Tuesday 1 July 2014

A Maharashtrian Gem in Bangalore - Suryawanshi

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Rewinding back in time to August last year, I was introduced to Maharashtrian food by my cousin in Nagpur. Technically speaking, it was an introduction to one of the cuisines called Saoji cuisine; specific to the Saoji community. Known for its simple but really spicy non-vegetarian food, I was in love with it the very moment I got my hands on it. So more about it in another blog post.

Returning from the past to the present, I was quite excited when I heard the buzz in social media about the opening of a restaurant that served Maharashtrian food. What I was even happier to hear was that, "It is located in Whitefield very close to Satya Sai Hospital." Well, that's where my office is which means, I could walk from work to this restaurant for lunch. Going by this thought, I headed to this restaurant a fortnight ago with a colleague from work.  

Menu:
The owner mentioned the food was specific to Kolhapuri cuisine. The menu is quite nice and presents options to diners in the form of thalis. So going by the obvious, the menu had a lot of thali options to choose from for the non-vegetarians like a solo or gala chicken thali, gala chicken and mutton thali, splendid gala mutton thali to name a few. The vegetarians on the other hand have a very limited listing to choose from. 

Apart from the thalis, the menu at Suryawanshi also offers an a-la carte selection of individual dishes that come as a part of either of the thalis. In all, if you are a non-vegatarian you might loose you way into the menu for the sheer variety that is on offer.

What We Ate:
We started with vegetarian and I must tell you, this was the only vegetarian dish on our table post which we feasted on non-vegetarian food all through. Why the exception? Of course, it is the popular or celebrated Maharashtrian dish - 'Misal Pav'. Needs no introduction, this was a good way to start. Misal was well spiced and came with buttered pav, chopped onion, lime and a small cup of curd. The curd acting as a nice coolant. This was shared between the two of us and we were glad we did.

Soon arrived 'Seer fish fry' which is bought by the owner himself only if he is satisfied with the quality and freshness factor. Clearly evident as we dug into it, the fish was well spiced and shallow fried in a pan. It was cooked to a nice moist consistency with the freshness evident from the moist yet flaky texture. My friend a Mangalorean; who know his fish well was quite happy and content with this dish. Served up with lime and sliced onion, the only thing I missed to keep this company was a mug of chilled beer. Needless to say, I loved it too.

As we consumed the fish, two lunch thali arrived. The fried mutton thali comprised of chapathis, Kolhapuri fried mutton, mutton curry, egg curry, Tambda rassa, Pandhra rassa, Sol Kadhi, masala rice and a slice of onion and lime. 

Both Kolhapuri fried mutton and the mutton curry were delicious at its best. Do not get deceived at the start of you meal on the spice levels as they do get on to you slowly. I enjoyed every bit of it. Both fried mutton and mutton curry are best eaten with the chapatis served. The masala rice is best enjoyed with tambda rassa while Pandhra can be consumed as a soup. Sol Kadhi acted as a coolant for all the heat generated through the spice levels in the dishes presented as a part of the thali. Describing the thali in a word - 'Scrumptious'
Mutton Fry
Mutton Curry
Tambda and Pandhra rassa are unlimited and make for a delicious drink all through the meal. Tambda is a spicy red curry made with mutton stock, red chilies and more while pandhra is a more soothing curry made again with mutton stock, cinnamon, coriander and coconut milk. While both were delicious and rich in flavor coming from the mutton stock, I enjoyed Tambda rassa for its higher spice levels. Pandhra and Sol kadhi worked by provide the much needed cooling to bring down the heat level from Tambda rassa.

Another thali on the table was the fully loaded 'Splendid gala mutton thali'. Similar to the 'Fried Mutton Thali', the only difference being egg curry was not a part of this thali. Instead, there was another mutton dish - Mutton Keema. Loaded with all goodness of mutton,  this is a thali for a true mutton lover with an appetite.

In between the first visit and posting this review, I visited this place again and this time I tried the 'Gala chicken and mutton thali'. This thali comes will a delicious chicken gravy, the ever lovely mutton curry and the usual like egg curry, Tambda rassa, Pandhra rassa, Sol Kadhi, masala rice and a slice of onion and lime. The chicken was very well cooked and succulent. It went very well with the spicy gravy it came in and was a delight to eat with the chapatis served.

Verdict:
With 2 visits made thus far to Suryawanshi, I have enjoyed every bit of the meal here and I know there are going to be many more visits. The ambiance is really simple with nothing much to write about. Located on the 2nd floor of Santosh towers very close to Sathya Sai Hospital, this place surely is a delight for the non-vegetarians.

The egg thali starts at Rs. 110, the chicken and mutton thalis start at Rs 210 and go up to Rs. 370 which is the cost of a fully loaded 'Splendid Gala Mutton Thali'. The meal here is definitely full filling and satisfying. 

Quick Tips:
If you love Maharasthrian food, this is the place to visit in Bangalore and if you haven't tried this cuisine yet, Suryawanshi is the place I'd recommend you to visit. 

PS: I'm in love with this cuisine and would like to explore more of it in Bangalore until I make a travel to Maharashtra. If you know of places in Bangalore to visit for Maharashtrian food, do drop in a comment below.


Address: 2nd Floor, Santosh Tower, EPIP Industrial Area, Whitefield, Bangalore 560066
Landmark: Near EPIP Busstop
Phone Number: +91 97380 19048


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