Hospitality vet Ashok Bajaj is expanding his empire once more, and this time, he’s going coastal. The mega-restaurateur behind D.C. institutions like Rasika, Bombay Club, and Bindaas is introducing a new Indian venture called Malabar to his Knightsbridge Restaurant Group, and this time, h e’s focusing on treasures from the sea. Malabar will replace another Knightsbridge restaurant – rotisserie-centric Rosedale, which lasted just a year in Forest Hills – when it goes live in mid-January (4465 Connecticut Avenue NW). “The concept of a coastal Indian restaurant has been in my mind for a few years,” Bajaj tells Eater. “We have small pieces of this in other restaurants, but we’ve never really focused on seafood.”  That changes with Malabar, which is named after the Malabar Coast that hugs southwestern India. The region, known not only for its palm trees and destination beaches, was also once the center of the spice trade, serving quite literally as the melting pot for multiple cuisines and cultures.  The richness of this history and flavor is reflected in the menu, developed by both Bajaj and James Beard award-winning group executive chef Vikram Sunderam. Malabar’s crab cake reimagines the Chesapeake classic with the addition of fennel, black pepper, and tempered mayo, while the scallops Caldine combines the shellfish with coconut, green chile, and cilantro. Malabar’s black cod is an ode to one of Rasika’s most beloved dishes, but this time it features a unique marinade of ginger, tamarind, and jaggery, creating a flavor profile that is all its own.  Bajaj says one of his early favorites is the Bouillabaisse, which will feature an ever-rotating cast of seasonal seafood. “Remember that Pondicherry was once a French colony, so much of the cuisine draws inspiration from French cooking,” he adds.  But while seafood will certainly be the star of the show, there will also be plenty of land-based meat on Malabar’s menu. For example, the Goan lamb cutlet features cured lamb, peri-peri masala, and vindaloo chutney with straw potatoes. The Mangalorean chicken curry brings more seaside flavors to the mix, with fresh coconut, garlic, fenugreek, and coriander seeds. And in a surprising twist, the team is also offering a tandoori rotisserie chicken, a playful take on the classic grilled offering that pays homage to its Rosedale predecessor.  Don’t skip dessert at Malabar either. Sweet tooths will delight in desserts like the banana toffee Paniyaram, a sweet rice-lentil dumpling with coconut ice cream. While Malabar joins a host of other Indian restaurants across his portfolio — the most iconic of which being Rasika, recently named one the most influential restaurants in America of the past 20 years by Eater — Bajaj says to expect something unexpected from this latest one. “A lot of people may not know what coastal cuisine from India really is, so I’m hoping that this will be an educational experience as well,” Bajaj says. Given the expansiveness of the Indian subcontinent, Bajaj notes that there’s always something new to discover when it comes to Indian cuisine.  “I wanted to create something truly different from what you could find at Rasika or Bombay Club,” he says, “If it all ends up being the same, people just won’t come.”  He says economic pressures and evolving diner preferences led to his decision to shutter Rosedale after its short run. He also closed his downtown stalwart Modena this summer, but its website currently flags a “new Italian concept” from Knightsbridge that’s “coming soon.” Bajaj is hopeful that diners will find new reasons to visit the upper Northwest outskirts of D.C., where his 100-seat dining room and bar that formerly housed short-lived Rosedale got a tropical makeover to reflect the climate of Malabar’s namesake. “At the end of the day, restaurants are community centers,” Bajaj says. “If I can please my guests and help them make new memories, I think I’ve done my job.” —Tierney Plumb contributed to this report ...read more read less