This Bombil Season, Treat Yourselves In These Iconic Pune Restaurants

Seafood is an all time love for most of us. Going to the Konkan coastal regions to savour the relish of the authentic fish recipes, to hunting for the perfect restaurant in the city having fresh fish and great taste, we go various ways to satisfy our cravings. We wait for the season of availability, to feast on them.

Finally, the season of bombay duck, or bombil, as we call them has arrived. So we bring you the list of one of the top restaurants in the city of Pune, where one can find crazy variety of bombil dishes, all fresh and authentic. So if you are in or around Pune, do grab a bite before the season’s out!

Fish curry rice

As the name suggests, this restaurant serves all kinds of local Coastal food. They serve a range of seafood thalis, from pomfret, mackerel, prawns to tisrey (baby clams) and crab. Served with their special millet rots, the food is mouth-watering. Another speciality is their ‘bharla bombil’ or stuffed Bombay duck. The Bombay duck is well-cleaned and then filled with Indian spices and chilli-garlic paste and fried with the typical rawa coating, making it much more delicious. Authentic and home-ground spices and masalas are used.

Location: Narayan Peth, Kothrud, Baner and Law College Road

Nisarg

This age -old restaurant is known to serve one of the best seafood dishes in the city. They have all the types of fishes on their menu card- mackerel, pomfret, halwa, types of crabs to choose from, etc. One of their main items is the shallow fried bombil. The customers get to choose from an array of method preparations. It is also one of the few restaurants in the city to serve bombil curry! The bombils are fresh, shown to the customers before preparation and authentic spices are used in the making of this mouth-watering dish.

Location: Nal Stop

Sp’s Biryani

Very well-known in the city for their special biryanis, they also serve seafood and other meat dishes. but the noteworthy one is the bombil fry, which is crisp as wafer, and is so well-cooked that the meat melts in your mouth. They also serve a typical malvani style bombil curry. Another very rare and unusual dish is the bombil chutney that they make. A little sour to taste, but also with a tinge of spiciness, this chutney is something worth trying.

Location: Tilak Road

Maasa

Known as a great seafood thali place in the city, it is a hot spot for every seafood lover. The best dishes apart from the thali that they have, is the bombil masala fry. The bombil is marinated in the typical Maharashtrian masala paste, with ginger, garlic, coriander and green chillies. The marination allows the flavours to be percolated in the fish, giving it a very flavoursome taste. Its then fried to perfection with a batter coat to maintain the softness. It is accompanied by sukhat chutney, creating a great combination for the palate.

Location: Mundhwa

Surmay

A small seafood eatery, it offers one of the best, authentic Malvani thalis. With adequate proportion and variety in the thali, it is admired by one and all. Their must try is the bombil fry. Made in a typical Malvani style, tamarind is used in its marination with amsul (kokum), giving it a tangy taste. Accurately spicy and fried in rawa masala, it is perfectly crisp from outside and tender from inside. The best part is that they use fresh fish. If fresh ones are not available, they are not served for that day.

Location: Deccan Gymkhana, Magarpatta

Satkar

Known to serve one of the tastiest seafood dishes, it is always thronged by people, especially during weekends and lunch times. They have a reputation to serve their customers with fresh fish. This makes the fish soft and mouth-melting. It is fried in a layer of batter, to make it a thicker layer of crispiness, with the pappy meat inside. Prepared in the typical, strong Maharashtrian masalas, it is quite a bit spicy, but equally tasty and flavourful.

Location: Sinhagad Road

Malwani Solkadi

This is one of the few places in the city that serve Bombil thali and bombil wada thali. The thali consists of bombil fry, bombil curry and bombil chutney with other accompaniments of rice, chapati, etc. They also serve special wadas (not pakodas, but a special type of Indian bread made of wheat and fried), adding to the savour. The bombil is layered with semolina and crisp fried and served with spicy and tangy sauces.

Do visit these places to fill your appetite for Bombay duck before the season is over. And don’t forget to have the Solkadi after your meals to refresh you and help in your digestion.

If you enjoyed reading this article, we suggest you read:

A Biryani Guide To India: All The Different Kinds And Where To Find Them

The Bombay Duck’s Gutsy Journey From The Sea To Our Dining Tables

A Guide To 17 Delicious Fish Thalis In Mumbai For The City’s Sea Food Lovers