The trend of
Pop-up restaurants is the new ‘in’ thing to hit the Food and Beverages industry in Goa and properties
across the state are giving it a shot to add a crispy flavour to the monotonous
food routine of its consumers. Pop-up restaurants are also a viable option to
present the fruits of labour of skilled chefs excelling in a particular
cuisine, in the absence of a specialty restaurant at the property in question.
The Panjim property of Vivanta by Taj has of late been at the top of its F
& B game and has hosted a string of food festivals in rapid succession. Its
latest experiment is, however, a more serious one – in the form of a pop-up
restaurant by the name of Goan Stories at (and this one may come as a surprise)
the property’s lounge bar, Tease, starting November 9, 2017.
For the good folks at Vivanta, weaving this Goan story has been
difficult and easy. Difficult, because it has taken the team a good six months
to study, research and perfect the menu; and easy, because the property had at
its disposal the services of an experienced chef who has represented coastal
cuisine at the international level. Chef Cruz Urbano do Rego, who has been with
the Taj group of hotels for the last 47 years travelling extensively across the
Taj properties scattered around the globe, has supervised the entire process of
putting together Goan Stories along with Executive Chef Sahil Desai.
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Walk into the lounge
and you realise that a lot of attention has been given to detail. The element
of Goa has been carried beyond just food and has been infused in every aspect
of dining that makes it a phenomenon worth experiencing. Guests are welcomed
with a Goa-influenced cocktail or a mocktail and menus printed in actual shells
are presented. The table napkin takes design cues from the traditional
cotton-chequered red-and-white saree worn by the Goan Kunbi tribal women before
the advent of the Portuguese in the 16th century. Goan songs playing softly on
the speakers add a nice background touch.
The menu is quite
extensive and sports an aggressive price tag. I don’t remember the last time a
seafood thali at a five-star property cost me 500 bucks. There’s a
vegetarian variation of the Goan thali as well and both are reserved for
lunch only; other temptations on the menu are open for lunch as well as dinner.
I tried the seafood soup or the Sopa de Santa Margarita consisting of
crabmeat, prawn, squid, and fish, cooked with olive oil and thickened with the
use of bread crumbs. The bowl is quite large and is a semi-meal in itself.
Next, Rawa crusted fried prawns and Caranguejos Recheados, or stuffed
crab, made their appearances in consecutive fashion. The stuffing in the crab
shell was tempered with light local spices, onion, tomato and coriander and is
slightly on the tangy side.
The mains consisted
of a massive-sized and intimidating tiger prawn – said to be Chef Rego’s
creation – cooked in a thick cashew and coconut gravy. I had hardly any room
left in my tummy but couldn’t resist trying the Pomfret Recheado and as
expected, struggled to finish it. I had no option but to starve my sweet tooth
but those with a better metabolism than me can choose among Serradura,
Bebinca, Alle Belle, Classic Caramel Custard, Soufflé de Coco Bolo and Chocolate
con Caju.
For
the longest time, most restaurants across the length and breadth of Goa have
struggled to replicate the authenticity that Goan cuisine demands. But after a
long time, a five star property has come, in my opinion, the closest to
achieving this feat. After all, not all stories have happy endings. Thankfully,
this one sure does!
