Nine marinations, countless possibilities

A long drive along the National Highway 45 towards the Visakhapatnam Airport took me to my new seafood destination. This time to savour the flavours of 13 coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh.

At the Visakha Harbour Seafood Festival hosted by Hotel Fairfield by Marriott, it was a feast of a different kind and a humble beginning to re-brand Andhra’s vast repertoire of seafood.

As I entered the hotel’s Kava and Grills restaurant, the bar towards the left caught my attention, where seafood was displayed in a neat and tempting set-up. The menu had premium items like pomfret, prawns and lobster on à la carte, prepared by Chef Rupesh Agatamudi and his team. The marinations had a mix of local flavours such as Guntur chilli to international flavours such as lemon cilantro. I had a tough time deciding the right marination and finally went with the chef’s recommendation. After an unusually long wait, I saw a huge pan approaching me. The presentation was far from flattering with all the grilled seafood in one pan and most of the items were lukewarm at best.

The kottimeer aalam mackerel, the city’s most popular fish was carefully shallow fried to perfection with coriander and ginger marination. The subtle marination was the key as it maintained the natural taste and was not oily. However, the inside was a bit dry. Next on my table were the local fishes bomedalu with mango pickle marination, a favourite, and kovalu marinated with cream.

After a quick breather, I was back to slicing into kingfish prepared with a Guntur chilli marination. The distinct flavour of Guntur chilli and soft meat convinced me that nothing could top this dish. This was followed by the not-so-special prawns prepared with local special spices. The platter’s last cuisine was the balsamic garlic squid, which came closest to the benchmark set by the Guntur chilli kingfish.

Next, I ordered a kingfish with two different and distinct marinations — cream and lime. Much to the delight of seafood lovers, the restaurant has promised to offer the cuisines even after the festival. I must mention all marinations were carefully prepared, none of them either too salty or too spicy. This is a good enough reason for me to visit again, hopefully my meal will be prefect the next time.

All in all, if you are a seafood enthusiast who likes to experiment with marination, do visit Kava and Grills and experience a range of Andhra seafood under one roof.