Husband and I love eating out as much as we relish a good home-cooked comfort meal and on several weekends we are craving for nothing but a satisfactory seafood platter. On most occasions you will find us digging into a pomfret or prawns not in a fine-dining picturesque outlet or a restaurant with polished interiors but in the renowned lanes of Dubai/Sharjah where food is celebrated at heart. How much ever we love seafood, I have an unknown fear of cooking it at home; only because I have no previous expertise in dealing with seafood so well; which I am hoping to adept to one day. Although it is far and in between, hubby cooks most delectable ‘pomfret tawa fry’ with utmost patience that I have ever seen in a man! Most of the times we head out in our quest for satiating our appetite and in effect husband pull me along to the restaurants that he had been frequently visiting from last one decade in the emirates that literally feed our souls. Here are my picks for finding out some excellent places to eat Indian seafood amidst wooden decor, steel or melamine cutlery, old-fashioned interiors and boisterous ambiance, in Dubai and Sharjah. We are mostly adherent to fishes and shrimps so you’ll find me raving about these two of what you’ll read further, but I also have heard good reviews from these places for other sea food items. Moreover, these places are super pocket friendly serving piquant greasy grub, the one that is homey. Normally the check would usually fall somewhere between 100 – 150 AED amongst two people; which are like seriously worth a try. And all names that I mention below have no branches in UAE (except for Calicut Notebook) and are small scale family run businesses with a touch of authenticity.
- Canara Restaurant (Karama, Dubai)- This is one restaurant that serves the comfort food in a way no other restaurant has managed to. Hubby and I whisper in chorus only one name whenever the hunger strikes and by now you may know what it is! I was introduced to Canara a year after marriage when subsequently all the frills of dining at extravagant or over-the-price establishments were slowly fading off and this was the point where I couldn’t thank him enough. I can safely commit that I always have the most hearty meal at this more than two decade old small Manglorean eatery that really stand for it’s sincere food. Canara has been the same and simple of what I stepped into four years back – same precise sets of tables and plastic chairs plus two outside when the weather is modest, same smiling faces of the servers that bring food to our tables with ditto accuracy, the owner at the counter taking delivery orders from his regular customers at the other end of the phone one after another and exact indistinguishable interiors that may seem dull at first but don’t worry, you will get used to it. We are pure Pomfret devotees and love all their pomfret creations – tandoori, tawa fry and masala fry. Each comes with distinguished flavors that are a real treat for the seafood lovers. They do prawns well just like in an old fashioned way of sprucing it up with peppers or doing a ghee roast. For both, be sure to inform your server if you can’t handle the spices and they’ll get you the milder versions. My ultimate suggestion would be to pair these appetisers (they come coated with thick masalas) with fresh and piping hot Neer Dosas. Prawns in bhendi curry deserves a 5 star and so does their rawa fried Bombils (Bombay Duck). Other items to try include chicken sukka, crab sukka and rawa fried prawns. Delve into their Chinese cuisine only if you want to forget all the fabulous food you just ate.
- Woodside (Rolla, Sharjah) - Again, like Canara, Woodside also is a family run hidden gem neatly tucked in the lanes of Rolla, Sharjah and they literally open up the hearts when you’ll talk to their owners or the moment you step in. I am more than happy to mention that Woodside serve up some seriously delicious home fare. This place really does that. Whenever dining out at any big or meager-scaled restaurants, flavor plays an important role for me and ofcourse for most of us. What’s another relevant concept is that the sea food need to be cleaned in a particular manner and cooked well so they don’t contain that peculiar smell, which they do it right and get their fresh catches from Sharjah Fish Market on daily basis. So strike a conversation with your server to ask them what is their catch of the day and duly consider his suggestion. The fact that Canara and Woodside are Manglorean restaurants, you wouldn’t find much difference in the menus of both; effectively leading our orders to be more or less similar in elements- Pomfret fry (masala, tawa and tandoori), Prawns Ghee Roast, Peppery Prawns on most opportunities but both stand separate and recognizable in their own places. With all the oomph that you just overdosed yourself with, you’ll surely walk off with a smile on your face and a content heart.
- Grub Shack (Al Majaz, Sharjah) - Located in the lanes of Al Majaz, Sharjah and almost invisible unless you try hard to find a board with it’s name, this almost a year old restaurant is aptly called a shack since it cannot entertain or take in more than 3-4 sets of tables and chair in their little condo. But don’t underestimate Grub Shack because of it’s size; it serves delicious scummy fare at affordable prices. If you can handle some fiery food, you got to be really transported to this miniature restaurant that promises to serve authentic Goan cuisine. There is a very small staff working at Grub Shack, the prime person of the restaurant being Sydney who takes the orders, offers great suggestions, explain what the dish is all about and know how to keep the customers satisfied, the quality that is quite difficult to find at most of the restaurants in this part of the world. I got to know about this restaurant from a fellow blogger, Gaganjeet, through Instagram (*huge thanks*). Our order included, all based on Sydney’s suggestions, Crab Roast Masala, Double Dragon Fish in Lemon Grass Hari Mirch marinade, Bhuna Gosht and Chicken Garlic Wasabi. All that we ordered were over the top homely food served in more sophisticated manner and not for the faint-hearted. On another note, we also ordered for their Chicken Noodles for Little A; that came in perfectly non-oily and well cooked strands of noodles which I haven’t eaten anywhere else. Though I have visited this place just once as yet, I seriously intend to maintain a soft corner for Grub Shack visiting it time and again. I blame all on my bad habit for not writing a review on time and eventually losing all the photographs because of my carelessness. Sincere apologies for that.
- Fort Kochi (Al Qusais, Dubai) – Another less than a year old, Fort Kochi is almost synonym to Bu Qtair, but on a lower scale. Having passed by this area on several occasions and always reading a sign “opening soon”, this place had already excited us before it’s inauguration. This again is a tiny place that serves traditional Kerala cuisine amidst chaos and huge queue of crowd waiting to flock in. Fort Kochi has a limited menu which might put you off for a bit but authentic flavors are something that you may want to keep going to this restaurant for. While you wait for your order to be delivered on the table, endeavor at the interesting collage on the walls depicting wharf scenes and bearing introduction to the Kochi Fort in Kerala. Check out the fresh catch on display generously pre-marinated in spices every morning, choose the size of your fish and ask the chef to either prepare in their excellent red or green paste (masala). On our visit we ordered for Sherri Tawa Fry in red paste that came in with abundant curry leaves imparting tremendous flavors of the South, Prawns Hariyali and ordered for Mulakittathu to pair with fluffy parrotas.
- Eric’s (Karama, Dubai) – This again is a hidden gem tucked in the lanes of ever so popular Karama which is a hub for Indian food-lovers. We were introduced to Eric’s by one of our friends who came to know from one of his friends – so basically this little place run through a word-of-mouth as is the case with other restaurants mentioned above. Eric’s serve incredible Goan cuisine in a cottage like eatery with cozy interiors and a polite staff who are helpful with their recommendations with good and cheerful vibes flowing all across the restaurant. We are on a sea-food “food porn” when at Eric’s because we literally want to try everything they have to offer. Buzzing with people at peak hours, it is definitely worth a wait to feed your soul. On many visits, our order include Chicken Xacuti which is superbly done, Fish Tawa Fry, Peppery Prawns, Chicken Taipei, Prawns Koliwada, Bombil Fry amongst others. You might find the dishes somewhat similar to what is served at Manglorean or Malabar restaurants but they also stand out in many unique ways with different ingredients that they use in their cooking resulting in being quite distinct in flavors. On my regular visits I have found that this places is often frequented by young crowd but is great for families too.
- Calicut Notebook (Dubai) – A cross between tradition and innovation from South India to the West, this is the restaurant that is gaining quite a popularity amongst the masses, Keralites or non Keralites in the city. I had previously written a review about Calicut Notebook which you can find here. Though the place looks noisy, you’ll find people engrossed in their own conversations having a meal fit for a king. Calicut Notebook has three branches alone in Dubai – Hor Al Anz and two at Al Qusais located at Dubai Residential Oasis and the other at Lulu Hypermarket and are also planning to open one in Abu Dhabi. A little high on a budget as compared to the previously mentioned restaurants, Calicut Notebook does serves authentic fare from the regions of Malabar; with a twist. As I spoke to Mrinal, the CEO of Calicut Notebook, he went on to narrate an incident where he was having a tea with a local who couldn’t devour into the spicy food that the restaurant cook; so he attempted at cooking the same dishes with milder spices but didn’t succeed. He now sticks to his original formula of cooking where food is spicy yet appetizing which his regular customers love. He adores his slow cooked lamb soup which he insisted that I give a shot at. Soup was scrumptious, bursting with peppery awesomeness and a perfect comfort for winters that will titillate every sense in your body. As much as their sea food creation is full of fusion and all items on the menu are worth a shot, their spicy Raw Mango Salad is another crowd pleaser which you should definitely include in your must try list. Have patience while your order gets placed on your table and once that is done, you’ll naturally ignore the commotion around you.
These are my top picks where you can eat at your heart content with relaxed feet and hands extended while making an extra space in your stomach for all the fabulous sea food; and still wouldn’t worry much about the cash you may have to shell out from a pocket. Are there any other small family run businesses that serve seafood in a budget that I have missed out on? Shot me a message or leave a comment below and I’ll take leaps to reach the restaurant to try some new scrumptious seafood fare.