One may question the freshness of ‘authentic coastal cuisine’ sitting in the land-locked Delhi and learn few
It is natural to think of crustaceans, fish, molluscs and cephalopods when we talk about coastal food. But I believe it is more about the spices, the main reason behind that soulful, tantalising flavour and aroma of the food here. For appetizers, we started off with a very palatable dish of mushroom pepper fry—touch of black pepper and curry leaves. With that I ended my vegetarian picks.
Sana-di-ge took brass and being authentic to a new level—from its name to the utensils used. I must add, food served in brass plates lined with banana leaf just makes one’s dining experience so much fun. I was there to try out some coastal food so I called for some butter pepper garlic yetti (prawn). An instant favourite, that one. I thought the tawa fry maanji (pomfret) could see a tad less of salt. Otherwise, perfectly cooked in Mangalorean spices, the pomfret held its tangy end very well.
If you are not much of a fan of sea food, you can safely go for mamsa pepper fry—succulent lamb cooked to perfection with the traditional Mangalorean spices and pepper. I am saying spices but in none of the dishes that I tried did I find any overpowering presence of any of the spices used. Or you can go for the very well-known Chicken Chettinad. Quick tip: The dish, notoriously believed to be very hot and spicy, is nothing of that sort. The secret behind a perfect preparation of this dish is the fine balance of the spices used.
It was suggested that I tried their neer dosa instead of the regular rice or roti to go with the main course. Neer dosa is an uncomplicated thin rice pancake that instantly reminded me of a softer and lighter version of our very own north Indian roomaali roti. It went very well with the house speciality, Mangalorean mutton curry—which was not very far from a curry version of mamsa pepper fry. But delicious nonetheless.
For me, the shelf life of crustaceans I eat matters, so it took me a while to call for my masala jenji (crab). What a good decision that was. To save me time I suppose, the crab came already dismantled, I only had to scoop out the sweet meat. The bed of thick spicy gravy complemented the perfectly cooked crab meat.
Sana-di-ge also has an elaborate bar menu, but I recommend the bar special Passionera, a vodka based cocktail of fresh passion fruit with apple and fresh raspberry; and mandarin & ginger mojito, a white rum-based cocktail with freshly muddled mandarin, ginger syrup, fresh lime and mint. They also have an impressive selection of international wines and other spirits.
Sana-di-ge brings to your plate flavours and aroma of the coastal belt of Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Kerala. In this coastal casual dining scene, you will find, what I can only describe as seaside soul food.
The Information
Meal for two: ₹2,200 plus taxes (without alcohol)
Where: 22/48, Commercial Centre, Malcha Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
Time: 12 noon to 3:30pm, 7:30pm to 11:30pm
For reservations: 01140507777
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