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Gajalee, synonymous with coastal delicacies is situated in the heart of Vile Parle. Over the years, the chain has expanded with the addition of three more restaurants at Parel, Juhu and Andheri West.

But my favourite has always been the one at Vile Parle. I have been to Gajalee a couple of times in the past few years.

The influence this restaurant has over its customers can be seen from the stretched queues with approximately 20-30 minutes waiting, especially on weekends!

But all your worries about the waiting time is put to rest  once you are seated and the food is served!The highlight of the restaurant is its coastal cuisine.

One can experience the delight of live seafood that is brought to your table for you to choose the size. They display the catch of crabs and tiger prawns before serving you.

From my recent visits to the place, here is what I dined: Their crab soup is delicious and a wonderful appetiser. The Butter Pepper Pomfret was excellent.

Nice tender flakes, nicely baked in butter, just enough hints of pepper and garlic, and slight charring of skins that add to the taste. If you like your Bombils perfectly crunchy,

Gajalee , Vile Parle is your best bet. The tandoori  crab is unbelievable  and is the peak of gastronomical ecstasy. The Green Chilli Crabs is an extraordinary dish (a must try). Other than the tandoor, the tangy prawn curry (with coconut base) goes well with both chapati and steamed rice.

There is a variety of fried fish too. The vegetarians need not worry, as the menu offers a wide range of veg dishes too.

Paneer Makhanwala and Vegetable Kolhapuri top my ranks since they are delicious and quite spicy to boot. Sol kadi, a kokum-flavoured, pink-coloured aperitif — a Mumbai staple — goes perfectly with your food plate here.

The service is efficient and friendly. The cordial staff ensures to dilute your long waits to get your table. 

What I like is that unlike most seafood/ coastal restaurants, these people are committed to make sure you have a good time.

Every time I go,  I try a new dish and I find it hard to find even a single thing that’s below outstanding! The fish are fresh, the cooking is clean, and the taste is mouthwatering. You have to just go get it!

One of the best places in the city to dine on seafood! Crab, bombil fry, pomfret tandoori, surmai fry, sol kadhi are just amazing..

Gajalee at Vileparle west is too good. Very excellent food and service by the staff. Very polite and hospitable.

We ordered Sol Kadi, Tandoori Tiger Prawns, Kombdi Wade, Ghavne, Ambolya, Basa Koshimbir, Crab in Green Chilli Sauce and Chicken Biryani. Drumrolls. The Crabs n Prawns won hands down. The chefs in there must know some sort of sorcery to be able to dish out such delicious, succulent prawns and crabs bursting with a myriad of flavours to tantalise our taste buds.

One thing I can tell you for sure, once you dine at Gajalee it will take you months n months to like anything else anywhere else coz believe you me the taste won’t leave your palate anytime soon.

For a spicy & delightful Indian seafood cuisine experience ,this is a good restaurant . The fresh ingredients cooked with the fresh catch makes a great taste. As well they have a decent collection of spirits.

We loved the food, fresh and just delicious. Although seafood seems to be the big deal here, my favourite dish was the paneer tikka masala – heaven on earth.

Hope to come again to Mumbai, and when I do, I am not going to miss this one.

The seafood and service at this restaurant was excellent. We were still full from breakfast but the quality of food served during lunch ensured a return of our appetites.

One dish not to be missed is their Bombil Fry which is fresh Bombay Duck (contrary to its name, it’s a type of fish) coated in masala and fried crispy. Rest of dishes we had which included pomfret, squid and chicken were equally as good.

The Bombay Duck was as tasty n crispy as always. The tiger prawn tandoori came with typical tandoori masala and not as informed by steward, i specifically asked for maharashtrian taste.

The fish mudadus was nice and one must try this fish. It’s a small fish size of mackeral. The maincourse of surmai koshimbir, chicken masala, spicy prawn with amboli, ghavan bhakri was yummy.

Courtesy : In Conversation with Madhukar Shetty – Creator & Owner at GAJALEE, Vile Parle, Mumbai along with few foodies who frequent the outlet at Vile parle East.

Premiering on April 6, the new series showcases extraordinary, real people performing remarkable feats and mind-blowing magic inspired by distinct cultures, unique histories and ancient rituals in India, Brazil, Southeast Asia, the Arctic Circle, South Africa and Japan

Prepare for the ultimate magic adventure as Nat Geo’s upcoming series ‘DAVID BLAINE DO NOT ATTEMPT’ gears up to premiere on April 6, Sundays, 8 PM on the National Geographic Channel. Produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s award-winning Imagine Documentaries (‘Genius’ anthology series, ‘Rebuilding Paradise,’ ‘Jim Henson Idea Man’), this six-part series follows world-renowned magician and endurance artist David Blaine exploring the world through the lens of magic. David will be seen taking viewers on a fascinating cultural exchange and a jaw-dropping journey through extraordinary cultures, where he meets performers and masters — kindred spirits who inspire and share with him exceptional skills (and secrets) — in India, Brazil, Southeast Asia, the Arctic Circle, South Africa, and Japan.

Widely recognized for his epic stunts and illusions, this series also reveals a surprising and more personal side to David, which has rarely been seen before – through intimate documentary storytelling. Traveling through the spiritual centers of India to the urban and natural jungles of Brazil, from the unforgiving ice of the Arctic Circle to the thriving cultural heart of South Africa, David seeks out real feats of magic at the intersection of physical and mental strength performed by extraordinary people. In each episode, David immerses himself in the cultures, histories, and hidden rituals that make these astonishing talents possible. He learns and attempts – so you don’t have to – while shining a light on a side of magic few have ever seen.

“I’m discovering incredible people with unbelievable talents, pushing the limits of what’s possible. It’s been a privilege to learn from them. As a magician, I’m in awe of their abilities because, for me, the most magical moments aren’t tricks but human potential realized,” said David Blaine.

“National Geographic’s legacy of innovative storytelling shines brightly in this series, with India’s rich heritage taking center stage in the premiere episode. Our ancient traditions – passed down through generations – offer a powerful glimpse into the extraordinary, connecting Indian audiences to Nat Geo’s global narrative,” saida National Geographic India spokesperson. “It is truly captivating to witness David Blaine immerse himself in the art of Indian magic, unraveling its mysteries and showcasing its timeless allure,” she added.

From sword swallowing to surviving venomous creature stings, and from feats of athleticism to kissing king cobras, ‘DAVID BLAINE DO NOT ATTEMPT’ uncovers the rituals, preparation and strength that take magic beyond mere illusion. The National Geographic series is a celebration of pushing boundaries safely and responsibly, rooted in years of training, preparation and a process of refinement. Viewers are reminded that professionals do all the feats shown in the series with safety teams to prevent any accidents. None of the activities from the series should ever be practiced; the series title provides instructions to viewers for a reason: DO NOT ATTEMPT.

This series contains content that may be disturbing to some viewers. All acts performed are inherently dangerous and were done under strict supervision. They should not be attempted. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Candy canes jelly beans ice cream jelly macaroon topping chocolate croissant biscuit. Chupa chups marshmallow oat cake croissant bonbon. Biscuit macaroon halvah soufflé marzipan. Macaroon icing oat cake sesame snaps carrot cake jelly-o.bonbon.Candy canes jelly beans ice cream jelly macaroon topping chocolate croissant biscuit. Chupa chups marshmallow oat cake croissant bonbon. Biscuit macaroon halvah soufflé marzipan. Macaroon icing oat cake sesame snaps carrot cake jelly-o.Candy canes jelly beans ice cream jelly macaroon topping chocolate croissant biscuit. Chupa chups marshmallow oat cake croissant bonbon. Biscuit macaroon halvah soufflé marzipan. Macaroon icing oat cake sesame snaps carrot cake jelly-o.

Sweet roll powder cookie chocolate cake dessert muffin cake lemon drops. Soufflé halvah fruitcake sweet roll muffin. Wafer danish cupcake jelly cookie. Jelly-o marshmallow oat cake brownie.

Caramels muffin chupa chups. Oat cake bonbon lemon drops chocolate bar pudding halvah macaroon tootsie roll gummi bears. Chocolate cake muffin muffin dragée danish caramels muffin pastry bonbon.Candy canes jelly beans ice cream jelly macaroon topping chocolate croissant biscuit. Chupa chups marshmallow oat cake croissant bonbon. Biscuit macaroon halvah soufflé marzipan. Macaroon icing oat cake sesame snaps carrot cake jelly-o.Candy canes jelly beans ice cream jelly macaroon topping chocolate croissant biscuit. Chupa chups marshmallow oat cake croissant bonbon. Biscuit macaroon halvah soufflé marzipan. Macaroon icing oat cake sesame snaps carrot cake jelly-o.

Merck Life Science recently took part in the prestigious Science Open Day, hosted by the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc) in Bangalore.

As a part of their SPARK Curiosity Lab initiative, designed to nurture and educate aspiring scientists, Merck organized an engaging SPARK event onsite.

This occasion provided an invaluable platform for eager students, parents, and science enthusiasts to immerse themselves in a series of hands-on science demonstrations, led by trained personnel from Merck.

Merck Life Science participated in the prestigious Science Open Day organized by the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bangalore.

On this special occasion, Mr. Pallav Doshi, CEO of Essen Speciality Films Limited, said, “Empowering women is ingrained in our DNA. Since our inception in 2002, we have always maintained a workforce with at least 50% women. Although the regulatory landscape initially posed challenges, our commitment to our core values drove us to successfully implement night shifts.

With these additional 12 working hours now available, we are significantly closer to our goal of maximizing female participation. The response has been overwhelming, with numerous applications pouring in, reflecting the enthusiasm and determination of women eager to contribute financially.

The support from their families and the community is truly inspiring and heartening. It’s common to see a mother-in-law dropping off a daughter-in-law on a scooter, husbands picking up their wives at night, and brothers-in-law delivering tiffins at our gates. These daily scenes motivate us, even on the rainiest days. It’s truly a joy to be part of this transformative journey”.

The company has implemented various initiatives to ensure the well-being, safety, and professional growth of its female night shift employees. To ensure their security, Essen provides secure and reliable transportation, guaranteeing safe travel to and from the workplace. Robust on-site security measures, including 24×7 surveillance and security personnel, further enhance safety. Additionally, Essen has obtained the necessary permissions from local police authorities to operate night shifts for women, ensuring compliance with legal requirements.

In addition to safety measures, the company prioritizes the health and wellness of its employees. On-site medical facilities and emergency services are available to promptly address any health concerns, while comprehensive counseling services support women in maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Furthermore, Essen is committed to the continuous development of its workforce through regular safety training sessions that educate employees about safety practices and emergency procedures. Continuous skill development programs empower women with the necessary tools to excel in their roles, promoting gender equality and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Pallav Doshi added, “The presence of women in night shifts at Essen reflects a significant change in societal attitudes and workplace policies, contributing to a more inclusive and diverse workforce in the manufacturing sector.”

By showcasing the achievements and experiences of its female night shift employees, Essen aims to inspire more women to pursue careers in the manufacturing sector and break free from traditional gender roles.

Finally an amazing restaurant for traditional authentic malvan and konkan cuisine. Bombil fry a must, softest and tasty wade don’t miss. All this at House Of Maharashtra.

At House Of Maharashtra, the fish and chicken were incredibly fresh and tasty. The Mandeli, Prawns, and Chicken Thali were delightful, and the Bombil fry was super fresh.

The stuffed Pamplet was a highlight, and the spicy Sol Kadi and green chutney were the perfect accompaniments.

A must-visit for seafood lovers to House Of Maharashtra

One can say ‘It was not just good, but House Of Maharashtra is a lovely place. What’s grand is its ambience, it delivers with food and service. The staff are very polite and the food is amazing – both in taste and quantity.

Very affordable, with good veg options too. Perfect for family meals.If you love fish, don’t miss their fish thali/platter at House Of Maharashtra. Bombil is very popular, so order early before it gets over.This location ‘House Of Maharashtra is a super place and is a Jackpot for genuine taste lovers.

The Taste is really awesome.We had valache birade and konkni vade.Look at the size of a Vade. At some places they make only half this size.

The Birade is superb.The Veg Thali is a complete chouras ahaar.Healthy like anything.The Prawns Rava Fry too were too nice.Had been to House Of Maharashtra for dinner and ordered in thali – that’s what they are famous for – one of each, chicken mutton and prawns.

All three were pretty good consisting of two vades, one chicken with curry, side gravy, fried chicken and sol kadhi, rice. Should visit House Of Maharashtra once to taste good malwani food. This place has waiting for 15-20 mins during usual peak times and weekends.

But beside that you pretty much get the seat.Heaven for sea food. 

Fish thali is delicious Portion of fish is also good.The taste is perfect not too spicy also. We tried surmai thali and prawns fry. Surmai was so fresh that we ordered another surmai tawa fry to enjoy,drop in at House Of Maharashtra.

Prawns fry was good felt like eating chicken popcorn. Price is also reasonable if you are going for dinner then go little early as it’s crowded and then you need to wait.

I would definitely recommend House Of Maharashtra place for sea food lovers.House Of Maharashtra restaurant is good at taste. Staff is very cooperative & hospitality is nice.

Bhajni Vade here is big in size & they give in 4 numbers which can be more for normal eating people. Surmai Fry was great at taste & also green chutney. In Chicken Masala Fry, pieces were less in number but taste was good. Solkadhi is also super here.

Food is tasty and coconut heavy. It’s a good looking place. Don’t think twice before entering this joint. It is absolute value for money.

The fish Thalia have a lot of varieties – surmai, pompret, crabs, prawns shark etc. We would say House Of Maharashtra is the best malwani cuisine restaurant in this part of the city.

Wide variety of sea food on offer. One must try Bombil fry,Crab masala, Fried prawns, chiken gravy, mutton gravy and specially HOM thali. Good quality and quantity of food.

Quick service with efficient and polite staff.

Ambience is good, a must visit for every sea food lover. In between Andheri and Bandra.

Parking: Valet parking at the restaurant is in abundance, but still if you come in early you might get parking around the restaurant itself.

Courtesy : In Conversation with the ‘Restaurateur – Sandarsh Shetty at the ‘House Of Maharashtra, Santacruz,  along with few foodies who frequent the ‘restaurant

Wafer cake sweet roll cheesecake ice cream gingerbread sweet. Wafer gingerbread apple pie cotton candy jelly. Toffee oat cake oat cake toffee tootsie roll muffin sugar plum.

Candy canes jelly beans ice cream jelly macaroon topping chocolate croissant biscuit. Chupa chups marshmallow oat cake croissant bonbon. Biscuit macaroon halvah soufflé marzipan. Macaroon icing oat cake sesame snaps carrot cake jelly-o.

Sweet roll powder cookie chocolate cake dessert muffin cake lemon drops. Soufflé halvah fruitcake sweet roll muffin. Wafer danish cupcake jelly cookie. Jelly-o marshmallow oat cake brownie.

Caramels muffin chupa chups. Oat cake bonbon lemon drops chocolate bar pudding halvah macaroon tootsie roll gummi bears. Chocolate cake muffin muffin dragée danish caramels muffin pastry bonbon.

Highlights of the Consolidated Results:

1. Revenue from Operations for the quarter ended, 30^th June 2025 was Rs. 3200.8 crores as against Rs. 3091.0 crores in the corresponding quarter of the last year, representing an increase of 3.6% over the corresponding quarter of last year.

2. EBITDA (excluding Other Income) for the quarter ended 30^th June 2025 was Rs. 528.4 crores as against Rs. 522.4 crores in the corresponding quarter of the last year, representing an increase of 1.1% over the corresponding quarter of last year.

3. Net Profit for the quarter ended 30^th June 2025 was Rs. 315.0 crores as against Rs. 354.0 crores in the corresponding quarter of the last year, representing a decline of 11.0% over the corresponding quarter of last year. The results for the quarter include an exceptional loss of Rs. 36.81 crores arising from a fire incident at a regional distribution center and warehouse facility in Barasat, Kolkata. The fire originated at some other company’s premise and unfortunately spread to our warehouse. The loss pertains primarily to damage inventory and certain fixed assets. The insurance claim filing is currently in progress, and related assessments are underway.

Highlights of the Standalone Results:

1. Revenue from Operations for the quarter ended 30^th June 2025 was Rs. 2862.6 crores as against Rs. 2806.3 crores in the corresponding quarter of the last year, representing an increase of 2.0% over the corresponding quarter of last year.

2. EBITDA (excluding Other Income) for the quarter ended 30^th June 2025 was Rs. 499.5 crores against Rs. 483.7 crores in the corresponding quarter of the last year, representing an increase of 3.3% over the corresponding quarter of last year.

3. Net Profit for the quarter ended 30^th June 2025 was Rs. 293.8 crores as against Rs. 305.5 crores in the corresponding quarter of last year, representing a decline of 3.8% over the corresponding quarter of last year. The results for the quarter include an exceptional loss of Rs. 36.81 crores arising from a fire incident at the company’s regional distribution center and warehouse facility in Barasat, Kolkata. The fire originated at some other company’s premise and unfortunately spread to our warehouse. The loss pertains primarily to damage inventory and certain fixed assets. The insurance claim filing is currently in progress, and related assessments are underway.

The Apollo Prostate Institute has rolled out a unique treatment module to treat prostate cases under a single roof. Irrespective of whether the case is simple or complex or benign or malignant, the Institute has assembled all the modalities approved globally in one place, to treat the patient in the best possible manner. Most notable of them is the steam therapy for treating enlarged prostates, seen as a breakthrough process globally.

Water vapor or steam therapy is a novel treatment approach to treat the prostate and has been approved by FDA and has been recently launched in India. The Apollo Prostate Institute has taken the lead in the matter, marking yet another milestone in the hospital group’s continued commitment towards innovative practices.

Many men aged over 50 suffer from BPH (prostate enlargement) symptoms in India. It is also important to note that that nearly 7-11% of adults (less than 45 years of age) are also showing symptoms of BPH. Prostate is a non-endocrine gland situated between urinary bladder and urinary passage in all men. It starts increasing in size after 25 years and reaches its maximum during 45-50 years during which time people start feeling some urinary symptoms. Further it can grow as a hypertrophy (much bigger) or it can under atrophy (small) depending on the genetic make of that person.

There are various medical procedures to treat men with enlarged prostate varying from simple medications to various other methods like TURP, laser treatment, urolift, TUNA, TUMT, laproscopic procedures and robotics to mention the few. However, the new addition of steam therapy (water vapour thermotherapy) to treat prostate has overcome the pit falls and side effects of medications and prevents the complications of other major surgical procedures.

“We have taken a cafeteria approach to treat patients with BPH,” says Dr T Manohar, Chief of Urology services, Uro-oncology, robotics and kidney transplantation, Apollo Hospitals. “A cafetaria approach involves empowering patients to choose the treatment approach while informing them about the pros and cons of each system of medicine. Such an informed choice will improve the acceptability of medical interventions and the patient’s compliance to treatments.”

Water vapour therapy (REZUM) or steam therapy is done by injecting 0.45 ml of steam (under 100-113 degree C) for 9 seconds each into different areas of the prostate which are causing obstructions through a disposable device under mild sedation or local anesthesia. The procedure takes 10-15 minutes and the patient is discharged the same day. Rezum is a proprietary name invented by Boston Scientific, an American biomedical engineering firm. It is approved by FDA and was introduced to India in late January 2024.

Dr  Manohar further added, “This novel technique has revolutionised BHP treatment, especially for young adults having side effects with medications, for those wishing to preserve ejaculatory and sexual functions and where anesthesia is contraindicated.”

The procedure has several advantages including prevention of sexual dysfunction and preservation of the ejaculatory phenomenon. Uday Davda, VP & Unit Head, Apollo Hospitals, Seshadripuram said “There is no removal of the prostrate, no use of any foreign body or minimal or no requirement of analgesics.”