Fish Curry Rice, Viman Nagar, Pune Multi Cuisine Restaurant

Restaurant Name: Fish Curry Rice, Viman Nagar, Pune
Phone: 080 47483216
Address: Plot 108, Survey 199, Datsung House, Opposite Sky Station, Viman Nagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411014 India
Time:11:30 AM – 15:30 PM, 19:00 PM – 23:00 PM
Meals for two: Rs. 800
Cuisines: Maharashtrian, Goan, Malwani, Seafood
Facilities: Home Delivery, Takeaway Available, Indoor Seating, No Alcohol Available

With three outlets running successfully in the city, Fish Curry Rice opened its fourth outlet in Viman Nagar in September last year. Since it started, Fish Curry Rice has been consistently serving delicious and fresh seafood and over the years it has emerged as one of the most popular places to have seafood in the city. This week, I visited their Viman Nagar outlet over a working lunch, to try their newly launched ‘jevan’ menu along with their other signature dishes.

Fish Curry Rice, Viman Nagar, Pune: Decor

The Viman Nagar outlet is located in a quiet lane off Central Lane and is housed in a row house. There is a children’s play area with a faux lawn at the entrance which is very thoughtful. The decor is simple and well-put together. The seating is comfortable and can seat easily 30 people on the ground floor. Owner Sandesh Bhatt and his family are from the Marathi theatre background. On the walls, there are caricatures of iconic characters and their quotes from popular plays which is a great addition. The first floor is operational on busy days when the ground floor seating is packed. This doubles up as a private dining section which can easily seat up to 40 people.

Fish Curry Rice, Viman Nagar, Pune: Food

The Bhatt family’s roots are in Goa and Karnataka. But the cuisine here is not specific to any region. It is influenced by different regions and the recipes are heirloom recipes from Sandesh’s mother’s perfected over the years at Fish Curry Rice. I have been to FCR on multiple occasions and it has become one of my go-to places for seafood in the city. We were welcomed by a glass of cold tiwal, a traditional drink served before food,made with kokam,garlic and chillies. We started with my personal favourite, a signature dish from the Pathare Prabhu kitchens, prawns aluwadi. Colocasia leaves stuffed with minced prawns and besan, rolled, steamed and deep fried. Absolutely delicious and highly recommended. Another stellar dish was the surmai pedavan. Two fillets of surmai stuffed with a spicy and flavorful green chutney, marinated with red chutney, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed in a pedavan (a traditional steamer). The taste of the chutney and fish lingered well after we had polished off the generous portion. The bombil bhujna, a versatile dish that is prepared by all the communities from coastal Maharashtra with slight variations, was tasty. But the garlic and onion masala overpowered the sweet, tender bombil or Bombay duck. Whenever you are at a seafood restaurant, the best option is to order their signature fish thali. So like always, we tried the special fish thali with pomfret. This consisted of a fried pomfret, surmai curry, prawns sukka, solkadhi, bhakri and rice. Everything on the thali was flavorful and delicious. Along with these signature dishes, this visit to FCR was to try their newly launched jevan which is available only for lunch from Monday to Friday. We tried the surmai jevan and kolambi (prawns) tikhla jevan. The surmai jevan had a piece of surmai fried to perfection, a subtle and flavorful fish curry bowl, solkadhi, sukkat, chapatis and rice. The prawns tikhla jevan had a fiery prawns tikhla (traditonal Malvani curry), bangda (Indian mackerel) fry, solkadhi, sukkat, chapatis and rice. The variety of fish on the menu is impressive. This is a ‘happy hours’ menu of sorts with reduced dishes and prices than a regular or special fish thali. These are perfect for a quick or working lunch. Along with the ‘mashanche jevan’ we called for a portion of batatyacha kacharya or kaap. Thinly sliced potatoes and covered with rice flour and semolina and fried till they become crispy. This was the perfect accompaniment with the jevan, particularly with rice mixed with the spicy tikhla and solkadhi. We ended our meal with a portion of delicious, homemade kharwas and a trial portion of bebinca, which they are planning to introduce soon.

Plus & Minus:

The food at Fish Curry Rice has been consistently good over the past many years. The addition of the special weekday lunch menu is a great idea, particularly in locations like Viman Nagar and Baner where office goers are always on the lookout for great lunch spots. The menu features a range of different fish meals. The key to succeeding with this new addition would be to ensure the availability of all the fish varieties mentioned on the menu. The service is prompt and the staff is courteous, but some hospitality training would enhance the service further.