Is it weird that we love this podi pizza?

I’m a bit of a pizza snob. Indian experiments like paneer tikka pizza have always left me unimpressed. So, at Gourami, the newest south Indian eatery in Mumbai, I resist even looking ‘Southern Pizza’ section on the menu to avoid disappointment. But I’m quickly forced to eat humble pie, when a perfect 10-inch thin-crust pizza base topped with fior di latte and sprinkled with milagai podi and with a generous drizzle of ghee arrives at my table. Instead of the usual tabasco, chilli flakes, and oregano, this one comes with more podi and a small katori of ghee on the side.

And this is where Gourami excels—there’s the occasional detour into fusion cooking and experimentation with form, but the flavours remain firmly rooted in traditional recipes from southern India. [I will confess, even the chicken ghee roast pizza, with the Mangalorean-style chilli-tamarind sauce made in-house, is on point].

Newly opened on Powai’s busy JVLR, the terracotta facade of Gourami invites you into a space that pays homage to heritage homes. Large flower-filled urli greet you in the lobby, the staircase leading up to the restaurant is flanked by faux mud walls, the woven bamboo ceiling is supported by wooden beams, and the recessed wall niches nod to traditional diya alcoves. Designed by Mangalorean architect Sujit Kotiyan, it’s all rather atmospheric without veering into theme-restaurant territory.

Co-founded by Harish Shetty (a cruise veteran associated with some little-known Udupi spots in the city’s suburbs) and first-time restaurateur Dharnidhar Tiwari, Gourami doesn’t abide by the idli-vada-dosa playbook that Mumbai is well-versed with. The city has seen it all, from the ubiquitous Udupi joints and crowd favourites like Cafe Madras and Ramashray to specialty restaurants like Tanjore Tiffin Room, Kerala Quarters, and Benne. Instead, Gourami taps into the growing appetite for regional Indian flavours and traverses the vast diversity of southern Indian cuisines, from Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Executive chef Vinayak Nikam, who comes with 18 years of experience across India and Dubai, spent two years exploring the five southern states, understanding the flavours, and honing his craft. The groundwork is evident in the menu.

A piping rasam shot topped with a fried idli crouton sets the tone. Then comes sundal, the classic stir-fried chickpea salad tempered with spices and finished with grated coconut. It transports you straight to Chennai’s Marina Beach, where it remains a beloved snack. The plump curry leaf prawns and Mangalore-style squid fry, fragrant with coconut, make excellent companions to the drinks menu. The picante-adjacent Deccan Heat brings together gongura, Guntur chilli, and a chilli papad garnish, while Caravan mixes tequila, nannari, passionfruit, and coconut soda into something that tastes like a beach holiday.

As the restaurant’s name—borrowed from a freshwater fish beloved across southern India—indicates, coastal cuisine takes centre stage. But vegetarians aren’t treated as an afterthought. There’s masala vadai served with spicy tempered hummus, ghee roast with a choice of mushroom or paneer, and idlis dunked in a selection of curries, ranging from coconut milk-based Mangalorean gassi and tangy tamarind-based Tamil kuzhambu to spicy Andhra-style kura. Of course there’s benne dosa too.

For seafood and meat lovers there’s kari dosa: crisp open dosa with a variety of toppings, including mutton kheema, prawn pepper fry, and Nellore kodi (spicy Andhra chicken). Keen to recreate some of these flavours at home? Pick up freshly pounded masalas from their live station. Gourami also has a ‘rasam on tap’ in the works and, come Onam (this August), a Sunday sadhya will join the lineup.

For the mains, there are a dozen curries spanning the southern map: Mangalorean pulimunchi with its trademark tang and heat, peppery Chettinad curry, comforting Kerala stew, and the fiery mamsam kora from Andhra/Telangana. If you’re unsure where to begin, the Bhojanam section does the matchmaking for you, pairing curries with the appropriate carbs—idiyappams go with kadala curry and a Malabar parotta with a Kerala kurma. The Dindigul biryani, made with fragrant seeraga sambha rice, is worth ordering. Or on days you would like to keep it simple, there is the ultimate comfort dish, thayir sadam (tempered curd rice), served just the way it should be.

The eggless dessert menu is short. There’s the obligatory Mysore pak and filter coffee ice cream, but the fusion desserts are where things get interesting. There’s an impossibly light tender coconut mousse and a filter coffee tres leches. The payasam brûlée is my favourite—creamy cardamom-scented vermicelli kheer hidden beneath a caramelised sugar crust that shatters with the slightest tap.

With all its fusion experiments and dishes that champion traditional flavours, Gourami feels less like another regional Indian restaurant and more like a well-curated tour through southern India’s many culinary personalities. 

Address: Adi Shankaracharya Marg, Jogeshwari - Vikhroli Link Rd, near Panch Kutir, Powai, Mumbai 

Timing: 12 pm to 1:30 am

Price: ₹2,000 + taxes per person (without alcohol)

Reservations: Call +91 9002600810