A labour of love

Gambas al ajillo. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

Travel is as important for a chef to improve his skills as net practice is for a cricketer to perfect his game. You can't be a frog in a well and increase your repertoire. You need to visit different countries, taste the food there and understand the nuances of the flavours, before coming back home and applying the knowledge you've gained. Chefs aren't like pani puri wallahs who make the same thing day in and day out. They must constantly reinvent themselves. And that's what Manuel Olveira Seller has done with La Loca Maria, a cute Bandra eatery that's launching in a few days.

Barbecue pork rib

Seller's roots lie in the Spanish city of Toledo, where his first brush with the culinary world was at his mother's restaurant. It's where he was introduced to dishes like lobster ravioli, which features on this eatery's menu as well. Most of the items here are in fact an ode to the food that the chef grew up cooking. But then again, the influences he's picked up during stints with five-stars in India, Dubai and Abu Dhabi also creep into some of the dishes. For example, the braised buff that's served as a main course is accompanied with pineapple chutney, which takes inspiration from the time he spent at a Juhu restaurant.

Sweet and sour

Even the genesis of this eatery lies in one of his travels. Seller and his wife, Pratima Tuljapurkar, had just returned to Mumbai some months ago after his stint in Abu Dhabi. The chef was taking a break and the couple flew off to Goa for a holiday. And it's there that Tuljapurkar told her husband, "Hey, why don't we open our own place instead of you working for someone else?" Seller was on board with the idea, and the wheels were soon set in motion.

Patatas bravas

The finished product is a 24-seater joint next to a coffee shop on Turner Road that's themed on a faceless woman called Maria (which also happens to be Seller's mother's name). You go past an al fresco area to enter a cosy place with an open kitchen. The paintings on the wall are of a strong female personality who sits with a commanding stature and uncrossed legs. She's a bit boho, a little wild, and completely fearless. You get the feeling that no one can mess with her, as you peruse a concise menu that comprises mainly Spanish and Italian dishes.

For the purpose of this first look, however, Seller has pre-selected a list of eight items that are served as samplers one by one. The first is the BFF carpaccio (Rs 450), where wafer-thin slices of raw beef arrive soaked in a decadent vinaigrette. The dish is so delectable that it's gone in 60 seconds. The patatas bravas (Rs 250) are next and Tuljapurkar tells us that they included this basic Spanish tapas mainly for kids, since it has all the goodness of a whole finger chip.

Chef Manuel Olveira Seller with wife Pratima Tuljapurkar

But the mushrooms and truffle croquettes (Rs 350) are a lot more complex. You bite through small breadcrumbed balls to release a gooey filling that's packed with an earthy flavour, while the beetroot hummus (Rs 300) served with slightly crunchy pita bread is also a successful take on the Mediterranean chickpeas staple. Seller didn't mess around with the gambas al ajillo, though, which is the last appetiser served. He's kept the garlicky prawn dish (Rs 450) just the way you'd have it at a tapas bar in his homeland.

The mains begin with lobster ravioli (Rs 850). "This is what I married Manuel for," Tuljapurkar jokes, and you can see why. A wholesome filling of crustacean meat is wrapped in house-made pasta before each piece is drenched in a pinkish lobster sauce. This one, apart from the carpaccio, is a stand-out dish for its no-nonsense aesthetic, which applies to the barbecue pork ribs ('650) too, considering that they are marinated and slow-cooked for 24 hours before being served with a light lettuce salad. Finally, Seller brings the sweet and sour dessert (Rs 380) to end the meal with a mix of salted caramel cream, chocolate and lime ice cream that leads to a riot of flavours in every bite.

So all in all, we don't find a single chink in the armour of this labour of love. La Loca Maria doesn't have a liquor licence, but the three drinks that we sample - apple banana smoothie (Rs 200), spicy watermelon cooler (Rs 200) and peach iced tea (Rs 150) - are all brimming with natural flavours. Tuljapurkar does confide that she's feeling last-minute nerves ahead of the restaurant's opening. But after all her husband's culinary adventures around the world, we get a feeling that - despite being located in an area with an ever-changing foodscape - this is one venture that's here
to stay.

At La Loca Maria, Carlton Court, corner of Turner Road signal, Bandra West.
Time 12 pm to 3.30 pm; 7 pm to 11.30 pm
Call 9769841468

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