Thangabali Lokhandwala Review

Your search for the perfect South Indian restaurant comes to an end here. Thangabali gives you the very homely feel of every South Indian household. Right from the decor, to the Rangoli on your table to the food, every bit of this restaurant transports you to my hometown in the South.

The place is super neat and tidy and is well kept. They have a mini bar that stock up quite a decent collection of liquor.

My favourite spot from this restaurant has to be the huge family swing. The chains of the swing have different elements like peacock and everything that represents South. The curtains have traditional cloth prints that are famous in the South. The menu too brings a very authentic touch to the place.

The service is impeccable. Everyone right from the receptionist to the door man, manager and our server- everybody was super warm, polite and friendly. They greet you as soon as you enter the restaurant and till you leave they treat you as their house guest! We felt super pampered by them. Full marks on the hospitality front!

Coming to the food-

Mocktails-

1. Peach Iced Tea: This looks beautiful period. Tall glass of delicious peach flavoured ice tea that isn't too sweet or tangy. This has the perfect balance of the flavour and sugar. A very subtle drink to sip every now and then in between bites of delicious food.

2. Mint Lemonade- When you are hogging on so much food, you do need a palate cleanser and what better than the humble nimbu pani! This was super lemony which we loved. The mint came through beautifully and almost cut the strong lemon. The concoction was super delicious.

Starters-

1.    Bombil Fry: Forget every fish starter in the world and try this melt-in-your-mouth bombil fry. The best bombil fry we've ever eaten this literally melts in your mouth. It is super thin and crispy almost like a fish cracker but doesn't have the overpowering fish taste. Just squeeze some lemon on top and be ready to be transported to food heaven! A definite must try!

2. Hot Butter Devilled Red Prawns: This dish had too much oil/butter to it. Although we were told about it by our server, we still ordered it but the fat was extreme. Nonetheless, the prawns were delicious. They weren't spicy as the name suggests. It had a lovely masala coating along with it. This starter can also act as gravy if 1-2 people are sharing this dish. It had a slight buttery flavour to it but we could taste more oil to it that the butter. It was a decent starter.

3. Thangabali Fried Chicken: This dish isn't on the menu and yet is quite popular according to our server. What we loved about these fried chicken was the fact that these weren't oily. Also, it had lots of green masala inside and hence every bite was super flavourful. This starter gets 10x better with some lemon juice and onions. Delicious to say the least! These were also super crispy.

4. Chicken Ajadina: This is a chicken starter which contains coconut mixture. The chicken was a bit chewy. This dish is super filling as the base of it is coconut, which is super heavy on the tummy. This too has a lot of coconut masala that you can eat with Neer dosa or appam. It was tasty and gave us a comforting feeling of eating Gaav ka khana. It is a simple dish but transports back to my hometown.

Main course-

1. Neer dosa with Mix Veg Ghassi- Neer dosa was a bit sticky but went really well with the ghassi. Ghassi is nothing but paneer gravy with a lot of vegetables like beans, cauliflower, peas etc. The gravy of the ghassi was delicious. Again, this is a very homely dish. Do try this out with Neer dosa or appam.

Dessert-

1. Paal Payasam- This basically is thick Kheer made with Rice and dry fruits. This payasam was thick and rich. It had ample of dry fruits in it. The milk held beautifully to the rice and didn't separate. We loved the subtle sweetness to the payasam without being too sweet. A perfect end to a lovely meal. But we need more South Indian desserts on the menu. Kulfi and custard don't really pass as typical South Indian desserts!

Hot Beverage-

1. Kaapi- Obviously had to order a kaapi or coffee. It was exactly how we wanted it. Strong. There's nothing to describe about a typical coffee, it's best to go and experience it in any South Indian restaurant!