On the southern coast of Karnataka lies the cultural and culinary melting pot, the city of Mangalore. Throughout the city, you will find fine specimens of its delicious cuisine. The food you get in Mangalore restaurants is par excellence, rich with exceptional ingredients from land and the sea, blessed with aromatic spices and masalas, and aided with varied cooking methods and techniques. The multicultural city of Mangalore conjures up some delicious coastal non-vegetarian food and a variety of vegetarian food that will leave any food enthusiast’s mouth-watering.
Being on the Arabian coast, Seafood is a much-celebrated ingredient group. Many roadside restaurants in the city would give any top seafood joint in the country a run for their money. However, ‘Giri Manja’s’ in Kudla or Kudial (Mangalore) offers one of the most authentic dining experiences and is the top recommendation for any food lover to begin the culinary exploration in the city of Mangalore. Set up in a small lane in Car Bazaar, this tiny restaurant seats about 30-40 people at a time, and often a similar number of people are waiting outside for their turn to dine. It is Open only for lunch and six days a week (Sunday Closed).
It was founded by Mr Giri Pai some 40 years ago and later charmingly run by his son Mr Manjunath Pai, Giri Manja’s; An amalgamated name of the Father-Son Duo (Giri and Manjunath), is an institution in itself.
There is no better place than Giri Manja’s to enjoy the flavourful combination of fresh seafood and masalas cooked over their legendary Tawa (Griddle). Their signature cooking method of cooking seafood on a Tawa has given Giri Manja’s its unique identity. You can choose from a variety of different fishes and shellfishes like Anjal fry (Kingfish), White Pomfret, Bondas (Squid), Koddai (croaker fish), Bangude (Mackerel), Nang fry (Sole Fry), Muru Fry (Reef Cod), Buthai (Sardine), Prawns etc.
Giri Manja’s also prepares fantastic ghee roast dishes, especially with Prawns and Crabs, and some flavourful chicken dishes. The restaurant doesn’t have a printed menu, and you have to select your preference from the dishes listed on a small whiteboard. Most diners are regulars of Giri Manja’s; thus, they know the menu by heart, and visitors get duly assisted by the warm-hearted servers loved for their hospitality.
A fish ‘thali’ is mandatory, which consists of rice, vegetables, dal, and fish curry. One can enjoy unlimited refills and pick side dishes from the menu along with the thali.
It’s hard to decide the success factor of Giri Manja’s, is it the excellent fresh seafood or its variety, or is it its spicy marination? Spices throughout South India are of high quality; thus, food is abundant with flavours. Giri Manja’s has nailed the art of marination, and that depicts profoundly in its dishes.
Everything tastes terrific; the Butter Fish, Prawns, Fish curry, Chicken pepper chilli, The Ghee Roast and vegetables, and the flavours of each dish served at Giri Manja’s are excellent. A single bite into the ‘Tawa’ fried fish and one can sense it’s the morning’s catch. The spices are just on point to create a flavour riot on your palate. The curries are cooked in the traditional style of the community of GSB (Gaur Saraswat Brahmins), one of the communities from the Konkan belt, rich in its culinary repertoire.
Each day the menu changes, with some new unique dishes added as the day’s special, and most of the usual affairs remaining the same. Thus, if you are lucky, you can try unique seafood dishes like a Mori Fry (shark), a special crab ghee roast, or whatever is the fresh catch from the Arabian Sea.
Eating a meal on the wooden bench- next to fellow diners in style similar to a community meal, the experience of dining at Giri Manja’s extends beyond just the taste and recipes. The aroma abounds in the dining room, and the aura of gastronomic satisfaction is unmissable. As you happily overeat, gorging on the beautiful cuisine, you can help yourself with a few glasses of their coconut lime juice, which is just the perfect accompaniment to the meal and an effective palate cleanser.
The whole city of Mangaluru truly loves this exemplary representation of their beautiful cuisine, and anybody who visits Giri Manja’s is bound to become its raving fan for life.
Sidharth Bhan Gupta is a Hospitality/F&B Consultant travelling across India exploring regional cuisines.