Even after the recent splurge of sea-food restaurants in the city, I haven’t found an absolute favourite, go-to restaurant in Pune for sea-food. So with all this chatter about Fresh Off The Boat – Restaurant, I planned dinner here on Friday to see if it was all worth the hype.

Its located very close to Dashabhuja temple, adjacent to the Paud flyover. Parking is an issue here, especially with the metro construction however they have valet service, which is convenient. Restaurant is well lit and has roughly 40-45 covers. Staff was quick to provide menu cards along with a small card with that day’s rate for certain fish items. Our attendant clearly explained the differences between the Special Thali and Regular Thali, which unfortunately can be confusing just by looking at the menu (differences explained below). When I mentioned that I was a PEO card holder, a separate offer card was handed over and each offer explained in detail. Top marks for the way the staff got down to business as soon as we were seated – presenting menu cards, daily rates for fish and precise explanation of offers, thalis which helped us make a decision quickly.

My wife and I both ordered the special thali. Here’s the lowdown of this thoughtful, beautifully crafted thali –
– Each special thali comes with a jumbo sized fish fry. A regular thali comes with a standard sized fish
– You can choose the fish curry in every special thali i.e. if you order a Surmai thali, you can choose to get a Pomfret or Prawns curry with it. This means you’re not necessarily forced to have only 1 variety of fish in your thali. My Pomfret Curry came with a regular sized Pomfret in it. Never seen or heard about such customization before!
– Prawns Sukkha (about 6-7 pieces) with a really nice coconut and garlic base
– Prawns Pickle that goes well with the fried fish or rice
– Solkadhi, 3 Chapatis, Rice (choice of plain or indrayani rice), Salad

In a regular thali, you get a standard sized fish fry and a choice of Prawns or Bangda curry with 2 Chapatis, Rice. Prawns Sukkha or Pickle is not included.

Each item in the thali had distinct flavours and reminded me of the sea-food cooked by my mother-in-law. The quantity is more than sufficient, even for a heavy eater like me. At ₹649, the value for money is far better than any other sea-food fine dines in the city. And for PEO card holders, the 2nd special thali comes at a 50% discount, which is icing on the cake.

Since Friday evening, I have been raving about this place to all my friends. Yesterday, while in a cab, I gave a detailed account of my experience to my friend over the phone. After a 10 min conversation, as soon as I hung up, my driver calmly asked me ‘Sir, may I know which restaurant you were talking about?’. He clearly was enamoured by the whole experience I described and noted FOTB’s location. He will be visiting them today!

When are you going to visit? #KhaKeFatGaye