Guthu

There are some places in Mangalore which I visit every time I make a trip to the city. Guthu is one such place. I stumbled upon this place almost two years ago and it has been one of my favourites every since.  Situated in Falnir, Guthu is a great place to taste good local cuisine.

For those who like a plush ambience, Guthu offers a fine dining ambience as well. But we chose to sit on the terrace which has a traditional village atmosphere to it.  The red stone walls, a boat, a bullock cart, a make-believe well and various other utensils and farm items bring alive the life in a village. The seating is mainly that of cane chairs. To go with the ambience, the food here is served in copper bottom utensils. 

Each time I have visited Guthu, I have gone back happy with the good food. The menu here is multi cuisine but I strongly recommend the local Mangalorean/ Tulunad cuisine. Not the others are not good, but this is definitely worth a try.  My favourite here has always been the Chicken Ghee Roast. The order was placed even before I perused through the menu. And it was as always, Perfect! The meat was tender and had absorbed the masala well to make it juicy. The masala was thick and fried with a lot of ghee. Fiery red and full of spices. Keep a tissue handy while enjoying this dish. 

Chicken Ghee Roast

This time around we also picked our salad to compliment our food. Chicken Tikka salad it was! Cubes of chicken grilled in a tandoor and served with an assortment of peppers and other cold veggies tossed together with a Vinaigrette like dressing. The vegetables were crunchy and fresh while the chunks of chicken were soft. The quantity on this was good too. 

Chicken Tikka Salad

Cosmopolitan

Magic Drinks

For a drink, I chose a Cosmopolitan which is Vodka, Cranberry Juice, Cointreu and lime juice. Vinod ordered a mocktail called Magic Drinks – a unique blend of Strawberry crush, orange juice, 7up and blue curacao. 

For main course Vinod suggested we try various items in small portions. Going by the suggestion we asked for Gattis, Pundis and Neer dosa. Gattis are rice stripes steamed wrapped in banana leaves. Pundis are rice dumplings while Neer Dosas are very thin dosa made of a watery rice batter. 

Gatti

Pundi

Neer Dosa

Chicken Puli Munchi

To go with it, we ordered a Chicken Puli Munchi, a very well known delicacy of the Malnad region. This a gravy with a red chilli base but has a dominant tangy flavour to it lent by tamarind. This goes well with rice too.  Guthu scores high on the spice meter so be watchful when you order. In case you are here for lunch, you could also opt for their non-veg thali options which are well worth the money. These along with an additional side dish make a complete meal. Not too crowded, this place is great for team outings, family dinners and even impromptu ‘treat’ sessions. 

Pay by : Cash and cards

Restroom : Clean but basic, unisex

Average meal for two : Rs 800 with a cocktail and mocktail

Mel’s overall rating : 3.5 out of 5

Location: Pailand Plaza, Falnir Road, Mangalore. Ph: 0824 2420224/ 2420225.