Giri Manja’s, Mangalore
A food-frenzy homecoming to Mangalore aka Kudla, is never complete until you have experienced the best- and when I say best, I mean a heavenly union of incredibly fresh produce and lip-smacking masala to cook it in. Most of my friends have been talking about this place for ages; I end up getting mocked for being a foodie and not having visited this restaurant in spite of spending nearly a decade here. Legendary they said, better than the best they claimed- What is with this place? I had to know.
We (with Herwin) arrived from Hyderabad this morning, all set to celebrate our first Christmas together. For lunch, we decided to visit Giri Manja’s- located a couple of blocks away from Car Street. You cannot miss it, especially between 12 and 3 pm (lunch time)- you will notice the scores of people scurrying in and out; some looking for a place to dine-in while the others, try to place an order for a take-out. The restaurant (some call it a dhaba) itself is housed in an old-traditional looking South Indian home sheltered with clay roof tiles…
I would have loved to dine-in and enjoy their specialty meals and fish cuisines, but the weather was sultry and mama has prepared some amazing prawn biriyani and pork bafat, so we decided to take out. Here is what we ordered-
Anjal Tawa Fry – I had mentioned already, the produce is incredibly fresh and all that had to be done was to compliment it with an ultimately flavorful masala… Nailed it.
Prawn Masala Fry – Words cannot describe the gooey-spicy, mouth-watering masala… Nailed it again.
Bondas or Crispy Squid Fry – this is a close relative of the Fried Calamari but infinitely more flavorful and delicious… It can’t get any better than this..
An incredible experience… I second to every comment my friends have made bout Giri Manja’s- legendary and one-of-a-kind…I will be visiting soon to enjoy the meals as well… Giri Manja’s officially goes on Gulp ‘n’ Munch’s legendary eateries… You Gotta Eat Here!
