The Hindu Business Line : Off the coast

It’s almost a cruise through coastal kitchens at Trident’s Samudra. Basking in the comfort of the plush interiors, you can sample a range of coastal cuisine — from sun-drenched Goa to the coastline of Bengal.

For starters, try the Bengali speciality Kabiraji (a prawn preparation served with beetroot salad and kasundi mustard) or travel South for a Chettinad delight, the spiced crab cakes. Samudra also offers a range of other appetisers including Nethili (crisp-fried nethili fish garnished with lemon and spice) and grilled fish varuval (marinated fish with fresh ground pepper, curry leaves and chillies).

For the main course, it dishes out a delectable menu. Lamb stew — lamb boiled in coconut milk and flavoured with Kerala spices; or Mopla lamb biryani, another Kerala delicacy. If you crave for more spice, then try the Mangalore masala prawns, spiced with coriander seeds and turmeric, or the bekti simmered in a red and spicy tomato gravy.

But for the ones wanting to try out something different, Samudra offers a delicious shrimp curry served in tender coconut shell, red snapper moilee (fillets of red snapper braised with coconut milk and ginger) and a special Goan fish curry.

The main course is served with a choice of appam, Malabar paratha, Goan sanas or rice. The restaurant also offers some exotic vegetarian dishes such as Guthi Vongaya Kura — baby aubergines simmered in a peanut and coconut gravy, an Andhra speciality ; Beans Thoran — French beans stir-fried with mustard, curry leaves and coconut; stir-fried okra (filled with yoghurt, chillies, garlic and coriander) and Kerala’s renowned raw Mango curry, which are worth a try.

A fitting end to a coastal cuisine is the Elaneer payasam and chocolate marquise with star anise and chilli.

The idea is to bring traditional delicacies of various coastal regions to the table, says the Executive chef Saurav Banerjee. Asked whether he has anything new in the frying pan, he said, “Of course, a lot! We have decided to keep changing the menu at regular intervals so that our guests can expect different dishes each time they come here.” However, the restaurant will retain its signature dishes — Live crab, Chettinad spiced crab cakes and the Goan fish curry.

Banerjee is a student of the Oberoi School of Hotel Management. He has specialised in international cuisine and has a passion for seafood. The Kitchen Executive, M.V. Saneesh, who passed out of Consult Inn Institute of Hotel Management, Kochi, is also a seafood specialist. No wonder both are from two fish-loving States — West Bengal and Kerala!

“Saneesh often comes out with some imaginative dishes. While being creative and contemporary, he also ensures authenticity with traditional flavour and taste,” says Banerjee. With elegant interiors, courteous service, generous portions, and an impressive list of cocktails, Samudra joins the list of recommended seafood restaurants in the city.