Tales from the Shoreline: A Koliwada Cocktail Journey offers a seven-course pescatarian or vegetarian meal, presented by chef AliAkbar Baldiwala, which is led by elements of the Koli fish thali; however, the cocktails steal the show where mixologist Santosh Kukreti draws inspiration from his interaction with the cultural diversity of the Koliwada. Kukreti shares, “The menu is special because it stems from over a year’s experience with the surrounding cultures. We hang out with the locals, some of whom work at the restaurant, try the food they prepare at home, and go fishing with them. It’s an ode to the Koliwada.”

Coast Guard’s brew

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We begin with the last cocktail on the menu. Saint Nicholas (Rs 800), a bottled cocktail of sparkling watermelon wine adopts a local fermentation process for making wine during Christmas. It’s a refreshing drink with notes of green apple and cucumber. Sunset at Slink (R1,200) is Kukreti’s cocktail representation of the namesake experience; the orange skies and salty breeze are replicated in a mezcal and Aperol-based drink topped with salty and orangey froth.

The idea for the Koli echoes  cocktail (Rs 1,200) stems from the local alcohol or bhatti ki daaru. It’s a sharing drink that has a base of vodka and sake to iterate the strong taste of desi alcohol, combined with cucumber and lemon to lighten the flavour and served with frozen lychee in the glass version of a clay pot used to distil alcohol.

Sunset at Slink

Rearranging dishes from the Koli fish thali into seven courses, chef Baldiwala combines these local elements with global flavours and techniques. The first course mimics the papad-kanda-mirchi combination on a thali. The perfect bar snack, it comes with a shrimp and tapioca cracker with tomato and chilli dust — an idea we’re going to steal for how we eat our crackers henceforth. Dips for the cracker is a tangy tendli and amboshi escabeche that can be addictive especially if you’re a pickle-lover, brown onion labneh, and charred shishito peppers that provide a perfect bitterness to the dish. The kokum granita with oyster or cured watermelon is a prominent highlight from the second course as it balances tangy, sweet, salty and spicy notes.

In the fourth course, the traditional taste of solkadhi is elevated with coriander oil and pickled radish while the barramundi ceviche misses the mark. Interestingly, the vegetarian version uses a wasabi buttermilk instead of kokum-based solkadhi. We love the ajwain flavour in the ghol fish curry, which is usually prepared for Koli weddings, with Koli masala butter and a gelatinous spiced coconut sauce.

Char siu pomfret donburi. Pics/Ashish Raje

Moving on to rice, chef Baldiwala incorporates this wholesome aspect of the Koli thali into a pomfret donburi, a Japanese rice bowl, with a char siu glaze. It’s served with a warm smoked ponzu dashi and topped with crispy lotus root; it leaves us impressed by the seamless balance of sour, sweet and salty flavours.

To our disappointment, the rawa coating on the bombil overpowered in flavour and texture. The jalva salsa on the tomato jam that comes with the bombil, was smoky and offered a flavourful twist to a classic. We suspect the eggplant variation would be a hit. The dessert of tres leches with puran poli-spiced milk and chana dal crumble did not excite us as much as it sounded.

An apt end to this meal is the Coast Guard’s brew (R900), a dessert cocktail, that includes fat-washed vodka topped with dalgona coffee. The notes of coffee, vanilla and vodka come together cohesively. Sharing the backstory, Kukreti reveals, “After packing up the kitchen at four in the morning, around the time the Coast Guard folks head for their morning jog, we stop together for coffee at a nearby stall. This drink is inspired by that moment.”

Slink & Bardot
On: October 26; 6 pm to 1.30 am (Tuesday to Saturday)
At: Thadani House, opposite Indian Coast Guard, Worli village
Call: 7045904728 (24-hour prior reservation)
Cost: Rs 3,500 onwards (minus beverages)