With Seefah & Karan at Khao Man Gai
Khao Man Gai is a project that Chef Seefah and her husband, Chef Karan, have been working on for quite some time. It finally opened the day before and I headed there straight from the gym (after dropping veggies and fruits at home). The husband wife duo are the ones behind the much loved Seefah restaurant which is famous for its rustic, home-styled Thai food and excellent Japanese food.
Khao Man Gai, which roughly translates as chicken, rice and fat, is their brand devoted to Thai chicken rice. The first outlet is a tiny one located in Waroda Road, a bylane of Bandra.
You will feel transported to the far east the moment you enter thanks to the aromas of the food. There are 3 tables with 2 chairs each. Very streetside, Bangkok style. The place is air conditioned. Spartan, spic and span.
Fried chicken
The chicken comes in three options poached chicken (luscious chicken, enrobed in sensuous skin, similar to Hainanese chicken rice), fried (juicy chicken enrobed in a scandalously erotic crunchy batter) and grilled chicken (for the ‘good boys.’ I found it a bit dry and boring). The rice has flavours of the stock in which it was cooked. It is accompanied by sauces and a hearty chicken stock soup with chunks of white melon in it. You get a skinless version too but then you might as well have tofu!
Cereal prawns
They have a few starters and dessert. Seefah sent me cereal prawns on the house. Took me back to what I’ve had at Jumbo seafood restaurant in Singapore. Juicy prawns served in a crunchy, oat like cereal with chillies and curry leaves in it.
They plan deliveries soon as 6 seats won’t be enough. Chicken rice won’t be available in the ‘main’ Seefah henceforth.
Khao Man Gai heralds the entry of chef backed one dish/ limited inventory places, a model traditional Indian places have followed, with the values and pricing of modern restaurants with no compromise on the food. It will be interesting to see what’s next.
Ps: Would you prefer to go to place with a wide range of dishes or a limited menu one?
#eatwithkalyan
(Mumbai restaurants, Thai food, chicken rice, seefah, Bandra)
