Inside the 32-seater Mumbai eatery where Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh eat with their hands

Rajesh Nayak (left) and Prasad Nayak inside Maaslli at Kemps Corner. (Express photo by Akash Patil)

It was their father who had set everything in motion decades earlier — leaving Upin Patni, a small town in Karnataka, at 13 and arriving in Mumbai with ambition and very little else. He began as a dishwasher at a restaurant in Masjid Bunder, worked his way up, and in 1961 acquired Liberty at Marine Lines, a prime address opposite Liberty Cinema that would be near impossible to secure today. He retained the name, ran it as an Udupi eatery, and built it into something steady and beloved. His sons followed, and in 2015, confident the business had legs, they expanded to Worli. Then the pandemic arrived.

Their mother’s suggestion turned out to be the best business advice they had ever received. “We had faith in our food because, over the years, whoever ate at our home always asked us to bring it to the restaurant,” the brothers said.

This was September 2022. The next three months were spent building a menu from recipes their mother had kept — not written down, but held — and training staff the only way they trusted. “We asked them to come home, learn it from her, serve us, and only when we approved them could they serve at the restaurant,” they said, laughing.

On December 9, 2022, Maaslli opened. For the first few weeks, barely anyone came.

“I remember it was the week before Christmas when my bhabhi called and said some guests are coming, please take care of them well,” recalled Prasad. “I was just hoping they would come in good numbers so the restaurant wouldn’t look empty.” One of those guests asked him when it gets busy. He told her evenings. “That evening, we were busy.”

Another defining moment came on December 22, 2024, when they installed a sign that reads “Dev Bare Karo”, a traditional Konkani farewell meaning “God bless you”. Prasad still has the messages exchanged with his brother from that day and remembers it as the beginning of their good days. “The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since,” he said.

A cook at Maaslli putting surmai (King Fish) on tawa. (Express photo by Akash Patil)

The initial apprehension, Rajesh added, was that the cuisine would be unfamiliar to many Mumbai diners, more accustomed to the heat of Malvani seafood. GSB cooking operates differently — quieter, more restrained, built on coconut, curry leaves, kokum, hing, turmeric and tirphal (Sichuan pepper). “The point is never to overwhelm the fish, but to let it be itself,” he said.

Khubbe wadi, clam meat tikkis shallow-fried in coconut oil, quickly became an early favourite. There’s Karwari phanna curry, finished with a tadka of fried onions, and the GSB tirphal fish curry, its gentle numbing warmth coming from Sichuan pepper. Aalambi randoi, a coconut-forward mushroom preparation, carries a bright hit of ginger. And then there is dali toy, a simple lentil preparation that sounds unremarkable and tastes of home in a way that is difficult to explain to someone who didn’t grow up with it. It has, the brothers say, made grown adults emotional at the table.

We meet them at Maaslli’s Kemps Corner outpost, which opened in late December 2024 and seats nearly sixty across 1,200 square feet. Designed in collaboration with architect Nitin Hankare, the space leans into its coastal identity. The facade curves like a wave. Inside, a glass mosaic of two fish runs along one wall, while the ceiling mimics water — an upside-down boat and oar suspended above. The opposite wall is textured to resemble a coastline, with actual sand worked into the surface.

From regulars to recognisable faces

In just over three years, Maaslli has built a customer base that includes industrialists, ministers, cricketers and actors. Suryakumar Yadav is a frequent visitor, with parcels going out even more often. Shefali Shah, Boman Irani, Rakul Preet Singh and Jackky Bhagnani are among its patrons. Celebrity visits, the brothers estimate, account for about 15–20 per cent of their growth, but they are clear that consistency and word of mouth are what keep the tables full.

Then came Sunday, and Ranveer and Deepika.

“Deepika’s family had been eating here and recommended it to them,” they said. “Ranveer wrote the entire order himself.” The couple had already selected a few dishes, and the team suggested a few more. They tried khubbe wadi, prawns tawa masala fry, jumbo crab GSB-style sukkhe, surmai kelipaan, crispy bombil fry, and both pomfret Karwari phanna curry and tirphal curry. “She spoke to us in Konkani and ate with her hands, just like at home,” they added.

A lavish GSB spread featuring khubbe wadi, clams bhujne, fried prawns, surmai tawa masala, aalambi randoi, Karwari phanna curry, GSB tirphal fish curry, dali toy, usal, paneer ghee roast, vegetarian biryani, served with rice and beer dosa. (Express photo by Akash Patil)

The brothers narrate the episode with the measured pleasure of men who have learned that good things happen when you are simply very good at what you do — and do it consistently. “We taste at least 90 per cent of the dishes daily,” they said. When asked if a celebrity’s arrival drives business, they are pragmatic. “It does, maybe 15-20 per cent. But more importantly, it builds brand value.”

The road ahead is already mapped. They are looking to expand across Mumbai’s suburbs like Bandra and Andheri, and possibly beyond, even to Bangalore. “We are aiming three more outlets by 2027,” they said. “Franchising will only happen if we can ensure quality and consistency.”

Before we leave, dessert arrives: ukdiche modak, warmed and generously topped with ghee, honey and pistachio crumble. When we stop at one, Prasad smiled. “Don’t act like Ranveer now,” he said. “Even he eventually ate two — and I know you will too.”

We laughed, and picked up another.