Froth on Top

‘Froth on Top’ the name itself is inviting. This was a favourite hangout for Vinod and his bachelor friends and that’s how I found my way to this cozy beer joint at Balmatta, Mangalore. And boy, am I happy or what! And quiet a nice name for a beer joint!

It’s not one of those run-of-the-mill dingy, noisy pubs. FOT is a quaint house with a tiled roof renovated to make place for  this pub. Tall shrubs placed all around the house surely cuts down the din from the busy street.  Thanks to the shrubs, many students make themselves comfortable with a mug of beer away from the sight of passersby.

The décor of the place is simple. White walls with wacky sing boards and posters. The seating is very basic and is arranged to fit in a maximum crowd. Each room of the house is converted to provide seating. To make ordering food simple, the menu is placed under the glass toped table so you can look at it all the time while you’re wondering what to order next. On second thoughts, a good strategy to get the guests to order more!

The menu has a lot to offer and FOT is definitely the place to be if you like to spend half a day with your beer and friends. You can start your day with their good breakfast offerings. The American breakfast here is something you’d love to begin your day with. Apart from this, there are a whole variety of starters spanning across chicken, pork, seafood and of course veggies. There’s almost everything on a menu. The various cuisines at FOT are Goan, Mangalorean, Continental, Chinese and Thai. If you’re looking for a no-frill order, then there are always the burgers and sandwiches which are a good bet.



We reached Froth on Top for an early lunch. The bachelor boys, hubby and wifey! As ritual demands, beer was ordered first. Nothing to write home about KF Premium here. Bibhash, one of the boys ordered French Fries until he decided on what he actually wanted to order. The fries are yummy, similar to the ones you get at McD. Moderately plump and not follow in the centre like many other fries. The good thing is, there’s absolutely no oil sticking to your fingers. You can order a second and a third helping without feeling guilty.

French Fries





Vinod does not miss his Sausage and Corn Hash when he visits FOT. Chicken sausages chopped and tossed with corn hash and mashed potatoes in a white creamy sauce go into the making of this splendid dish. The dish is low on spice and can suit any palate. A dash of pepper is all it has. Top it with a little ketchup for a tangy twist and voila! Highly recommended, the Sausage and Corn Hash will make its way to your list of favourites.

Sausage and Corn Hash

The good thing about FOT is that many a times, they have new introductions to their menu. Bibhash ordered a pasta with chicken and corn. This dish does not feature on the menu but was one of those limited edition dishes they introduced. Bibhash being a regular here, gets to order it anyways. It looked like any other pasta. Penne with chunks of crunchy grilled chicken, steamed sweet corn in white sauce combined with spinach make it a whole meal. The combination of tastes is incredible in this dish but personally I would have preferred more sauce in it. I usually like pasta swimming in sauce rather than a mere coating.

Pasta with Chicken and Corn



Pasta from up close


Yashpal, another of our friends ordered a Paneer Shanghai. A starter which he chose to make the main course. Thanks to the back to back weddings in the month of May, the tummy craves for some simple vegetarian food. Not ours as yet, but Yashpal’s. The Panner Shanghai with its dark red colour looked tempting as compared to the previous two dishes. It tasted equally good with thinly sliced panner pieces in a semi spicy sauce of Capsicum and spring Onions. This dish would taste best when accompanied with a fried rice. The panner was not rubbery  and sufficiently soft, just enough to hold it together. The flavor of the soy sauce came out very well but at the same time blended with the other spices as well.

Paneer Shanghai

After a lot of speculation, I ordered a Chicken and Sausage Steak. Yes sausage once again! By now you know what my favourite food is. This dish had a generous amount of sausages and sliced of grilled chicken. The meats were stirred in a brown sauce. I do not know the exact name of the sauce but yes it was medium spicy and had a lot of pepper in it. The steak was served with a helping of buttered veggies and mashed potatoes. While the sausage and chicken tasted great as always, the hero in this dish was the portion of mashed potatoes. The texture was smooth and was tasted fantastic with its creamy flavor. Unlike other mashed potatoes, there was a distinct cheesy/ creamy taste to it.

Chicken and sausage steak

There are many reasons why you should go to Froth on Top. The menu is vast, the ambience is good, the food is great, the service is fast and above all it does not cost much. The bill for the four of us for a light lunch including the beer came up a little more than a 1000 bucks.

Pay by : Cash and cards
Restroom : Did not explore
Average meal for two : approx Rs 500
Mel’s overall rating : 4 out of 5
Location: Balmatta, Balmatta Arya Samaj Rd, Mangalore - 575001, Karnataka, India. Phone : 0824-4256855