Manhattan Fish Market

Yes, you read the name right. What was I doing here is the question running in your head right? I sure was a fish out of water, pun unintended… lol

Rewind to few hours earlier….

“So, we all meet at 7pm at Manhattan Fish Market” beeped the message.

I stared at it for a good 2 seconds, and another 2 more before opening the browser to check out their menu online.

I noticed there were 2 starters, 1 soup and 2 pastas, which were Veg.

Bracing myself for a night of being the odd one out [not that it was new to me] I said “Aye, will be there” [ I knew I was going more for the company than food]

Coming back to the present…

Few seconds after the clock struck 7, I reached the place. Waited outside while my phone threatened to die on me. I had been out all evening, had a long client call as well and so had requested one of the guys to bring me his power bank…. more of threatened… groveled… begged. You get the drift, right? And I had to make do with clicking pics on my phone... 

Anyways, we made our way to the 1^st floor where we looked around wondering which table to attack. And that is when we were told they had a floor above as well. Curious, we went upstairs to find a couple of private rooms and we promptly picked one. It had a long wooden table, red funky chairs and a black board apart from few doodles on the wall. Oh and there was also an Apple TV in the room with remotes for us to play with.  Within an hour, we noticed two other large groups occupy the other private rooms. Impressive! Seeing such a crowd on a weekday evening.

One of the staff came over with the menu and took us on a quick tour of the menu. The jist of it being- the different kinds of cooking methods they followed-Poach, Grill, Flame, Bake and Fried; the range of seafood they offered and of course the dishes that were highly recommended.

Oh damn, how can I forget the most important of them all. This is only Manhattan Fish Market in the country. They do have outlets in quite a few South Asian countries- Oman, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and few others…

I announced I was veg and instantly the waiter said “ma’am, we have 1 soup, 2 starters and 2 mains in veg” with a sheepish grin…  “Yes, I noticed “ was all I replied.

The evening opened with Lemongrass iced tea followed by Gummy bears & Citrus Mint. They were quite refreshing. The soup was also good- it was Mushroom soup [ not the traditional cream of Mushroom], but then as we were winding down for the evening I was vexed. The veg starter was Fried country mushroom served with honey mustard dip and my main was veggie Olio [it was spaghetti tossed in olive oil with few colour peppers and a good portion of sauteed mushrooms on top, it is cooked without onions or garlic (wonder why though)]- this inspite the fact that the waiter suggested this pasta against the Creamy Mushroom Penne saying the it was once again with mushroom! My Spaghetti was dry, had no flavour and it was a challenge enjoying it.

While the others enjoyed the sea food dishes, we finally got around to desserts The waiter suggested we try the Tuscan Tiramisu and the Mudpie…. Both were alright.. 

I know I crib about how some restaurants have nothing but paneer as an option for veggies, but here it was like they had discovered mushrooms were veg & went all out. I love mushrooms, but this was too much? It is almost like non-veg restaurants hire chefs/create menus with no thought towards the veggies. 

Agreed, I wouldn’t pick a hard core non veg restaurant for a meal, but when in a group there is bound to be someone who is veggie...  Oh well, some you like, others you don't.. C'est la vie :-) 

A meal for two should set you back by Rs1200-1500 [also depends on how elaborate your meal is, if you order Lobster, then add few hundred more]

Address:

The Manhattan Fish Market

94, RK Salai,

In the lane opp Marvel Cards/Yellow Pages

Mylapore,

Chennai

Disclaimer: The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)