Celeb food review: Dakshin, ITC Maratha

Dakshin, ITC Maratha, Sahar Road, Andheri East, Mumbai.
Phone: 28303030
Rating: *** (We’re going back)
Meal for two: Rs. 3,200 to 3,500

Dakshin clearly suggests and serves South Indian cuisine. They serve both vegetarian and authentic South Indian seafood. The place has a cozy and comfortable ambience and an ideal place for dinner with your family and friends!

We had heard a lot about the sea food here and decided to go for authentic Chettinad style seafood. Here you have a choice, somewhat limited though, of cuisines from all of South India — Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. However, at Dakshin seafood lovers can enjoy crabs, shellfish, octopus, prawns, lobsters, shrimps, oysters, pomfret and much more. The restaurant is the right place to enjoy authentic and delicious South Indian food.
I would suggest that you take your time and look through the menu as you have to read the descriptions patiently. The waiters are pretty helpful and know what’s on the menu, which serves as a big plus. The many chutneys and pappads made the dining experience interesting. Without shifting our focus of enjoying sea food we called for Chemeen Nanga, pomfret fillet marinated in a spicy mixture and pan-fried. We surely loved it and wanted more of it but then we decided to head for the main course. We began with Kori Gassi (chicken curry), Manji Kaidiana (prawns curry). We were looking forward to have Neer Dosas but sadly it was not on the menu and we decided to call for Appams instead. We had also ordered Rasam instead of wine. The pomfret was just perfect. Next came Kori Gassi — tender pieces of chicken cooked in fiery ground masala. This was very good; the chicken was well marinated and succulent. The appam which we had with  the curry was soft yet crisp on one side. Loved it! The prawns gravy was rich with the distinct taste of different spices including curry leaves, crisply fried onions, and peppercorns.
Finally, we called for desserts. Though the menu is restricted to only four dishes we decided to call for Elaneer Payasam, condensed milk with tender coconut pulp, and Adai Pradhman, small rice balls mixed with jaggery. Both made it a great ending!
The food does take time to arrive, but when it does, it’s worth the wait. What we ate was simply delicious. The ambience is nice and the service very good and efficient. Happy Eating!
Ayaan Ali Khan is a foodie and a musician.