Celebrating A Year in Town: Coast Asia

Greeted by a quaint sense of familiarity amidst the lanterns, and 90s Bollywood music, we tried Coast Asia’s exclusive first-anniversary menu today. Available only from 18th to 20th of March, all items on this menu cost a mere ninety-nine rupees for each non-vegetarian dish, and eighty-nine rupees for their vegetarian alternatives. At such low prices, are these dishes actually worth it? Let’s find out.

 

Veg. Tiger Rice:

What looks like a serving of yellow rice, just as unremarkable as pulao, turns out to be a surprise for your cutlery, and your taste buds. Beyond the layer of well cooked soft rice is a center of spicy schezwan sauce, which does not overwhelm but fits meticulously to give your taste buds a treat. Even though it might seem like a gimmick, the way this dish is served definitely adds to the experience.

Pineapple Cheese Naan:

Even if you think that the Hawaiian Pizza is an abomination, this vegetarian alternative of keema cheese naan definitely deserves a bite. The most bizarre combination on the menu, the blandish sourness of the cheese somehow goes with the juicy sweetness of pineapples. Relying on the chewy naan for its texture, this simple recipe has the potential to capture a lot of hearts.

 

Green Roast Pav:

With a seasoned blend of spices, this dish will serve as a good starter to the meal. It consists of small pieces of diced chicken roasted in pure ghee with coriander leaves, stuffed inside a pav. The taste might seem tad salty to a few, but it adds a stronger and more delicious flavour to the dish. The chicken is prepared in a thick green paste which tastes good even separately. As opposed to chicken, the green roast pav is also available in vegetarian where the chicken will be replaced by an assortment of ghee roasted veggies in the same paste.

Chilli-Mili Pav:

The chilli-mili preparation of chicken is a cuisine derived from the streets of Delhi. Little chunks of chicken are prepared in a fried yellowish-orange paste which is made from vegetables and spices. This Delhi style preparation is again provided inside a pav which is a popular food choice around Manipal. The chilli-mili pav will be mouth-watering to those who enjoy a little spicy flavour in their food. The vegetarian counterpart for this dish will be prepared similarly to the green roast pav.

Chicken Maharani Rice:

This is another North-Indian preparation of chicken and rice which is a delicacy for the main course of your meal. The chicken (or mixed vegetable) is prepared in a thick orange curry and provided in a bowl surrounded by jeera rice. The plate preparation of this dish is for the ease of eating without having to serve it in the plate. It is another one with a strong flavour of herbs and spices. For those missing the taste of their homes, the chicken/veg maharani rice will definitely revive those taste buds for you.

Mongolian Rice and Noodles:

In this dish, the chicken/paneer is prepared in schezwan sauce and has a slight sweetish tinge to its flavour. The rice and noodles are mixed together and are fried in an Indo-Mongolian preparation. The non-vegetarian choice of this dish has small shreds of chicken and scrambled eggs mixed with the rice as well along with a few vegetables.

Paneer South Chilli:

A starter that is fairly unremarkable. It has a tad bit of sweetness  followed by a tinge of heat common to a lot of such dishes. The soft paneer eventually ends up overpowering the flavour of the sauce making it taste a little bland. The chicken counterpart of this recipe might solve that problem but it’d still fail to stand out.  In no way does this taste bad but alongside the rest of the menu, you come to expect more.

Fresh Fruit Cream:

For dessert, Coast Asia has concocted a delicious blend of fruits and dry fruits served in vanilla flavoured cream. Pineapple, papayas, bananas, along with cashews and raisins go together really well providing the traditional sweet flavour of a dessert. Along with that, the dish has a slight sourness that brings an enjoyable variation to the taste. However, the serving is relatively small and seems uneconomical when compared to the other items on the Menu.

Worth it?

Coast Asia’s special first-anniversary menu hits a lot of right notes missing just a few. What will definitely sound like music to your ears though, is the affordability of all the dishes. Bang for the buck, the outlet is definitely the most recommended for the next three days if you’re looking to get by with a hundred rupee note. The sheer variety of delicious items offered is reason enough to visit this place with your pals for a hefty meal.

 

 

Photo credits: Shashank

Written by Tejas Mishra and Chintan Gandhi for MTTN

 

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