About Gajalee, High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel
A restaurant that is a combination of excellent food, pleasing welcoming décor and an efficient considerate service is nowadays considered a stuff of dreams but there are still left relics like these who have captured the loyalty of their diners for ages. When asked around Mumbai, one name will echo more than any other i.e., ‘Gajalee’. Gajalee is a lovely family-style dining restaurant that has been an important pillar for the city’s gastronomic community. You are assured this one place of good service and lip-smacking food regardless of the time you visit. In the times when every restaurant is rushing towards glamming up their décor, Gajalee stands tall and proud of its classic old-fashioned image. Its location at Phoenix Mill Compound, High Street Phoenix in Lower Parel is a sought after one and is one of the top dining destinations in Mumbai.
Gajalee’s menu intoxicates the senses of every foodie who is in love with the regional food of Mumbai. Those in dire need of some succulent seafood swimming in tangy curry should head over to Gajalee, for this place is a mecca for seafood fanatics. Their menu although hosts both Maharashtrian and North Indian cuisines, it’s the former one you should concentrate upon. Variety on offer is staggering. Gourmets will have a wonderful time wading through this extensive menu feasting on luscious seafood. Pair a pint of beer with some appetizers like, pudina fish tikka, clams butter pepper garlic, prawns crispy fried, tandoori pomfret, crab stick kebab, bombil fry and chicken masala dry. For a more substantial fare opt for, clam masala, mutton bhuna gosht, sp prawns curry, red snapper curry, stuffed pomfret and crab green chilly sauce.
This place is a serious carnivorous galore. Vegetarians too are given a significant section but the spotlight lies with seafood. Order amboli or ghavne or nachani bhakri to lift up your curries otherwise stick with biryanis. Pomfret lunch box or chicken lunch box are offered to those in a rush. Enjoy a glass of solkadi to truly bring out the flavours. Your sweet tooth can be coddled with, caramel custard, pastry or kulfi. Gajalee sprawls cross two floors, done in an attractive classy way. Soft pastel shades are used to design the space so that effect is soothing and elegant. Modern South Indian art on walls reminds you of their coastal theme. Gajalee is very affordable so indulge freely.
Insider Tips
- This is the place to eat crab in Mumbai. They once brought a dozen live crabs to my table and as the crustaceans scurried around, asked me to select one. I did. The crab was duly assassinated and though the dish they made from it was delicious, I felt a little like gang boss who had ordered a hit!
- If Gajalee did not invent the 'Fried Bombil' (they say they did), then it certainly popularised this version of the dish which turns up on menus everywhere, now
- Steer clear of the North Indian but they do manage a moist and succulent 'Tandoori Fish'
