When was the last time you had that fiery red fish curry cooked in a meen chatti? If you want to relish some traditional flavours, check out ‘Meen Ratri’, the exclusive seafood fest going on at the Spice Route, Oberon Mall. The spread is not exhaustive, but whatever on offer is authentic Kerala cuisine cooked in earthen vessels using freshly ground masalas and spices. Other than the regular stuff, the salad bar has two festival specials - seafood cocktail and squid pepperino. We started with the spicy seafood soup. Not very smooth on your tastebuds, it’s a cocktail of all desi flavours with the right tinge of spice. For the main course you can either have appam or puttu from the live counter or opt for Malayali’s staple - rice. ‘Chemmeen manga curry’, the local delicacy made with prawn and raw mangoes is definitely worth a try. But what takes the cake is ‘Karimeen pollichathu’ - pearl spot seasoned with spices, wrapped in plantain leaf and cooked in coal. The aroma wafting out the moment you unwrap the fish buried in a thick brown gravy itself is quite tempting. ‘Meen mulakittathu’ is the red hot fish curry which goes perfectly well with the piping hot tapioca chunks garnished with a generous dash of cumin seeds, red chilly and onion fried in coconut oil. Another item you must taste is the coconut-prawn chuntey ground with green chilli. Succulent and soft crab cooked in a gravy of fried coconut and pepper is another delicacy you shouldn’t miss. Squid roast and meen peera are others on offer. The highlight of the fest is the live seafood counter where you will find all varieties of fresh fish - everything from mackerel to exotic lobster. You can make your pick and they will grill/bake/fry it for you. The only thing to remember is to brief the chef about the level of spice you want. If you want it to be extra spicy, do ask for it. The desert section has one or two desi sweets like payasam along with the regular ones. If you are a seafood freak don’t give the ‘Meen Ratri’ a miss. Veggies should rather stay away as the fest has nothing particular for them. The festival is on till October 15.
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