Fisherman’s Wharf And Margarita Bar At Lavelle Road, Bangalore – A Review

Last weekend myself and a few more bloggers decided to meet for lunch at a Goan Restaurant named Fisherman’s Wharf. When Ema pinged me and asked me whether I am free for a bloggers meet at Fisherman’s Wharf, I just could not say NO. One reason was that I had visited Fisherman’s Wharf in Goa with my family last year and had fallen in love with the authentic Goan food served there.

When we reached the venue, we were greeted by the courteous staff at Fisherman’s Wharf and made to feel comfortable. Just then I heard some guys speaking Konkani. After a small chit-chat in local Goan language “Konkani” with the stewards Ian and Lyndon, I started feeling like as if I was in Goa. I could actually feel the vibes of Goa in air-conditioned dining comfort. The interiors are done up with warm cozy colours, depicting the sandy shores and blue waves of Goa. There are a lot of large shells all over the restaurant to give one a beach kind of feel.

The Ambiance

Fisherman’s Wharf has four branches. The main one, established in 2005 was the brainchild of Mr. Xavier Furtado, a business professional from Goa. Fisherman’s Wharf has captured the tastes of the community with the best authentic local cuisine in Goa and is proud to serve people from all walks of life. The restaurants feature both indoor and outdoor dining, as well as live musical entertainment every evening. Guests can enjoy a comfortable open deck seating next to River Sal.

There is another branch in Bangalore located at Sarjapur Road. The restaurant is nestled among swaying palms, bamboo and hibiscus flowers for a feel of Sussegado Goa. This restaurant strives to recreate the laid-back atmosphere of the original, with live music, and lots of airy space ideal for open air dining. There is also a kiddies zone and sand pit for the kids to get a touch of the beach.

There is also a branch located at Dubai Marina. There you can pick a fresh catch of the day and watch the chefs create a mouth watering dish just for you. Air-conditioned comfort and open deck seating gives one an amazing sight of the Marina.

Mocktails from the Margarita Bar

Soon we got the seats of our choice and we were all served with refreshing mocktails. While I ordered a classic mint and lemon mocktail, my friends ordered blueberry and start annise mocktail, cranberry mocktail, orange mocktail and Martini. Each of these were good, but the blueberry with star annise mocktail was extra-ordinary. It was really a star among the mocktails and cocktails. I would say it is one of the signature drinks there and is a must try.

Cocktails from the Margarita Bar

Since the speciality here is Goan food, we were served with some delicious Goan starters. The first to be served was the sea food platter consisting of Batter fried squids, Rawa fried prawns and Stuffed crabs. Each of these were delicious with the stuffed crabs being my favorite. While the Rawa fried prawns is what we cook almost daily in Goa, the stuffed crabs was something I loved. I could not help myself with one serving and went for a 2nd one too. This was what I had tried at the Fisherman’s Wharf in Goa too and since then I craved for it. Now I know a place right in Bangalore where I can run and have them 🙂 So if you love crabs, then this dish is a must try.

Seafood platter

For the starters, we were also served with Bacon rapped prawns named sea devil. I don’t know why they are named Sea Devils, but they looked yummy. Chorizo Pav with Goan Salad was served next. I neither eat bacon, nor pork so I did not try these dishes. But my friends who tried these could not stop with one serving. All the starters were accompanied by Wasabi Mayo, Peri peri Sauce.

Left to right: Goan Chorizo Pav & Bacon rapped prawns

After some time the place got ready for their daily lunch buffet and within minutes it was full. The buffet costing just Rs.349/- looked delicious with dishes like salad, sushi, hara bhara kabab, dal makhani, kofta curry, mixed veg manchurian, rice and Goan prawns curry. The desserts at buffet also looked delicious.

The vast lunch buffet spread

I only tried sushi from the buffet as we had a special Goan menu planned for us.

Sushi

After doing some photo shoots, we settled for the main course. When the Chicken Cafreal arrived, I could not believe my eyes. Tender pieces of chicken marinated in vinegar and cooked in a gravy made of coriander, lemon, green chillies and mint. This is one of my favorite chicken dishes and having found this dish in Bangalore, made my long time wish come true – that is to have Goan food in Bangalore.

Chicken Cafreal

Following this we were served with another sea food platter consisting of Pomfret Rechado , Snapper Fillet Cafreal , Butter Garlic Tiger Prawns. I tried the Pomfret Rechado. Loved the rechado masala but felt that the pomfret had to be marinated a bit more.

Seafood Platter

We also tried the famous prawns balchao which was served with Goan Pav. Yup, they import the pav from Goa. Just at the first look of it I understood that these came from my mother-land 🙂 ( Yes, feeling a bit proud being a Goan )

Prawns Balchao

The Pork Assad was served but I did not try this one as I am a non-pork and non-beef eating person.

Following this the Mushroom tonak and Beans fugath were served. These are our Goan vegetarian specialties. The mushroom tonak (masala curry)and beans fugath (bhajji) tasted exactly like how we make them in our Goan houses.

Mushroom Tonak

Beans Fugath

Goan Prawns Curry Served with boiled rice and dry prawns kismoor

Soon after the lunch we decided to go upstairs – to the Margarita Lounge Bar. All our cocktails and mocktails were made at this bar. The ambiance was cool and looked like a shack at the beach side in Goa. The bar serves an impressive range of drinks to wash the treats down with. There are Margaritas, wine, and of course, any Goan experience would be incomplete without chilled beer.

I just fell into one of those comfortable chairs while chit-chatting with Ema and my friends. We were served Bebinca with ice-creams. Bebinca is a famous Goan dessert. Since it cannot be made in Bangalore, the Fisherman’s Wharf imports it from Goa. To cater to all its guests from around the world and for those who don’t count seafood as a favorite, there’s more that the Wharf serves. There are Asian favorites and Indian signatures, so you could team a Szechuan Fried Rice with Chicken Tikka if you wish. Continental and Mediterranean options make an appearance on the menu as well.

Bebinca

So to all my Goan friends who miss the Goan food in Bangalore, here is a best place to head to. “Sussegaad vachat ani javan enjoy karat”. 🙂

The staff at Fisherman’s Wharf : Left to right – Chef Pradeep and the stewards(Ian and Lyndon)

To all non-Goan’s , head on to this place to try some authentic Goan food.

Address:

The Fisherman’s Wharf – a world cuisine bistro Bangalore City

#25/4, Lavelle RD, opposite Harley Davidson Showroom,

Bangalore – 560001, India.

Cost for 2 – Rs. 1500/- plus taxes.

Note: Neither any pictures nor any content should be reproduced in any form as these are copyrites of Raksha’s Kitchen.