Gajalee Restaurant is the ultimate place for seafood addicts. Located next to ICICI Bank Vile Parle and accessible from the Western Express Highway, Gajalee is a favorite stopover for lovers of coastal cuisine.
Started in 1990 by an entrepreneur, Mr Chandrakant Shetty, the Vile Parle restaurant branch is the oldest of the four branches. Over the years the hotel chain has expanded with the addition of three more restaurants at Parel, Juhu and Andheri east. There are AC and Non AC sections; the air conditioned section costs 10 to 12 % more. Valet parking is available at no cost.
While the chicken and mutton dishes brink somewhat on the ordinary, the seafood dishes are the ultimate plunge for the experience of spicy delight. Among the soups, the crab soup costing Rs 200 is recommended. The Tandoori dishes are awesome Tandoori fish like Rawas cost Rs 400/- while the pomfret dishes are more expensive about Rs 600 each. The tandoori crab at Rs 800 is unbelievable and is the peak of gastronomical ecstasy. Other than the tandoor, the tangy prawn curry (with coconut base) costs Rs 200 and goes well with the chapatti (wheat flour pancakes) and steamed rice. There are various varieties of fried fish too, Fried Surmai costs Rs 160 and Mackarel fry costs Rs 200.The solkadi (cocum drink) costs Rs 20 and is famous and yummy. In the rice dishes you can experiment with the prawns pulao costing Rs 400 and fish biryani. The Bombay Duck, apparently, is the most popular dish , followed by pomfret. The pricing of the dishes are in two categories, unit price and as per catch (APC). A meal for four costs around Rs 1200 in the AC section and Rs 1000 in the non AC section.
Various celebrities have been here, including cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Indian poet Harvanshrai Bachchan. The staff are efficient and friendly. When asked why there is a Gomantak sign board outside, we were informed that the restaurant was once the premises of a Gomantak shop, but the flavours are essentially from Malvan (a coastal suburb of Maharashtra). Gajalee’s professional approach is testimony to its excellence in providing an array of dishes designed to tickle the palates and their experimenting with new and tested recipes have successfully drawn in regular customers . Gajalee is thus the ultimate choice for those who wish to try something different.