Mee Marathi, eat Marathi

Food ExcellentPackaging AverageService QuickPricing Expensiveverdict 24For most part of her life this Marathi writer with roots in the Konkan belt has stuck to the typical varanbhaattupkolambi combo Having recently accepted that the cuisine of the secondmost populous Indian state has much more to offer we decided to experiment with fare from Kolhapur Malwan Vidarbha Pune and Khandesh regions Culinary Kitchen a deli kitchen in Mahim opened just in time to take this discovery to the next levelPrawns aluwadiThe delivery kitchen pays homage to the state by offering all kinds of Maharashtrian savouries mdash Pathare Prabhu the warrior community originally from Mewar Malwani fishermen folk from Sindhudurgand Saoji Vidarbharsquos weaversThe menu is extensive and the cost on the higher sideIn appetisers we ordered mango chilli prawns R350 prawns aluwadi Rs 250 and paneer appe s Rs 135 Pandhra rassa mutton Rs 380 East Indian chicken khuddi Rs 240 pomfret hooman catch of the day Rs 350 and kolambi khadkhadle Rs 300 made it to the main course Fugias Rs 160 and brown cashew onion pulao Rs 160 completed the humongous thaliFugiasThe curries arrived in tin packaging which explains why the order went slightly over our budget This type of packaging is new and is meant to keep the food warm until it reaches any corner of the city Since this is a sustainable form of packaging we look forward to reusing these tin cans Items that arrived in plastic containers could not prevent spillage It was a slight turn off although the room was instantly filled with the aroma of these eclectic flavoursWhile placing the order the owner Amol Welling insisted that we try the pandhra rassa mutton first and so we did with the steamy pulao The recipe is native to Kolhapur and is seldom served with mutton But we understand why the restaurant decided to try out this fusion cooked in lipsmacking coconut gravy it turned out to be our most favourite dish of the meal It was amazing how elements as simple as crispy fried onions toasted cashew nuts and brown rice can transform a dishPandhra rassa muttonAnother specialty that got our thumbs up was the prawns aluwadi A combination of chana dal garlic ginger coriander green chilli and turmeric this traditional Maharashtrian snack is an alternative to urad papad While it is a common feature in our kitchen never did we think of sprucing it up with prawns before for us it was a masterstrokeThe fugias East Indian bread came in semifried form to ensure they donrsquot get soggy during the commute But despite deep frying them in an open pan for two minutes the balloon bread was a disappointment Either the batter was not kneaded well or hadnrsquot been fermented for a good amount of timePomfret hooman catch of the dayThe hooman catch of the day in the menu offers a choice of fish as per the season We picked pomfret and it was devoured in a minute The right kind of spice levels clicked for this Konkani reviewer who is used to eating seafood with copious amounts of spices Sated with this heady culinary walkthrough of Maharashtra and with large portions to suffice for six adults our vote goes to this kitchen for being one of the most delicious discoveries in the lockdownCall 9321613138 closed on Mondays place an order between 11 am and 3 pm 6 pm and 10 pmNote Place order 24 hours in advance Due to limited staff the delivery time is between 45 minutes to an hour Online payments are accepted44 Exceptional 34 Excellent 24 very Good 14 Good 054 Average Culinary Kitchen didnrsquot know we had ordered The Guide reviews anonymously and pays for mealsKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news