Dolphin lunch home is a great place to have a hearty seafood meal in Manipal without spending too much.

The ambience is quaint from 11:30-1 after which it starts getting crowded.

I have visited this place on multiple occasions and ordered various dishes, some of which were heavenly while a few failed to impress me.

Standard meal -

2 pieces of deep fried chicken (called kebabs in Karnataka for some reason), Rice (White/parboiled), Curry (Fish/chicken), Dry shrimp chutney, A sabzi which changes daily, and pickle.

Price: 60
Rating:10/10

This is a filling meal in itself for a very reasonable price. The chicken is delicious although it doesn't look very healthy.

Seafood that I've ordered-

Squid Rava Fry

Price: I don't remember, around 80-120
Rating:2/10

It was fried too much making it hard and chewy. I wasn't able to finish the plate.

Anjal Tawa Fry

Price: 180
Rating: 10/10

As good as masala fried seer fish can be. It was served fresh and the piece was quite big.

Bangude Tawa Fry

Price: 40
Rating:9/10

The fish was great, masala was great. I'm not a huge fan of the fish itself, but here it was of a decent size and wasn't too bony.

Prawns Deep Fry

Price: 120
Rating: 7/10

The prawns were pretty small. Nothing too special. They were crispy and tangy.

Neer Dosa meal -

Price: 40 for Dosa

Dosas are soft and very yummy. I've had them with the following:

Chicken Sukka -

Price: 50 (half)
Rating: 7/10

It was a coconut based chicken curry. Its taste reminded me of Malabar flavors. The coconut was a little too overpowering.

Prawns Sukka -

Price: 120
Rating:8/10

I feel this does justice to the prawns where the deep fry fails to. It's served with a lot of masala and so it tastes better with neer dosa than with rice.

I feel this place is one of the best lunch eateries in Manipal close to the academic section. Although some dishes are average, I think it deserves 5 stars due to its value for money. It's perfect when you know what to order.

My go to drink to accompany the meal is lemon flavored Sipra, a local variant of Sprite.