It was way over two months ago when I received a call from my bestie, Nolan. Now while receiving calls from one’s best friend may not seem unusual for most, when it comes to him and me, it is. You see, we know one another’s individual schedules pretty well, in the sense that we know chances are both of us will be busy with some form of work or the other at most given times. So in a bid to not disturb the other, we always message back and forth through WhatsApp and call only if the situation is bordering urgent. Therefore when I finally fished my phone out of my bag that day and saw his name flash on my screen, my mind began to race. What could it be? Praying that it wasn’t something dire, I pressed the answer icon and to my relief, heard a cheery “Hello” on the other end. After a quick “What’s happening? How’ve you been?” I was promptly asked “What are you doing on the 7th of March at 7pm?” I stopped short. I couldn’t even remember what I was doing the week after, let alone two months down the line! After an unconvincing “Nothing much as far as I can recall” I was boldly told to block the date and that more details would follow…
Without a doubt, my curiosity was piqued! But no matter how much I badgered him, Nolan would not tell me more. In the calmest of tones that would send my monkey up out of pure impatience and frustration, he’d say “All in good time”. Of course, knowing my bestie and his passionate association with food, I knew it had to have something to do with the culinary world, but in spite of that, I had to play the infuriating waiting game. Cut to the 1st of March – the day dawned and brought with it the first clue to the main day; ‘133 hours to an experience of the month! The countdown has begun.’ Then on March 4th, the second clue pinged on my phone: ‘The seven deadly sins await you on the 7th of March at 7pm sharp!’ The anticipation was killing me and starting to drive me mad! Would the day ever get here?!? Finally on the 5th of March, I was presented my formal, personalised, hand written invite that spoke of a ‘show’; a show to excite my gastronomic senses; a show that would play with and entertain my epicurean taste buds through the progression of the evening, course by course.
And so with a heady mix of excitement and expectation pulsating through my veins, I made my way to the peaceful and picturesque setting of Koi in Calangute on the 7th of March, albeit more than just a little after 7pm. For me this was a first of many – the first time I’d been invited to such a culinary evening; the first time I’d seen such attention to detail for a dinner first hand; the first time I’d be experiencing a ‘show’ that was curated by my bestie. And what followed was a show alright!
Greeting everyone at the entrance and welcoming one and all to the evening with warmth galore were the lovely Shefali Gandhi, the entertaining Aziz Lalani (both of whom are partners at Koi) and the dapper bestie, Nolan Mascarenhas. Together they had hand-picked items and carefully crafted a mouthwatering menu that saw the unbelievable union of otherwise regular ingredients. Spices that most often go unnoticed were made the heroes of dishes and had their potency and presence echoed in accompanying drinks. Fixings that would otherwise be classified under the ‘acquired taste’ tab, were cooked to perfection and presented in a manner that made them hard to resist. Delightful desserts were made from scratch right there and then bringing to light not just the recipe but the flair and art behind the sweet course. Of course, words do no justice to the actual fare – one must experience it first hand to even be able to fathom what I’m attempting to describe. All I can say is I came away happily satiated, supremely satisfied and super proud of the bestie. Safe to say, I’ll be going back for more!
