Kath N Ghat - A new favorite discovered !!!

The one disadvantage of eating out frequently is that you always seek out a taste-high from each restaurant visit. In this respect, my last few restaurant choices have been a hit and miss affair of a peculiar nature. The misses were all from new restaurants trials (mostly from Instagram and YT influencer promos) and the hits were all from old tried and trusted haunts. So when it came to a choice of a restaurant for our wedding anniversary, we had settled on Kath N Ghat (literally translated as Coast and Hills), but were a little hesitant as we had never been there. To complicate the matters, the place was known to be a bit on the expensive side (coming right after Diwali), making the choice a risky one.  

Entering the place, the ambience seemed quite done well, though not exceptional. However, it was bright and welcoming and I was decently pleased at my choice from that perspective. The menu is non-veg heavy and we were quite pleased to see a lot of different local (Maharashtrian) cuisines – Malvani, Goan, Khandeshi, and Saoji. In addition, there was a nod to other state cuisines as well – notably Manglorean and Keralite.

We started with a soup -  a very mild Pandhra Rassa (white gravy), which is (if done well) a delectably beautiful dish made of white sesame, mutton broth, and a bit of dry coconut. The soup at Kath N Ghat was excellent with very light flavouring, allowing the umami of the mutton broth bringing out the flavours of other ingredients. The chunks of boneless mutton added a lovely texture. The rassa was deceptively heavy, settling down quite nicely in the tummy, and spreading a warm glow. To go alongwith,  we ordered a Masala papad which was sprinkled with lightly fried small dried shrimp called jawala, and resembling a birista topping.  This was a nice innovation on a crowd favourite, with a nod to fish eaters that I had long desired for.  The Solkadhi  was a bit too sour for my liking, but good nevertheless. 

 

Being an out and out fish lover, my choice automatically veers towards the fishy side of the menu. So naturally for starters we ordered malvani fried prawns and Bombay Duck fry, along with a Malvani Chicken Cutlet.  The fish was fresh and pulled easily off the bone, and was bright white. The taste was lovely, with a great balance of tastes. Most importantly it was done in a “wet” style, as is normally done in home cooking which leaves the fish very soft and juicy.  This is quite different from a lot of other places where the Bombil is drained off its excess water and then deep fried to make it crispy, almost like a papad. The prawns were well cooked and were large in size. The coating was nice and overall quite tasty without being exceptional. As good as it was, I felt this was the dish that was the least enjoyable dish of the evening, such was the standard of the other food. The service up to this point was quite good - both the soup and appetizers were served at the table pretty fast.

 

For the main course we ordered a Steamed Rice, with Surmai (Kingfish) Ambotik, and a most deceptively named Mutton Gichka.  Now the word gichka means sticky messy and unappetizing gruel, and is usually used to describe a failed remnant of a dish that started off with higher ambitions but ended up as a mess. This dish is called so due to the sticky rice made of the local Indrayani grain which makes the rice quite sweet and fragrant (even more than Basmati) but the end result is more sticky than other varieties. However, the taste of the dish was anything but a mess!! With a very delicately flavoured mutton curry, mixed in nicely with the sticky rice and accompanied by the Tambda Rassa (the redder and spicier version of the Pandhra rassa), the dish was a knockout.  It was a comfort food and a sumptuous feast all in one. To me, it was the mutton laced equivalent of the universal Marathi comfort food - Varan Bhaat , and I would walk miles just to eat this dish again.  The Surmai Ambotik (meaning a mix of sour and Spicy) is a Konkani Goan dish, consisting of a good mix of coconut, red chilly and tamarind (or kokum as an alternate). Paired with the sticky, sweet Indrayani rice, it made for a very tasty main dish.  The best compliment I can pay the dish was that it felt I was sitting in some fine dine Goan restaurant in Panjim. Such was the freshness of the fish and it hit the right spicy and sour notes, with neither overpowering the other. For someone who loves fish curries, this is absolutely a must-have on the menu.

 

The end result was that wife was happy, in-laws were happy and kids were happy and satiated, with groans of overfull bellies echoing all the way home! Overall the dinner was a great hit, and pretty sure will be my favourite go-to place for high-end Maharashtrian cuisine in Thane.


Details ::
Name  :  Kath N Ghat 
Location :  https://maps.app.goo.gl/jnT69EEdWDDKENaF8
Average cost :  Rs. 4000 (Menu price) for a group of 6 adults, only food
Rating  :   4.5 out of 5 
Must have dishes :  Pandhara Rassa, Mutton Gichka, Ambotik (any)
Must try  :  Masala Papad with Jawla
Can miss :  Solkadhi