So
a couple of evenings ago, I headed out to dinner, with a friend who
loves this particular venue; the one in question being Barbecue
Nation. I love grilled food by and large, to be completely honest.
However, there is just this mental association with grills and red
meats, which is missing from the menu here (barring a mutton sheekh
kabab), which I understand that as an enterprise catering to an
audience at large, simply isn’t doable. Having just completed a
year, I have to admit that the chain has done its best to impress
within its means, though because of the above reasons, I’m yet to
be completely sold on the matter.
Yesterday,
we went across to try out the new menu on display, courtesy Barbeque
Nation’s ‘Best of the Coast’, seafood fest. Where I give this
restaurant five gold stars, is their service and attention to detail
which is meticulous, to say the least. Between their handler of the
floor, Saish and table manager, Sadanand, so much as the creaking of
a rusty neck in any direction, would see someone turning up at your
table to accommodate your whims.
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To
those that have not been here before, Barbecue Nation works along the
lines of the Brazilian concept of the churrascaria, a
restaurant serving grilled meat, offering as much as one can eat. The
waiters move around the restaurant with skewers, placing them on a
grill that is inset within the table itself.
Through
this seafood fest, Barbeque Nation aims to enthrall diners with the
freshest and tastiest catches from the sea. Some of the signature
dishes available to the general public include the likes of the
Valencia BBQ Fish, squid rings served with chilli gherkin mayo and
Sea Bass Ambul
Thiyal
(sour fish curry). There is a live counter set to one side, where
diners can select from an array of fish cuts, including Lemon Sole
and Tilapia, which have been steeped in Maharashtrian Koli
and Sri Lankan marinades, and have them grilled to their
specifications.
For
those that have vegetarian companions (and many of us do, especially
given that this is the Lenten season), the menu offers vegetarian
treats as well. These include Hawaiian eggplant, zucchini and tomato
which are served with garlic bread, Aztec Poblano
Paneer, Dry Patara
and Raw Mango Papaya salad.
There
are also other add-ons to consider. For instance, the seafood menu
has been extended to the point of the dessert table, with the
inclusion of innovations such as the Ada
Pradhaman,
Kerala style Payasam
prepared with jaggery, rice ada
and coconut milk. Through their coastal seafood festival, Barbeque
Nation prepares to turn itself into an entertainment hotspot with its
ambience reflecting the deep blue sea. This is particularly useful to
the children that accompany their parents to a meal, as they will now
have distractions within their reach, such as paper octopus making,
finger painted crabs, fishing games and others, which have been added
to the ambience to give it an oceanic feel.
All
in all, Barbecue Nation has found a way to extend their already large
revolving door of menus and themes to one that Goa is all too attuned
with: food from the coast. There’s nothing fishy about this menu to
say the least. Except for the variety of fish on it.
