310149806

Location 2 - Address: 9, Ground Floor, Cyber Hub, Opp Gateway Towers, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon
Tel: 0124 4948512 / +91 9310149804



A couple of extra pics..