One way (among many others) to categorize restaurants in Bombay - and the
rest of the country - is those that are 'multi-cuisine' and ones that
specialize in serving food from a particular country or region. The subject of
this post however, is a restaurant that cannot be slotted in either category.
And while the ongoing series exclusively features restaurants in South Bombay
that do a fabulous job of specializing in regional cuisines, this one is an
exception. And it finds a place on this series of posts despite this oddity,
only owing to the quality and consistency of the food it serves.
Hotel Grant House is conveniently located - right next to Haj House below the southern end of the JJ flyover and a walking distance from CST station. It was started by a certain Mr. Laxman Varma from Hyderabad, way back in 1951. It was simply called 'Police Canteen' at the time, owing to the policemen at the neighboring station, who were regulars there. The present name of the establishment has a bit of the city's history associated with it. It is named after Sir Robert Grant, who was the governor of Bombay in the 1830's and actually lived in the building that stood at the spot before the present structure came up!
In its early days, the menu at Police Canteen was simple and consisted of staples like omelets, scrambled eggs (Bhurji) and of course a Bombay favorite, the Kheema Pav. In fact, the super-popular version served at the restaurant today owes its recipe to early patrons whose frequent suggestions were used in experiments in the kitchen till the present (stellar) avatar evolved! Over the years, seafood preparations and other meat dishes were added to the menu. The proprietors are from Andhra Pradesh and their fiery native cuisine has also made an appearance on the menu in recent years.
The view of the restaurant from the outside has no-frills written on it in bold. And the interiors confirm that impression as well. There is no air-con, seating is plain and the kitchen is visible from the dining area. Clean but plain is how you would describe the look-and-feel.
The decor of the restaurant however, is in complete contrast to the bloke who currently manages it. Shekhar Varma is Mr. Laxman's son and presently runs the restaurant's operations along with his brother. He is smartly dressed, speaks perfect English and is also quite media-savvy. In fact, he has appeared on Kunal Vijaykar's popular show 'The Foodie' where the restaurant's Kheema was featured.
From what I've said so far about the food at Grant House, it's clear that the place is hard to categorize on the basis of cuisine. The menu is a combination of Bombay classics, seafood specialties from the Maharashtra coast and some items from the owners' native Andhra. I've tried a few things in each of these categories and it’s all been really good. Let's look at this as a six-ball over by a deadly pace bowler - the likes of Dale Steyn and Mitchel Johnson - and see if we can get you out.
Ball 1 (Out swinger) - Kheema Pav
Kheema Pav is served all over the city for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is one of its favorite foods. Naturally, the title for the city's best Kheema is likely to be hotly contested. Most people would include Kyani & Co. at Kalbadevi, Stadium Restaurant at Churchgate and Olympia Coffee House at Colaba in their list of the city's best Kheema pavs. The Grant House version, with its use of coconut and long whole green chilies is different from the ones mentioned above, but it would be right up there if a taste test was held. They do other mincemeat recipes like Kheema Ghotala (with egg) and Kheema Bheja mix and they are pretty good too.
Ball 2 (Bouncer) - Surmai Chutney Fry
This one is definitely a bouncer! Green Chutney is usually stuffed in fish like Pomfret or Mackerel. Surmai (Indo-Pacific King Mackerel) with its meaty fillets can't really be stuffed. It's usually just coated with rava and fried or used in a curry. And this is where the folks at Grant House have displayed some remarkable creativity. The Surmai fillet is slathered with green chutney along with the usual salt-turmeric-chili powder mix and the whole thing is then coated generously with rava to hold it all together. The shallow fried Surmai Chutney Fry is sure to surprise and delight its first-time eater.
Ball 3 (The Slower One) - Bombil Fry
It's not called Bombay Duck for nothing. It's found in the shallow waters around the city in large numbers and is a favorite with the city's fish-eaters. It's a pain to cook though. It's slippery and full of moisture, which means it has to be drained well before frying. It's hard to get that right - and Grant House does. Its Bombil Fry is perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and is served with a green chutney (wonder if it's the one used for the Surmai)
Ball 4 (In swinger) - Andhra Fish Curry
It's a shame the folks at Grant House have not included more items from their native Andhra cuisine on the menu. If this fiery fish curry is anything to go by, they definitely should. It stings your palette, and gives you a hard time the next morning, but will definitely make you come back asking for more. It's perfect with steamed rice.
Ball 5 (Off-cutter) - Desi Chicken
Its broilers everywhere and very few places serve country fowl these days. Grant House is one of them and they do a really good job. This one is pretty fiery as well and is best accompanied by Chapattis.
Ball 6 (Yorker) - Mixed Seafood Pulao
Another example of some creativity at work. Most places would just serve a Prawn Pulao and be done with it. These guys have added crabmeat and other assorted fish and turned it into a favorite on the menu. Fine touches like the use of spring onions make it one of the best combinations of seafood and rice one is likely to find in the city.
Gotcha? Why am I even asking.
Hotel Grant House is conveniently located - right next to Haj House below the southern end of the JJ flyover and a walking distance from CST station. It was started by a certain Mr. Laxman Varma from Hyderabad, way back in 1951. It was simply called 'Police Canteen' at the time, owing to the policemen at the neighboring station, who were regulars there. The present name of the establishment has a bit of the city's history associated with it. It is named after Sir Robert Grant, who was the governor of Bombay in the 1830's and actually lived in the building that stood at the spot before the present structure came up!
In its early days, the menu at Police Canteen was simple and consisted of staples like omelets, scrambled eggs (Bhurji) and of course a Bombay favorite, the Kheema Pav. In fact, the super-popular version served at the restaurant today owes its recipe to early patrons whose frequent suggestions were used in experiments in the kitchen till the present (stellar) avatar evolved! Over the years, seafood preparations and other meat dishes were added to the menu. The proprietors are from Andhra Pradesh and their fiery native cuisine has also made an appearance on the menu in recent years.
The view of the restaurant from the outside has no-frills written on it in bold. And the interiors confirm that impression as well. There is no air-con, seating is plain and the kitchen is visible from the dining area. Clean but plain is how you would describe the look-and-feel.
The decor of the restaurant however, is in complete contrast to the bloke who currently manages it. Shekhar Varma is Mr. Laxman's son and presently runs the restaurant's operations along with his brother. He is smartly dressed, speaks perfect English and is also quite media-savvy. In fact, he has appeared on Kunal Vijaykar's popular show 'The Foodie' where the restaurant's Kheema was featured.
From what I've said so far about the food at Grant House, it's clear that the place is hard to categorize on the basis of cuisine. The menu is a combination of Bombay classics, seafood specialties from the Maharashtra coast and some items from the owners' native Andhra. I've tried a few things in each of these categories and it’s all been really good. Let's look at this as a six-ball over by a deadly pace bowler - the likes of Dale Steyn and Mitchel Johnson - and see if we can get you out.
Ball 1 (Out swinger) - Kheema Pav
Kheema Pav is served all over the city for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is one of its favorite foods. Naturally, the title for the city's best Kheema is likely to be hotly contested. Most people would include Kyani & Co. at Kalbadevi, Stadium Restaurant at Churchgate and Olympia Coffee House at Colaba in their list of the city's best Kheema pavs. The Grant House version, with its use of coconut and long whole green chilies is different from the ones mentioned above, but it would be right up there if a taste test was held. They do other mincemeat recipes like Kheema Ghotala (with egg) and Kheema Bheja mix and they are pretty good too.
Ball 2 (Bouncer) - Surmai Chutney Fry
This one is definitely a bouncer! Green Chutney is usually stuffed in fish like Pomfret or Mackerel. Surmai (Indo-Pacific King Mackerel) with its meaty fillets can't really be stuffed. It's usually just coated with rava and fried or used in a curry. And this is where the folks at Grant House have displayed some remarkable creativity. The Surmai fillet is slathered with green chutney along with the usual salt-turmeric-chili powder mix and the whole thing is then coated generously with rava to hold it all together. The shallow fried Surmai Chutney Fry is sure to surprise and delight its first-time eater.
Ball 3 (The Slower One) - Bombil Fry
It's not called Bombay Duck for nothing. It's found in the shallow waters around the city in large numbers and is a favorite with the city's fish-eaters. It's a pain to cook though. It's slippery and full of moisture, which means it has to be drained well before frying. It's hard to get that right - and Grant House does. Its Bombil Fry is perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and is served with a green chutney (wonder if it's the one used for the Surmai)
Ball 4 (In swinger) - Andhra Fish Curry
It's a shame the folks at Grant House have not included more items from their native Andhra cuisine on the menu. If this fiery fish curry is anything to go by, they definitely should. It stings your palette, and gives you a hard time the next morning, but will definitely make you come back asking for more. It's perfect with steamed rice.
Ball 5 (Off-cutter) - Desi Chicken
Its broilers everywhere and very few places serve country fowl these days. Grant House is one of them and they do a really good job. This one is pretty fiery as well and is best accompanied by Chapattis.
Ball 6 (Yorker) - Mixed Seafood Pulao
Another example of some creativity at work. Most places would just serve a Prawn Pulao and be done with it. These guys have added crabmeat and other assorted fish and turned it into a favorite on the menu. Fine touches like the use of spring onions make it one of the best combinations of seafood and rice one is likely to find in the city.
Gotcha? Why am I even asking.
Address, reviews and other details - https://www.zomato.com/mumbai/hotel-grant-house-cst
