Once upon a time, chefs and restaurateurs
partook of this now thing of legend called the off-season. It was a time when
they took a break, stacked away their pots neatly, locked up the tableware,
sent their staff away on holiday and just unwound. However, this was a time
when the monsoons saw a dwindling number of tourists and local visitors to
these havens of gastronomy. Circa 2015, this is no longer the case. Tourists
still turn up in droves and need to be fed. With ordering in also a growing
trend, many locals prefer to just dial a meal, rather than cook themselves. And
there went the magnificent break that many chefs looked for.
In Candolim, off the main road that cuts
through Saipem, where the path is not so beaten, is an establishment that draws
its old faithfuls. House of Lloyds has grown from the garage that once
ensconced the establishment to being a fully-fledged venture, yet one that is
no less welcoming than its previous avatar. For Lloyd Braganza, the proprietor,
the off-season is just business as usual. “In my 18 years in the trade, I don’t
recall shutting shop even once. This time of year is, by and large, I used to
take stock of the previous season and look at opportunities for betterment, but
personally, I am in a constant state of reinvention. I find that this time of
year is particularly hectic when it comes to domestic tourists,” he says.
The attention is now turned southward, to a
man who is nearing 75 years of age and is eagerly assisted by his local ‘lady
friend’. Milanese Giovanni ‘Tita’ Battista, with his thick moustache and
unmatched charisma, has moved from his cosy nook in Palolem to the heart of
Majorda, purely to prevail upon the off-season. He is, for all practical
purposes, a ‘national’ of Goa, leaving for Milan on an annual basis only to
have his visa renewed. When he moved, the bulk of his crew followed him. “We
have seen that people want to come to us whether the weather is good or bad. My
policy is that we must always cook from the heart, so that we can see smiles on
people’s faces. What is an off-season? I do not know,” he says with robust
Italian charm.
Once more we turn to Candolim, to what is
the homing beacon of every British tourist’s palate – Horizon Grill. From an
assortment of pies, to mushy peas, to his revered Beef Wellington, restaurateur
Karlton De Souza has stocked it all over time. Yet, he would stoically shut
shop when the monsoons arrived at his doorstep. However, in 2014, he kept his
doors open, no matter what the weather, right through the off-season,
moderating his policies slightly to play his first season safe. “We did notice
that people wanted to come in during the off-season in previous years. This
crowd was primarily local.To ensure operational viability was optimised, we
would only run one service: dinner, as this is when the bulk of the local
patrons would walk in. Normally, this time of year is when we look back and
reflect on how we can best improve during the coming season. This entails
everything from a menu revamp to infrastructural betterment,” he says.
Thus, whatever be your location, and
whatever be your fancy when it comes to your plate, fear not. It may be
raining, but nothing is truly shut, for the chefs, they are very busy.
