Sunday 18 January 2015

Coringa'fied!

The first time I was in Coringa, I wanted to punch Niki. So Niki is my "officially vegetarian" Telugu friend for whom I used to dutifully sneak in non veg parcels for years. She had a thing for Kerala breakfasts and we used to frequent all such places. In the three years that I did this secret service for her, all I have learned about Andhra cuisine is Gongura pappu and Guntur chicken! With such sense of betrayal, I realised Niki has been such a ditcher all along and Coringa changed my perception about Andhra food overnight. If their pappu and spicy chilly chicken were not awesome enough, here's more that would leave you begging for more.

Coringa is this lovely little roof top place on the airport road that serves authentic Andhra food and also delectable seafood. One thing I terribly miss after moving to Bangalore is the beaches and all the edible living things in them. And to satiate the latter, I rushed to Coringa. Authentic? Yes. Seafood? Check. Food? Delicious. Anything else? Who cares.

What welcomes when you go in there is this roof top with bamboo stick chairs that gives the place an instant lazy, laidback vibe. And of course a shot glass of Rasam. I'm definitely the wrong person to comment on Rasam, despite coming from a family with a strong liking towards it. Not a fan. Not one bit. But the good, well mannered girl that I am(!!) I had the rasam they offered and quite liked it. If a rasam hater like me has to like it, it must be something. I leave that for you to taste and decide.


I think I tried pretty much most of the much talked about dishes in Coringa, thanks to two Andhraiite friends (NOT Niki) and another glutton friend who may pretty much end up paying rent there haha (listening, Soham ji?). And I shall pass on the wisdom from my taste buds with some pictures. If you are a vegetarian, don't get intimidated by the lobster and crab talks. They have delicious spread of veg food, all chutneys included.




Rasam. I have taken anticipatory bail before. Hence please try and enjoy yourselves.

Aritikaya Slices - Raw banana marinated and fried crisp. This is my most favorite veg starter there,
Tastes the best with their chutneys - onion and tomato. But this is an unfair world, Arbi fry has stolen the limelight already.

Bangaladumpa Cashew fry. I had trouble saying and typing that from the tongue twister menu.
Potato and cashew. Quite ok. 

Royyalu Pakodi - Shrimp popcorn. Most places give a bland one and this was slightly flavorful.

Mister Crab, as delicious as he can get. Those who are scared of getting allergic, they will remove the shell and give it this way. Be happy, everything has a solution! :)

Karivepaku chicken - the curry leaves chicken. Instant hit with all of us.
Those who love that lingering flavour of curry leaves, this one's a treat to your taste buds.

Arbi fry. This is the hot favorite of vegetarians there. I really don't see why Miss. Arbi steals all the limelight.
For me, the undisputed champion is Aritikaya fries (perhaps the banana connection from Kerala!)

Stuffed Karela. Another one that disappeared like hot cakes. I found it a little too bitter for my liking.
But my friends assure me this is a must try!

Grilled Seer fish. Fresh and grilled. It didn't quite appeal to my finicky taste buds.
But I take full responsibility for it as my palate is used to the masalas by Grandma and hence very high expectations and equally finicky.



Lamb Chops - The humble friend who came with me turned an animal seeing this.
No doubt that we had scavenging ancestors.

Crab again. Had this with rice and pappu. Yumm.

Grilled Prawns - the love of my life. Sorry for the bad quality pics - the seafood deprived soul in me was quite satisfied with a dose of this.

Brinjal curry. I almost skipped this seeing all the non veg delicacies adorning our table. This is easily one of the best brinjal curries I have ever had. Perfect blend of spices and crunchy nuts. Melt in the mouth brinjal. 
And then the King himself. Lobster ghee roast. My meal in Coringa couldn't get any better after this.

Chicken ghee roast - I presume this is the Andhra version of the Mangy ghee roast.
This is one of my personal favorites in chicken - how Indian masalas, ghee and curd can do magic to a chicken :)
We made a repeat order of this.

Kandi podi rice and Gongura Pappu. Andhra style gunpowder mixed in rice with a generous dollop of ghee, No one can stop at one spoon of this. Pure bliss.

Biryani - the national food of India. Since no one else declared yet, I just did. Dare to disagree? (sharpening my knife as you decide). Chicken biriyani and Crab biriyani. Good blend of spices (who am I kidding? We are talking about Andhra food here!) and tender meat. 

Cheers to good times and many more food meets! BFC offer availed :)
  
Happy Plate -1. 

Happy Plate - 2

Gummadikaya Halwa - Ash gourd Halwa. Let me tell you one thing straight, this mister is much more awesome than Mister Pootarekulu. Go try both and decide. And if your insulin levels go haywire, don't blame me!

Poota Rekulu - Layered sheets of rice, sugar and grated coconut. The server wasn't too sure what was inside and I was worried if the sheets were edible. I had to call back the guy to make sure I can eat the papers. Last thing I want is a tag that I have eaten the wrapper too! This is a delight, but sorry, I vote for Gummadikaya Halwa.


So that's Coringa's gastronomic indulgence for you. Disclaimer : This will be a reality check for those who boast of their spice tolerance. You will be humbled but rest assured, your tummy will be mighty pleased. Next time Niki is here, she's up for some surprise! That is, of course some sumptuous Andhra food, other than the punch that is in store for her. :) 


Cost for two : 1000 for two people (but don't stop at that haha)Location : Airport road. Yelahanka. Above the Coffee day. Mood of the place : Lazy, laidback

1 comment:

  1. Your pics made me soooo hungry, never seen such a wide spread menu in andhra cuisine. Its ususlly just andhra meals. Nxt visit will want to try, do take me here

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