I don’t think I can truly get over how many
times I’ve been over this, but really, I love the Masters of Food and Wine
series of events that unfold at Park Hyatt Goa. But as each one is so different
from the other, I can write about a different experience every single time. And
I do mean every…single…time.
This time around it was an evening hosted
by the Baroness of all things liquor, Shatbhi Basu. Shatbhi is a household name
when it comes to mixology and has a wonderful ability to craft all sorts of
wonders to suit all kinds of palates. This skill came in particularly handy on
this given evening, which was Mexican in nature and comprised a four course
Mexican menu paired with many variants of tequila and tequila-based cocktails.
After much (quite literally) song and dance
with multi-coloured sombreros, I arrived at that which mattered most. In the
quiet setting that is the restaurant called Casa Sarita, at Park Hyatt Goa,
menus were presented to the small number of diners at the limited-seating
affair. Each one of these had much promise, for it held a great array of
options for diners, be they vegetarian or otherwise.
The first course was a ceviche. The options
presented here were Ceviche de Palmito or Ceviche de Pescado. The Palmito was
made up of palm heart, chiffonade of baby cucumber and bell pepper, cilantro
and ripe avocado. The Pescado, on the other hand, contained snapper cooked in
lime, onion, avocado and mango. Both of these saw an iced Patron Silver touched
with mango and cucumber accompany them. Needless to say, I opted for the latter
course, and I was not disappointed. But then again, I’m a sucker for ceviche. I
mean, the fish is sitting right there, cooking in silence, on your plate, or in
this given case, margarita glass. It can’t possibly disappoint.
The ceviche glasses cleared, it was time to
look forward to the next course, the entrée. The first option was that of the
Maiz y Vegetables Tortas, Crema de Chile Habanero, which were basically corn
and vegetable cakes, served with a Habanero chilli cream. The second option was
that of the Langostinos Salteados y de Arbole. The latter dish was made up of
sautéed prawns de Arbol and a mango guacamole. This time around, the dishes
were served with a, Iced Patron Reposado with a Corny Sangrita. For me of the
two, once more, it was a no-brainer, and one which was absolutely outstanding.
It was, in all fairness quite possibly, the dish of the evening for me,
especially with the sangrita which had a hint of Tabasco offset by a salted
rim.
Cometh the hour and cometh the mains. For the
first time in a long time, I saw a vegetarian dish rival its non-vegetarian
counterpart for top billing (according to my palate anyway). According to some,
it may even have won the round. The Lubina, Arroz Andino, Mojo y Chile, Mulato
Salsa de Tomate or in layman’s terms, sea bass with Andean rice, sauce and
chilli tomato salsa, had its back put to the wall by its rival, the Guisa de
Patatas Dulces, Salsa de Queso Cascabel, which boasted of being the provider of
the greatest sweet potato dumplings that I have ever eaten, swimming in a
little private pool of Cascabel cheese sauce. While both were served with a
Patron Picante, it was merely a spectator on the side-lines, rather than
someone charging at the fore of the action, purely because the mains were that
good.
The dessert course was one that attempted
to encapsulate all that was sweet about Latin-America. A mini platter came
before me containing Pastel de Tres Leches Con Sabor a Canela, Churros de
Chocolate Bebe Con Yogur Barra Baja. The tres leches was extremely moist, but
perhaps just a wee bit gluggy. However, I’d still eat another in a heartbeat,
because it was rich in flavour. The churros were perfect, in my opinion.
However, my only grouse (if it could be called that) is that I would have liked
to have eaten more.
All in all, another grand evening gladly
spent at another superb session of the Masters of Food and Wine. Donald Trump
may be looking to keep Mexican things out of America, but I’d gladly welcome
anyone who can produce such stellar food, with open arms. If you haven’t gotten
in on the action yet, I suggest keeping an ear to the ground for the next time
that one of these is happening.
