Moonrakers: Mahabalipuram

Moonrakers Restaurant: No:34 Othavadai Street, Mahabalipuram – 603104

Phone: 4114-242115

Food - 6.5/10

Cost – 300 – 400 per person

Service – 6/10

Ambiance – 5/10

If you are in Chennai or happen to pass through and have some extra time, it might be worth it to drive down the ECR to Mahabalipuram. There is more than just the lovely beaches that invite you to come back. There is good sea food. As we parked our cars and walked down, Moonrakers seemed to be the most crowded restaurant. To be honest, the reason we drove down was to eat at the Moonrakers, mainly because i have heard a lot of my friends rave about it and so I thought I might as well try it out for myself.

Our wait was kind of long, but we finally managed to find seats. I don’t blame anyone. It’s not easy to find seats for more than 15 people, on a busy Saturday night. The ambiance on the lower floor was great. Dim lights and each table well separated from each other gave the room a good feel. We however climbed our way to the first floor, which was a huge contrast in terms of ambiance. It was very crowded and we only made matters more complicated by pulling and putting together tables for more than 15 people.

Deciding on food is always a hard task when you have a big hungry group. We decided to start with fried calamari as starters. The calamari tasked good, but it was in a plate with some sort of saucy gravy, that had bits of corn in it. This made the fried pieces soggy before it reached our table. Still good, though the quantity could have been impressive.

Pretty soon we decided to move into the main course. Most of us decided to stick to sea food and the waiter brought huge trays of fresh and raw sea food. Squid, prawns, crabs of all sizes and different types of fishes. Not to forget the sharks. Each of us had to pick and choose the size kind of sea food we wanted. The prices would obviously vary depending on size. For example a moderately sized crab would be 200 while a more healthy looking one could be priced at 400 or more.

The Chinese style Calamari (above) was probably the poorest choice of the evening. The dish was watery and the calamari pieces were hard to chew. It looked as if it was made in a real hurry. Probably it was. The Italian spaghetti someone ordered was ok. Though it had a strong taste of tomato, it was polished off.

The South Indian Fish Curry (above) with steamed rice was delicious. It was hard to tell which cuisine the curry represented. It seemed like a well done mix of kerala, Goan and Mangalorean. It had just the right amount of spice and was very creamy. The quantity was really sufficient and it could pass of as a good home made dish.

The fried fish (above) is also ordered and priced according to size. It seemed to be marinated in a really thick and strong flavored marinade. Deep fried and served piping hot, it can be had as an appetizer, main dish or just about anything. Might be a good accompaniment for some chilled beer. Having tried too many items and with over stuffed tummies, we wisely decided to skip dessert.

If you do pass through Mahabalipuram, be sure to drop in. Try to avoid anything on the menu that is not from the sea. Not because it tastes bad, but only because you could have all that anywhere else and also this restaurant specializes in sea food, and does have good variety. After your meal, head out straight to the beach and let it all digest.