Enjoy Polynesian cuisine at this Lower Parel eatery

In place of Mai Tai, The Big Kahuna reintroduces Polynesian cuisine with a robust, expansive menu that should please the big eaters, and Quentin Tarantino, too!

The Big Kahuna 
Food: Good
Service: Quick
Ambiance: Same as before

Mai Tai’s outlets in Mumbai had created a reputation for being perfect pads for fresh seafood and fun cocktails. Now that the owners gave up the franchise and re-launched it as The Big Kahuna, we were keen to stop by.

The restaurant has retained its Polynesian theme and interiors and we found ourselves in dark corners where phone lights are needed to read the menu. When we dropped by, the place was packed and nobody seemed to really care about the change in name or menu. The al fresco was gone and in its place, it has become an air-conditioned space, entirely.

The Big Kahuna burger was quite a mouthful. Pics/Shadab khan

With basa featuring in every menu, we decided to plumb for the Kona Grilled Basa (Rs 375). The fish was fresh, and came packed with mustard. However, the coconut-ey flavour mentioned on the menu was amiss. Still, it was a light, tasty start. For cocktails, we ordered the Tears Of Tiki (Rs 475), which was an excessive mishmash of different liquors.

The Big Kahuna has retained its old interiors

After this hiccup, we stuck with sampling the food for our next round, and chose The Big Kahuna Burger (Rs 425, no reference to the iconic scene in Pulp Fiction), Herbed Balsamic Vegetable Skewers (Rs 390) and Crunchy Cottage Cheese Pita Sandwich (Rs 370). True to its name, the burger was quite a bite with two tenderloin patties, pickled onions, cheese and chicken salami.

Crunchy Cottage Cheese Pita Sandwich was a delightful vegetarian offering

Phew! Every bite was cherished; extra points for the spicy fries on the side. The herbed Balsamic Vegetable Skewers were served with an option of side orders. The Pita Sandwich was our chart-topper; wholesome pita bread stuffed with generous paneer pieces coated with batter. Yum.

The Big Kahuna left us happy; the cocktail, though, could have been done better. But this would be nitpicking since we didn’t sample more from their extensive bar menu. We would surely drop by for another round of Polynesian delights.

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