Machali Restaurant Review: This Mangalore eatery is a must-visit for seafood fans! [5/5]

Visit Mangalore, and the foodies around you will drown you in “seafood” shouts beforehand. And for good reason! The fish is fresh from the sea next door, and the cuisine itself stands apart! And rarely does it get as good representation on the plate than in Machili Restaurant.

The Ambience

Machili, at first sight, may look like any other restaurant around town. In fact, it gives the distinct impression of not being an upmarket eatery.

But not all good restaurants offer top-class seating arrangements. However, they more than make up for it with food and service. That’s what Machili did for me.

The food

All I had to do was order a vegetarian meal or thali, and the rest of it all fell in place. Usually you get white or red/brown rice with two small helpings of side dishes, some fries, a little pickle, and on this day, some dry beet dish.

All you need to do is ask for daal, rasam or fish curry, and you are set! I especially recommend the fish curry, which marries the typical seafood flavour with tang from tamarinds, and makes for some delicious eating!

I, however, decided to have something more. Prawns Ghee Roast, to be exact. Sure, there were other fish in the sea — or in the restaurant, to be exact. But I am a little partial towards prawns. And ghee roast is a Mangalorean specialty.

It arrived in a small plate, and did not look like much. However, a single bite into a single prawn shattered that illusion for me. The strong masala on the outside complemented the delicate taste of the prawn tails quite well.

Final thoughts about Machali Restaurant

Machali scores on several counts for me, from authenticity to unassuming charm to ever-present wait-staff who never let your plate go empty. This is one place I could visit every day if and when staying in Mangalore!

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