This post has taken a while to get here... there are some restaurants you have on your wishlist and then just because it is not in your part of town or too far for a weekend, you tend to let it go. Kanua was one such place. We were on our way back from a mango picking session at the Hamsah Organic Farm and decided to stop for a rather late lunch here. After all those mangoes, the thought of a good coconutty curry was jsut weighing on us.
We were actually the last patrons to walk in. There were a few tables finishing up and in minutes we had the place to ourselves. First up, loved the decor - the lovely Mangalore tile roof, the 360 degree open to the elements parapets, the jute backed chairs and the wooden based seating arrangements. Chose to sit far away from the low railings to ensure that our motley crew of 3 kids were safe. Was taken back to grandma's home back in Mangalore, which had much the same ambiance and probably half the size as well just for the verandah...
A view of the restaurant
When you are looking at the menu, do make sure to look at the postage stamp images as well. They too hold an item that you may be interested in. Unfortunately we had walked in at a time when Kanua had stopped serving fish as it was the beginning of the rainy season (which seems to have failed us this year). Only prawns were on offer. Nevertheless, there was a lot more to choose from. And so a chicken ghee roast came first followed by two plates of yetti (prawn) garlic butter for the little ones.
Great portions on both dishes. The ghee roast was not too spicy making it easy for the kids to lap up. Personally though I liked the chicken ghee roast of Coaastal Express and Suggis better. The prawns were big fellows and we were happen to entertain them on our platters. A simple yet yummy combination of butter and garlic sauteed prawns this was.
Chicken ghee roast
Yetti garlic butter
We were really thirsty and this kind of food needs the perfect accompaniments as well and so we had a couple of rounds of sugar cane juice and Kokum juice which were excellent and the strip of sugarcane saw wars happening amongst the kids for a share. In fact we even ordered more juices just for the sugarcane bits.
Sugarcane juice and Kokum Juice
And then for a reminder of our homes (Mangalore and Cochin), we went in for typically coconut based gravies in chicken and prawn. Narla Chicken curry and Yetti Randhei were called for and these were slurped up sannas, white rice and sheviyo (idiappam). The sheviyo was really good since it was made of red boiled rice. The sannas too were soft and nice.
The chicken curry was the typical Mangalorean mix served in most homes on Sundays. The prawns had a slightly thicker gravy and was best with the sheviyo and sannas. The fact that the kids actually asked for more showed that the food was brilliant.
Narla chicken curry
Sannas ( 4 to a plate)
Sheviyo
Like I said, the decor so reminded me of grandma's home
Overall a very satisfying meal. If you are missing home, then Kanua is the place you must head to for a taste of mama's cooking. Don't be all coy, dig in with your fingers, just as you would do at home. Maybe, like me, you may feel that you can cook any of those dishes better, but then isn't it nice to be treated to home style food in a nice ambiance without having to slog in the kitchen endlessly. The service is very prompt. This meal came to roughly Rs 2800, considering we had repeats of several drinks. We were a group of 4 adults and 3 children with healthy appetites.
Address: 6/2 Kaikondrahalli, Near Wipro Headquarters, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore
Phone: 65374471
Cuisine: Mangalorean
Wallet factor: Rs 1100 for 2
Wallet factor: Rs 1100 for 2
Parking: Nothing exclusive, could be difficult on weekends
