Relish traditional Saraswat and GSB food at this seafood restaurant in Worli
Kubbe Vade
At 31A, Ambalal Chawl on Dr Annie Besant Road in Worli, the board outside reads Maaslli. It means fish in Konkani. A Saraswat and GSB speciality seafood restaurant, this is where the Nayak family’s earlier venture, Liberty restaurant, stood. In 1961, Sadanand Nayak bought Liberty Restaurant and Juice Centre in Marine Lines, and in 2016, his sons Rajesh and Prasad, started a second one in Worli (where Maaslli now stands). The pandemic first and later, the shifting of the Charity Commissioner’s office, which provided the bulk of the clientele—forced the Nayaks to shut down Liberty and work on rebranding the place.
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Kulith Saar
Seated under a cluster of paintings of the spices that form the backbone of his native food, Prasad speaks passionately of the coastal cuisine that includes coconut, curry leaves and sichuan pepper, known as triphal in Marathi. “Every chef who enters this kitchen has to first cook for my mother and win her approval,” he laughs, adding, “For the longest time, she had been suggesting we start a restaurant featuring our native cuisine. So the decor was rehauled, spices were procured and chefs were hired and trained to make dishes the exact same way they are made in our house.”
Bombay Duck Fry
Nestled in the Karnataka coastline, Karwar boasts a history influenced by the Portuguese and British, and the first Pavlovian reaction to the mere mention of the state is ‘seafood’. We start with a bowl of kulith saar (Rs 140), a soup made from horsegram, perfect for a rainy evening. The tang of asafoetida and the slight pungent flavour of green chilli is easily discernible through the delicious taste of horsegram. Next up is kubbe wadi (Rs 335), cutlets made from clam meat and the taste of meat blends perfectly with the mild notes of onion and garlic.
We sampled a variety of pan-fried fish such as bombay duck (Rs 275) and ordered the prawns Konkani ghee roast (Rs 405), which Nayak claims is one of the only authentic ones in the city. Unlike a few other ones we’ve tasted, this one was lighter on the stomach and didn’t assault the palate with an overdose of spice. Prawns and clams are also available in a butter garlic pepper preparation and the main course includes fish such as king mackerel (surmai), Indian mackerel (bangda), Bombay duck, prawns and clams in curries such as trifal curry, Karwari phanna (mustard seed seasoning) curry, GSB style sukke or dry gravy, and Malwani masala, with prices depending on what fish you choose.
Staff at Maaslli asks patrons where they are from before recommending dishes
Nayak is most passionate about the trifal curry, a native Saraswat and GSB speciality ,which is an acquired taste. Unlike other peppers, trifal is neither hot nor pungent. It has a bite to it and an aftertaste, but everything about it is mild. Perhaps this is why it stands out in a sea, pun intended, of fish preparations where the only range in terms of taste is medium spicy and spicy. Nayak recommends cleaning our palate between every dish with a sip or two of solkadhi.
The team follows a practice of asking customers where they are from to gauge the kind of food they will like and more often than not, they are never wrong. Nayak notices a couple walk in and tells us, “They’re going to order the chicken sagoti, twice.” He isn’t wrong, the second serving is ordered just as the first is being demolished.
Although it’s a seafood speciality restaurant, chicken and mutton dishes (sagoti, sukke, liver and kheema) are a hit too. For vegetarians, appetisers include a variety of vegetable fritters, and mushroom and paneer available in ghee roast style. Other mains include alambi randoi (wild mushroom curry) (Rs 210) and a Konkani dal preparation called dali toy (Rs 125).
Prasad Nayak
Rice lovers have many options with several varieties of biryanis such as prawns, seafood, chicken, mutton and vegetarian, while those who prefer the other variety of carbohydrates can go in for chapati, rice bhakri and Konkani vade. For desserts, the options are simple: modaks (Rs 140) and kharvas (Rs 125), both made with jaggery.
The reason why Maaslli won a place in our hearts is because it delivers what it promises. The food is different from what passes off as GSB and Saraswat in many non-specialty restaurants; the emphasis is on taste and it leaves you feeling content. Only a meal cooked with love can do that.
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