Mahé – Modern Coastal Cuisine

Review and recommendations

Experienced city restaurateurs, Parth Timbadia and Sandeep Sreedharan are the brains behind modern coastal experience – Mahé. Set in a 19th century Portuguese house in Anjuna, Mahé houses a bar, an indoor dining area and a large al fresco area. At Mahé, the kitchen pays tribute to the entire sub-continental coastal repertoire in minimalist, luxe surrounds with valet parking to boot. The food is unpretentious and tremendous effort has gone into the cocktail menu. The ambience they’re going for is calm, airy, and relaxed yet upscale. One would think an Indian coastal restaurant would concentrate on seafood, but the chef has paid equal attention to carnivores and vegetarians. Contemporary experiments take place in their bar bites and small plates while the mains are classic South Indian dishes. Seafood lovers exclaim at the cured mahi-mahi with coriander oil and kondattam; and slow-cooked mackerel with honey and ginger on a bed of sweet plums and spiced coconut milk foam. Meat lovers are more than happy to feast on a Mangalorean ghee roast, beef tellicherry pepper or dig into a tender beef medallion with kombu jus and pickled radish. Vegetarian or not, Mahé seems to do a fine job of converting eggplant haters into lovers after they order the preserved aubergine recheado. Vegetables aren’t just an afterthought – cauliflower is roasted beautifully and dished on top of a pea puree with pickled shallots; baby radish is steamed in paprika oil and served on a bed of mashed tapioca with mustard sauce, crunchy radish leaves and pappad. At the bar, amaranth poriyal with a date, beet chutney and tapioca bravas with a shallot chutney are hits. Flaky Malabar parottas, soft dosas, poie and pulaos are all available to soak up fiery curries. For dessert, the humble Keralite rose cookie is paired with a plantain mousse, caramelized jaggery and coconut ice cream. Modern diners will be relieved to see a menu properly labelled for dietary preferences and allergies.

Now for the cocktails. Mahé takes the business of crafting libations very seriously.
Vermouth and ginger beer are made from scratch as is the house lemon juice, derived from their own blend of indigenous citrus fruits. Even the most devoted drinker would find it impossible to traverse the entire cocktail menu. Regional influences find their way into Mahé’s take on the old-fashioned – Dukshiri feni with house saraspilla bitters. You could ask for the ‘ossified Mrs. Grundy’ which is an intriguing combination of cherry tomato vodka, house spiced bitters, lemon, sugar, and egg whites. For those who love spiced rum, order the totally tropical Mallu mai tai – house infused chilli rum with velvet falernum, tamarind tincture, lime, and pineapple.