There he stretches and arches his back and then strikes a pose of a karate exponent, getting ready for battle. And just when you think who this delightful madman is, you are told that he is the head chef who leads his cast of virtuosos who make up his culinary team. And the work they do, is nothing short of music in full symphony, creating a mega buffet spreads for weddings and parties whose dates are often decided when Anthony Pinto is available.
He is one of South Goa’s most endearing characters, hero
to many other food caterers, a friend to many who have
thrown parties and held weddings and the most awaited
customer for the fisherwomen of Margao, whose days end
only after Pinto comes to pick up his stock of fish in the
evenings. Anthony, like most boys went to sea and returned
home to Varca to what many return to – a family bar or
restaurant. The bar started off as a street corner regular
with the usual Goan fare till Pinto decided to cook for more
people when repeat orders started pouring in. The chef
turned to guru as many hopefuls came to Pinto’s door to
learn and to be trained and he turned away no one. Slowly,
the Pinto orchestra grew, transforming the collective ability
of so many cooks, to seamlessly produce a spread, and yet
from cafreal to curry with armaas, solantolem and spare
ribs in between, each dish stands out as an instrument with
its own distinctive sound in the orchestra.
And he is a performer. As the wedding party reaches a
crescendo after the bride has been kissed and the jiving
starts, Pinto too starts his dance in the kitchen, nudging
the table decorator, staring down at the salad creator,
tasting the curry and either grinning or glaring at the cook.
Between all this he emerges to grant an audience to many
guests and all potential customers, some immediate, some
five years later.
But while Anthony Pinto does what he loves, and loves
what he does, his heart lies in that little place he never
ever left, his Pinto bar past the Varca church towards
Camurlim, the route of countless journeys in the hunt
for places, love, people and food. Many a Business with
Pleasure has emerged from these parts. The regret is that
in the last decade of wandering in these parts, at Betty’s
shack and Fisherman’s Wharf, Pinto Bar was missed till
yours truly got to meet the man who finally became a
friend, sometimes calling the significant other to inform
her that a particularly good catch had indeed arrived and
he had kept some for me.
A couple of weeks ago, on a rain swept night we drove off to
Varca to dine at Pintos, a bar which really has no name. He
wasn’t there, having taken off to spend a rare evening with
friends in Panjim. But his regalia was in full display. The
flavours of food at places like these, take you back in time
when Goa was different – cosier, smaller, enduring. But like
all great orchestra conductors, Pinto has surprises up his
sleeve. His was the beef chilly fry, quite simply a stunner
from the Pinto kitchen made by his head chef Shahi. Here
the beef is tossed in salt and spices completely distinct and
cooked to perfection, soft yet with a slight woody burnt
aroma. Shahi, like many in his staff arrived from out of
Goa and were trained by Pinto, the best Goan hand they
got, proving that when there is a guru and willing disciple,
Bihar can meet Bardez on the kitchen table.
