Soul Food’s legendary seafood boil celebrates its 10th edition at Mumbai's Kona Kona
Soul Food’s Seafood Boil is a pop-up dining experience created by chef and founder Aashish Seth in Mumbai. What began in 2022 after he was introduced to the concept in Goa has since grown into one of the city’s most distinctive food rituals. The project brings together buckets of fresh seafood, bold sauces and a festive, communal style of eating that is rare in Mumbai. The USP lies in its ability to break down barriers at the table, encouraging diners to share, interact and build memories through food.
Your seafood boil has become something of a cult favourite in Mumbai. What inspired you to bring this bold, communal dining style to the city, and how has it evolved since the first edition?
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, I relocated to Goa in 2022, where my friend Ulrik introduced me to the seafood boil concept. After years of isolation, I sensed people craved community, whether through storytelling, gathering or sharing food. The boil embodied all of that: bold, social and joyfully messy. Our first post-COVID event struck a chord. Since then, we have refined the sauces, sourcing and set-up, but the essence remains the same, an unpretentious connection over a shared feast.
The 10th edition at Kona Kona feels like a milestone. What makes this collaboration with Mona Singh’s nostalgia-driven bar unique, and what can diners expect?
Reaching the 10th edition is significant, and partnering with a venue rooted in nostalgia adds a layer of depth. The boil is about community and memory-making, so it is a natural fit. Guests can expect the signature feast with buckets for 2, 3 or 4, each offering a choice of two sauces. “The Emperor’s Table” will explore five distinct flavours, one for each seafood selection, alongside a curated drinks programme featuring local beers and wines designed to enhance the shellfish. It will be a true celebration.
From Old Bay seasoning to your custom Thai Herbed sauce, flavour seems central to your storytelling. How do you build these bold profiles?
Every sauce begins with balance and a story. Old Bay anchors us in tradition. But collaborations inspire new directions, like the Thai Herbed sauce for Mona, built with lemongrass, kaffir lime and bird’s eye chillies to capture her love of bright, spicy flavours. For me, flavour should connect personally with diners. It is not just seasoning seafood; it is layering memories into the meal.
Seafood is often seen as either high-end or homey. You have managed to make it both. How are you reshaping seafood culture in Mumbai?
Seafood does not need to sit in one box. By tipping crabs and prawns onto tables in buckets, we strip away pretence but keep the quality front and centre. In Mumbai, seafood is woven into cultural identity, but the boil introduces a new, communal way of enjoying it. That is the shift, making it vibrant, approachable, yet still special.
Looking ahead, do you see the seafood boil becoming permanent in Mumbai, or will it stay a pop-up ritual?
There is always the temptation to make it permanent. But its magic lies in its rarity, an event people anticipate and plan for. I see it as a ritual that reappears in new spaces, with new partners, each time offering a fresh experience. That way, every boil feels unique, never just another dinner.