I’ll be honest. I preferred the Malaka Spice in Koregaon Park in Pune to the one in Goa. For
some reasons, the latter never struck a chord with me – unlike its Pune
counterpart that I loved going to. So when I heard about a coastal cuisine
specialty restaurant replacing it, in Goa, I had mixed feelings and did not
quite know what to expect. Tinge opened a few weeks ago at Hotel Grande Delmon
in Panjim and the mixed reviews that followed didn’t do much to give me a clear
popular verdict. But I guess like most things in life, there’s only one way to
find out a clear answer – by trying it.
The menu at Tinge is quite expansive and
to make the selection a tad bit easy, has been divided into Coastal, Goan,
Oriental / Continental and North Indian. Since Tinge has positioned itself as a
coastal cuisine specialty restaurant, we kind of knew what we wanted to try. My
decision to skip the Goan offerings was somewhat deliberate. Simply because
Tinge happens to be the only restaurant in Panjim (at least in my knowledge)
that serves coastal cuisine from the southern and eastern part of India, and
considering my large yet limited appetite, it made more sense to sample the
latter.
I chose to take the vegetarian route,
going for the Bengali Bengan Bhaja. To be honest, I had never tried it before
and if may take the liberty to exaggerate a bit, this is the closest one can
get to have an alternative for fried fish. The thick yet tender slices of
brinjal may be the best representation of fried fish for the pure vegetarian. A
bit on the oilier side, this Bengali preparation makes for a great appetiser.
Mutton Kerala Pepper Fry followed. The
dish has a certain rustic warmth to it and it is a dish that you would like to have
on a Sunday afternoon with your family followed by a good book and an afternoon
siesta. Only then can you do justice to it! It’s got the heat from the black
pepper rather than the chillies, which adds to the homely warmth. The folks
toiling in the kitchen at Tinge prefer to use what seemed like whole or
slightly crushed pepper corns which may make it a little cumbersome. I would
like to think that using ground pepper corns would give it the desired punch,
yet not make it taxing for the diner, but I think it is a personal choice. When
asked my friend seemed to prefer it the way it was served. Also, the pepper
punch can be a tad bit overwhelming for some. But again, what is south Indian
coastal cuisine without spice that hits you?
Next on my list was Chicken Chettinad paired with Appam. For
those unfamiliar with Chettinad cuisine, it is fiery and is celebrated for its
brilliant variety of delicacies. Synonymous with very spicy food, Chettinad
cuisine in actual is a blend of well-balanced flavours. The Chicken Chettinad
at Tinge nailed the brief and the soft and fluffy Appam impressed us too.
Though, the Egg Appam that we made a special request for, goes much better with
Chicken Chettinad and the chefs at Tinge should consider having it on the menu.
The
food at Tinge really impresses and does well to make up for the slightly slower
service. But what is commendable is that apart from coastal cuisine which is
mostly non-vegetarian, Tinge is doing a few things to keep the vegetarians
happy too. For example, the Modak Special Veg Thali that is available for three
days in a week for lunch, is a welcome addition. The restaurant is also
screening the football world cup on the big screen and offering alcohol by the
bottle at MRP
