Seafood festival at Gaylord: What a catch!

Any Mumbaikar frequenting the southern part of the city has seen or heard of Gaylord — a landmark that is a stone’s throw away from Churchgate station. The simplistic blue board with illuminated letters is easy to spot and since 1956, Gaylord has been quietly creating history by dishing out delectable fare. The warm, laidback vibe continues to offer a dining experience for anyone from a first date, or anniversary celebration, a hangout for collegians, to family dinners or lunches. While we’ve visited Gaylord umpteen times, this time we were there for its ongoing Seafood Festival.

A short, narrow entrance leads to a beautiful space, enclosed by latticework ‘walls’, neatly arranged white tables and wrought iron chairs where food lovers enjoy a meal or snack or just a pastry from the adjoining Bake Shop. A short flight of stairs leads you to the fine dining area where families are seen enjoying a good meal and hearty laughs. While the main menu remains unchanged, the seafood menu has a total of six dishes and is displayed on the table.

We started with the calamari, which came cooked in Oriental capsicum, chilly style, on the spicier side, but the squid was chewy. We know it’s tricky to cook squid, but this was fairly done with a prominent ginger-garlic taste. Next we ordered the stuffed king crab, which was well presented and accompanied by weapons of shell destruction. The staff willingly helped us crack the case, revealing succulent crabmeat that was devoured along with the rice and red masala prawn curry. The crab, stuffed with a coconut-based chutney, takes all your attention and leaves behind a trail of mess. No, this is not a complaint. We washed these down with mocktails minty lemon and munkiboys cosmo night (peach, cranberry juice, grenadine) and waited for the second round of gluttonous indulgence.

The next dish — butter garlic lobster — made an elaborate dance on our palates, after it had visually impressed us. The succulent chunks of well-cooked lobster with a mild flavour of garlic was relished bit by bit. The buttered rice (with cheese) and carrots and beans fried in oregano served with it complimented the lobster. It is totally worth the premium it commands. We also tried the crumb fried king fish, a mildly spiced and shallow fried surmai, but weren’t as impressed as we’ve had better before. Enjoying a sumptuous meal at a place with history, only a few steps away from the Arabian Sea is easily an idea of a rich dining experience. What are you waiting for

The seafood festival is on at Gaylord, Churchgate till December 3.

Rating: *** Cost for two: Rs 2,500