Two visitors enjoy a cosy meal at Just Fish. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Just Fish

Near Lakhtokia Busstop

why just fish?

This is an eatery where the best fish preparations from across the world are rustled up for gourmets. Those with a penchant for fine dining will find the restaurant like a whip of fresh air.

cuisine:

A melange of authentic Chinese and continental cuisine, Just Fish is all about exotic fish delicacies. The restaurant specialises in traditional Assamese fish cuisine. Fishes form part of every meal here ?breakfast, lunch or dinner. However, other non-veg favourites like chicken and mutton are also served at this joint.

service:

Just Fish throws open its doors quite early to cater to the breakfast crowd. It starts operating from 8 am and continues to serve diners till 10 pm. Just Fish, with an admirable seating capacity, is manned by a total of 15 people.

Opened not long ago, Just Fish is already a hit with college goers as well as families.

first impression:

The d?cor provides the perfect ambience to enjoy the wonderful food. A mural of a boat sailing on a placid river, painted on a wall, lends a touch of romance to dining at Just Fish.

on the menu:

As the name suggests, Just Fish is all about fish, fish and fish ? of every variety (salt water and fresh), in every shape and size and in every form (fried, smoked or curried). Right from breakfast to dinner, it is one fishy menu.

For breakfast there are shrimp sandwiches. Well, the chicken varieties are there too but in this joint it is best to gorge on the fishy offerings.

For Indian cuisine enthusiasts, the restaurant serves a very wide platter. Tel kawoi, whole fish cooked with onion and tomatoes in red chilli paste and mustard oil, is sure to get the gastronomic juices flowing. There is a large variety of fresh and sizzling bhetki, katla or seetol dishes to choose from to accompany the biryani, navratan pulao or mutton pulao.

Bora bhaja of all kinds from the likes of afu gutir bora (deep fried patties of khuskhus mixed with mashed potatoes and spices), kolful bhaja, bhokua maas, topse maasur bora and pomfret maas are sheer delights.

Chira murighanta and jala murighanta will remind you of your grandmother?s recipes. Rice along with seetol, puthi, pabda and maagur maas curry is served with the traditional bota such as dhania bota and dali narikal bota.

To satisfy the Continental taste, the menu includes such treats as fish with tangy sauce and baked fish Florentine.

recommended:

The appetising Assamese traditional thalis, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, will not only fill your belly but also be cheap on your pocket. A typical thali includes bhaat, khaar, dali, aloo pitika, masor tanga, khasi or murgir mangso, bota, kanhundi, achaar, doi and rosogolla.

variation:

Lait sutki, a Bengali dry fish delicacy, is a must for those who have a taste for spicy Indian curries. Chinese dishes like zhong can, Hwang Ho Catch and Wong?s chicken are treats that are unlikely to be served elsewhere in the city.

minus point:

The signboard, not quite visible from the road, makes it difficult for first-time visitors to locate the restaurant. Moreover, due to its location on the second floor, the elderly and the physically challenged might give the restaurant the go by. Plus, there is hardly any space for carparking.

postscript:

Despite the restaurant boom, quality sea food is something that is hard to find in the city. Just Fish fills that void.

Maitreyee Boruah