You don't Need Passport to Visit this Manhattan - Manhattan Fish Market - Restaurant Review

Note: This place is temporarily or permanently closed. So this review will not help you.

Outlet: Mylapore

Address: 94, R K Salai, Mylapore, Chennai.

Cuisine: Seafood

I have been keen to visit this place atleast once seeing the videos of the 'Flaming Seafood Platter'. But I never take a step-forward when it comes to visiting the place seeing the price and food items. Being a favourer of vegetarian food; I hardly have any options to eat except fish & fries which I would like to taste. So to spend huge money on something that I wouldn't enjoy eating seemed like a waste. And there came the different deals via Nearbuy (by Groupon) for Manhattan Fish Market (MFM). I went with the deal for four person as it had the 'Manhattan Flaming Seafood Platter' which was priced Rs.1888 INR (tax inclusive) for four person.

Manhattan Fish Market - Mylapore

And that's how the MFM dining experience got signed on a Sunday. Located at the R. K. Salai - Cathedral Road lane it is pretty easy to locate the restaurant. The dining arena is spread in second floor and they have a huge parking space (with valet option). I loved the ambience of the place; their effort to bring the Manhattan looks to a small restaurant space was impressive. The photo frames, chairs/tables, kitchen setup, etc., were all note-worthy. 

MFM - Mylapore

MFM - Mylapore

So here's the food menu offered in the deal along with my take on each dish. While waiting for our food to arrive we were given welcome drink (ice-tea) shots to kill the time.

4 Soup of the Day - The cream of tomato soup tasted good and how it needs to be. The soup consistency could have been thicker. Definitely I missed the crispy bread pieces; but they did serve bread slices separately.

Tomato Soup

Garden Salad - Never a fan of salad. So I wasn't bothered about the salad; but it would be a good compliment to eat along with the seafood.

Garden Salad

Garlic Herb Mussels - The garlic and herb flavored sauce (similar to a white sauce consistency) tasted delicious. Grab a piece of bread, dip it in the sauce and eat it - that tastes great. It takes a real effort to eat the mussels; though I tried one I wasn't fan of that slimy texture.

Mussels

The sides - mayonnaise, chilli sauce and barbeque sauce. The fried seafood would start to taste boring without these sides. I loved all the sauces.

Manhattan Flaming Seafood Platter - The platter comes with: Hand battered Fish Fillets, Oysters and Calamari, flaming prawns (which are flamed before our eyes) along with Herb Rice, French Fries and Vegetables.

All the battered seafood is similar to 'Bajji' (a deep-fried fritter of veggies or meat in a chickpea batter); ofcourse the batter mix is different here. I loved the fish fillets with fries and herb rice. Not a fan of other seafood presented at the platter. A great effort to exhibit some theatre before us by flaming the prawns. The prawns without the sauce (similar to garlic mayo sauce) is just bland. Most of the seafood in the platter were bland if tasted without the sides/rice/fries. May be that's how they are meant to be; but that's not my style of food.

Here's some Perfomance - Flame it!

Manhattan Flaming Seafood Platter

Chicken of Liberty with Garlic Herb Rice and Veggies - Taste of the herb rice was brilliant. The chicken was cooked perfectly; and definitely the chicken won over everything else. At last this was the dish most loved.

Chicken of Liberty

Ice Tea - Four large glasses to chill us down through our MF Market experience.

Without the coupon deal, the food is definitely expensive. Seafood are always expensive but still it would be difficult to afford this place. The quantity of food is sumptuous for four of us. I loved the presentation. The one thing they have to work-on is the time interval between the dishes while they serve. They keep the dishes pouring at the table and most of the food were almost cold. Better NOT serve something that isn't hot and NOT cook the food before-hand. Service isn't bad but they could improve.

Rs. 1888 INR for four persons (that is Rs. 472 per person) is definitely a good deal to check out the food at this place.

Breaking Down Points

Location & Parking: Positive. Easy to locate. And valet parking.

Ambience: Good. They stick to their name and have made the looks of the place appealing.

Food Variety: Positive. Exclusively crafted for the seafood lovers. So they have good number of choices as well platters.

Warning: Not a seafood fan better not visit.

Taste: Good. I enjoyed the new flavours I experienced but I am not a fan this style of cooking. But the flavours they bring in the rice and sauce are phenomenal.

Quality: Good. Presentation full marks. But they have to serve the dishes hot; the fried seafood were almost soggy and the crispiness were a miss.

Quantity: Positive. The portion size is definitely huge and could be handy for sharing among 2-3 people. The quantity tries to justify the price.

Service: Good. They are friendly but aren't prompt.

Pricing: Ok! Being a 'seafood' their prices are apt. But I would tag them under "Expensive".

My Favorites: Batter Fried Fish Fillet, Garlic Herb Rice, Ice Tea and their sides/sauce flavours.

So my Verdict!

Manhattan Fish Market is down at Chennai so paying a visit/price for the food is easier. Not a place for Seafood hater or vegetarians. It is a dream place for Seafood lovers. Neatly hand-crafted ambience and menu; love the theatre amid the food. Service and quality of the food needs their highest attention. Pricing is Expensive. The taste and quantity are in their favour. Manhattan Style Seafood Mela!!

P.S. The write-up is based on my food palate & dining experience during my restaurant visit. Nearbuy (by Groupon) coupon for food deal. Remember, no two person's palate can be same.