Macala by Urli: Bringing South India to Mumbai, one cuisine at a time

South Indian food has been a hit in Mumbai ever since it came here in the form of fluffy idlis and hot dosas way back. We've experimented and added our own twists to it. However, it has been a while since we've had authentic South Indian food, which is why Shruti Chadha and Neha Kannan have come up with the idea of Macala, a food festival serving authentic Tamil and Andhra cuisines. Last Sunday, we visited one of their pop-ups in Andheri and now we present to you the review.

Ambiance: 

The event was held at Kube, Crystal Point in Andheri. It is an open terrace and was decorated beautifully. There were lights and paper festoons giving a festive feel. The bar was big and seemed to house all kinds of drinks. A traditional band was playing music, which gave a very harmonious vibe to the day. The songs being played were mostly instrumental tones of old Bollywood songs. The seating was comfortable and the place, spacious. The ambience was in sync with the event and was curated wonderfully.

Food and Drinks:

The first item served to us was the welcome drink, in tiny glasses. It was the Pineapple Rasam, which although incorporated the taste of Tamil Nadu in a little drink, failed to entice my taste buds. There was a plate consisting of four bowls of side chutneys, which contained ginger chutney, coconut chutney, pickle and banana chips.

The banana chips seemed like the original ones, made by locals down South. Pungulu (dal bhajiya) and Mirchi Bonda, another besan coated fried starter were being served as pre-starters. Both of them were tasty and paved the way for an even better main course. We ordered for the non-vegetarian starters and were served Chicken Sukka and Mutton Liver Fry. The chicken was well cooked while the liver could have been better in terms of texture. 

For the main course, we ordered one of each both vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis. The veg main course had Vada Gravy, Spicy Okra, Roast Potato and Yoghurt Curry Sambar. The non-veg main course had Sour and Spicy Leafy Chicken and Fish in Tamarind Sauce instead of the potato and okra items. 

Common dishes in both the thalis were the Gajar ka Halwa, Dahi Raita, Rice Papad, Masala Rice and Lacchha Paratha. The presentation was praiseworthy, replete with the banana leaf in a thali and the rice shaped like a block. 

Out of all these, the things I actually found succulent were the Okra, Fish and the paratha. The tastes overall were original, new and did justice to the states the cuisines come from. They might need to work a little harder on making the food more favourable to Mumbai audiences, who like a bit of spice in their consumption. The idea, of course, is to keep the food as authentic as possible, but the audiences might need a bit of the familiar to warm up to the new. The drinks we had were the virgin mojitos, which rarely disappoint. A highlight of the food was that it was extremely nutritious and didn't threaten one's diet, as confirmed by nutritionist Dhvani Shah. The quantity was satisfying.

Service:

The waiters were civil and courteous. One server was present at every table to immediately attend to the diners' needs. Dishes were being refilled quickly and all orders were taken graciously. All in all, the service was quite commendable.

Overview: 

The event was enjoyable, with respect to the ambience, music and venue. Present among the eminent guests were Samir Soni, Neelam Kothari and Varun Sharma. All of them praised the food, despite being hardcore North Indian cuisine lovers. In conversation with Neha and Shruti, we asked them the inspiration behind the event, to which they replied, "South Indian food in India is limited to idlis and dosas. We wanted to introduce Tamil and Andhra cuisine in its purest form, as it is commonly cooked in local homes down in the South. We're both from a hotel management background and have been friends for a long time. This pop up is to present authentic food to all those who love trying out new stuff."

The name Macala (pronounced as Mak-area) is a spin-off to the Hindi word for spices, which is masala. We asked the buddies if they want to stick to pop-ups or if they have their own restaurant to which Neha was about to say no but Shruti cheekily inserted, "Not yet."

Oh well, we do hope to see more of veritable, local Indian cuisine in metropolitan cities. If you love breezy afternoons with family and friends eating Tamil and Andhra cuisine, you must visit one of their pop-ups. Otherwise, it may not really entice you.

Pinkvilla Taste Meter: 3/5