Nitin Karmalkar, the owner, says he was fed up with the fusion seafood served in Mumbai and other metros at large. “If you measure it against yardsticks of authenticity, there are hardly any places in Mumbai that will figure,” he says. Once the restaurant was conceptualised, the head chef was sent on a two-month tour of coastal villages. Meanwhile, in Mumbai the interiors were being worked on. The bricks were brought in from Konkan, sand for the floor from Jaipur, furniture and lights were made-to-order in the city itself. “Every small detail had to be worked on. For instance, finding lamps that give out the right glow took a lot of effort. Now that the restaurant is rolling, we ensure that sand is sprinkled with water so that it doesn’t fly.”

The menu here runs into several pages. That Chef Amninder Sandhu has done a lot of research on seafood reflects from the extensive, self-explanatory carte du jour. The spunky chef who manages the show at the restaurant says, “I travelled across small, coastal villages learning recipes from local farmers and their families, using local spices. I tried and tested everything. From Konkan to Malabar, from tiny villages in Bengal to hutments in Mangalore, I did a lot of research. Most of those recipes have made it to the menu of The Coast.”

One is easily spoilt for choice with dishes from West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and good old Maharashtra. We second the chef’s recommendation that includes The Coast fish curry, Seafood tava pulao, Squid pepper masala, Chemmen masala (prawns in traditional Kerala masala), Aathirachi Olarthiathiu (mutton curry with diced coconut) and Kosha mangso (succulent mutton cooked in Bengali spices). They have an extensive wine list too (if you want to drink like a fish) but we suggest that food be downed with some excellent smoked buttermilk. The highlight of the dessert menu is Elineer Payasam, a refreshingly different coconut payasam that is served in a hollow green coconut shell.