Taste the traditional Konkani delights at this seafood gem in Worli

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 familyrsquos 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 Commissionerrsquos office which provided the bulk of the clientelemdashforced the Nayaks to shut down Liberty and work on rebranding the placeKulith SaarSeated 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 ldquoEvery chef who enters this kitchen has to first cook for my mother and win her approvalrdquo he laughs adding ldquoFor 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 houserdquoBombay Duck FryNestled 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 lsquoseafoodrsquo 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 garlicWe sampled a variety of panfried 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 wersquove tasted this one was lighter on the stomach and didnrsquot 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 chooseStaff at Maaslli asks patrons where they are from before recommending dishesNayak 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 solkadhiThe 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 ldquoTheyrsquore going to order the chicken sagoti twicerdquo He isnrsquot wrong the second serving is ordered just as the first is being demolishedAlthough itrsquos 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 125Prasad NayakRice 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 jaggeryThe 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 nonspecialty restaurants the emphasis is on taste and it leaves you feeling content Only a meal cooked with love can do that