Shardul Yeole has trained his North Indian staff to prepare Maharashtrian delicacies at his eatery. Pics/Nimesh Dave

FOR as long as he can remember, Shardul Yeole has had a weak spot for thalipeeth, but a fastidious one at that. The traditional Maharastrian multigrain flat bread, made with a blend of various grains powdered together, and spiked with onions and chillies, is known to be a powerhouse of nutrition. "I would order it at restaurants, but was never happy with the quality, which I felt was either lacking in taste or texture. Having tried the thaalipeeth from Solapur and Nashik in the past, I knew the original taste of the dish was different," says Yeole. What intensified his search for the perfect thaalipeeth were the ubiquitous fast food joints around his Kandivli residence. "There were plenty of places serving burgers and pizzas, but none that served authentic Maharashtrian cuisine in the distant western suburbs," says the 30-year-old whose father, a police officer owned a restaurant in Dahisar 15 years ago. "Back then, we had to shut shop due to operational problems, but I retained the desire to run a restaurant," says Yeole, who earned a hotel management degree from Rizvi college in 2007, but later ended up starting his own venture in construction. While managing his ongoing project in Satara district, he runs the restaurant with help from his brother Ruturaj and mother Lalita.

 
The thalipeeth is priced at Rs80