Mahesh’s lunch home

One fine day at a spare shop that belonged to his Chartered Accountant in Goregaon East off the Western Express Highway actordirector Mahesh Manjrekar decided to start a cloud kitchen that served the kind of food he ate at home It was his longtime dream to start a restaurant on home turfmdashShivaji Park instead like a prudent businessman he decided to test the waters firstSuka Sukhi started in March this year as a takeaway place but soon customers lined up to sit and eat right away Two makeshift chairs by the adjoining tree became four and then some more so much that it began to be a bother for the neighbouring shop So when the place came up on the real estate market Manjrekar didnrsquot think twice before converting it into an AC restaurant In under 10 months Suka Sukhi went from being a mere cloud kitchen to a 65seater restaurantThe kitchen still operates from the old shop the Ganpati under the tree got a mandir of his own and the outdoor space a facelift with faux stone wall print on the rexine fabric covering on the sides the chalkboard with Todayrsquos Specials welcomes you with the list of offerings for the day A board at the entrance declares that the eatery is only for authentic homecooked food loversAs the midday crew wait patiently for lsquosahibrsquo to arrive Manjrekar walks in stops at the mandir to pay obeisance before sitting down with us for a conversation over sol kadi ldquoThere are no aerated drinks on the menurdquo he explains ldquojust sol kadi kairi panna and kokum sarbat things that you would be welcomed with at my home as wellrdquoHALVYACHE TIKHLEYSuka Sukhirsquos kitchen is an extension of the Manjrekar home in the truest sense ldquoMy mother made sure guests were wellfedrdquo the filmmakeractor says ldquoif she had been here she wouldnrsquot have wanted to leave this space she loved cooking for people My wife is the samemdasha good cook and a great host Anyone who comes home leaves only after having a meal never snacksrdquo However Medha was apprehensive of this venture and letting out family recipes ldquoShe asked me several times if I was sure perhaps in the hope of dissuading me but I wanted to serve those who love a good hearty and spicy mealrdquo he addsHis native village is Jaitapur a small port situated in Rajapur Tehsil of Ratnagiri district which was in the news for building the worldrsquos most powerful nuclear power plant ldquoBefore that it was a sleepy town that no one knew aboutrdquo he adds as he enters the kitchen to make a mean bombil sukkha He looks so comfortable handling the spices following the recipe and being completely in the moment Thatrsquos what sukasukhi means in Marathimdashhappiness pleasure ease joy or blissPOMFRET FRYIn keeping with its spirit of authenticity Suka Sukhi does not alter the spice levels to suit the customerrsquos taste buds ldquoWe donrsquot compromise itrsquos made the way it is made at homerdquo Manjrekar says unapologetically ldquoIf you donrsquot like spicy food donrsquot have it If you want paneerbased oniontomato gravy go elsewhere There are many places that serve it and do a good job of it not usrdquo You recognise the depth of what he is saying when you sample the methi ki sabzi made with a simple tempering of crushed garlic in ghee and topped with crumbled peanuts It tastes delectable as if itrsquos topped with melted cheese but it isnrsquotThe Goregaon restaurant is the first in a chain of three outlets that will open in the countrymdashthe one at Calangute Goa will set the table at the end of the month as well as the one at Nal Stop in Pune ldquoIf all goes wellrdquo says the Vaastav director ldquothen Irsquod like to start one in London as well Irsquove seen a location and will finalise the deal soon My daughter a trained chef will helm the Goa one and then the London one if all works out wellrdquo he informs us while placing an order of crispy bombil fry and a few other dishes ldquoFor far too long the West has served restaurantstyle meals disguised as Indian foodmdashitrsquos time we let them taste real authentic food They may not like it immediately but we wonrsquot alter our recipe to suit themrdquo he says confidently ldquoThink about it we also didnrsquot immediately take to Italian or Chinese or Japanese cuisine But over time our palates evolved and theirs will too In fact once they get a taste of the real thing therersquos no looking backrdquoCRAB CURRYWe start with kulithacha pithi Rs 100 a healthy nutritious soup made from ground roasted horse gram ldquoThis was a quick fix my mother made for impromptu guestsrdquo Manjrekar tells us as we slurp on this light flavourful soup A large rawafried pomfret fry and a large slice of surmai fry arrive alongside a spicy paplet curry kolambi curry and halvyache tikhley that are priced as per size of fish Tikhley is a special black gravy in which black pomfret is cookedmdashit was Manjrekarrsquos momrsquos speciality ldquoThe recipe is a guarded family secret My wife sends the house help outside the kitchen when she measures the spices for the blendrdquo he laughsThe gravies were devoured with jowar and rice bhakris Rs 50 each and sazuk tupatli chapati Rs 25 and a portion of plain Indrayani rice that Manjrekar sources from twothree farmers in Maharashtra ldquoIrsquove been sourcing from them for years for home and wanted the same quality at the kitchen hererdquo adds ldquoNo compromises on any ingredientsrdquo chimes in Satya Manjrekarrsquos 29yearold son who helms the projectWith no formal training in the industry Satya relies heavily on the kitchen staff all of whom are passionate about cooking and serving food ldquoWe have a very strong team trained by our home staffrdquo Manjrekar informs ldquoSometimes I step into the kitchen to rustle up a dish or two with the team and enjoy the processrdquo Satya apprentices with his father in filmdom but is more inclined to run the food business Hersquos excited and looking forward to working closely with his sister Ashwami to take the brand across the country and the worldBack on the mosaictiled table in the outdoor seating surrounded by houseplants and a wicker pendant lampshade gently oscillating above Manjrekar insists we have the varan with the sticky mushy rice ensuring he personally serves each one of us on the tablemdashas if we are sitting at his dining table at home Tempered with loni or white butter the unassuming dal gets a distinguished lift with the mild flavours of hirwa vatan green spice pasteWe sip kairi panna made from concentrate that Manjarekar sources from villages in the Konkan We are quite averse to the taste of bottled sugary ones from the marketmdashthis one is more natural hitting the right notes of tang We end the meal with a aamba modak Rs 90ndashmade by adding Alphonso mango puree to the coating and the stuffing that lends it a beautiful golden colourndash that looks as beautiful as it tastes leaving us feeling absolutely sukasukhi about this afternoon spent with the ManjrekarsSuka SukhiShop no 2 Tirupati Udyog Premises IB Patel Rd near kama estate opp hp petrol Jay Prakash Nagar GoregaonTime 11am to 11pm