It’s so unlike the Margao of today. And fits so snugly into the Margao of yesterday. Snuggled in the Latin quarter off Abbe Faria Road, Rutas has blended into the gorgeous architectural foliage. A cafe so French, or Italian, or Spanish with a cozy chair here, a cavernous sofa there and a high table and just a chair by the window. As the door opens, a soft chime of a temple bell goes off as it touches the door. From Frisco to Abe Faria, it’s a journey unexplained – at least to me. A journey untold but a journey well worth it. It’s clear that Ruta Kahate has cooked all her life, and cooked up a storm at that, in French and Italian restaurants in San Fransisco and California and also cooked what she calls New Indian, the inspiration of her book ‘Quick Fix Indian’ or what we call jugaar (fixing). Her world Cafe in Margao’s Latin Quarter does just that. It fixes you breakfast at lunch time, lunch for breakfast and a snack at any time. Getting a double egg spinach omelette with hot
roast chicken sandwich at 2 in the afternoon with a choice of ordering an English breakfast, and that too in Margao, and we are sold.
But, according to reports pouring in it’s the charm that Kahate oozes that acts as a perfect dressing to
Rutas. This desi from the Bay area of California quite
seamlessly drops dollops of glamour and charm to
make the Ruta’s experience more than about food
and a lot about Ruta Kahate (Disclosure: Yours truly
waited and waited but she didn’t turn up, but this
couldn’t wait. So the charm story is second hand but
very passionate).
Since this is a ladies special, let’s cut right across
two rivers- the Zuari and the Mandovi and head to
Sangolda, which has, as we have reported, become
a destination and not a part of our journey from
Panjim to ‘North Goa”. With its cafes’ clubs, art
galleries and restaurants, Sangolda is an island of
poshness, and Shilpa Sharma, Poonam Singh and
Pritha Sen are three ladies who have added to the,
well, posh spice. Mustard, a fine dining French-
Bengali restaurant, does the tango with two cuisines
in two kitchens with menu curated by two chefs.
And while the food magazines and reviewers think
that they are united by mustard in their cooking
and hence are together, perish the thought. The
bongs can mix with anyone. And “everyone” is
fine with them. Aren’t the Bengali bhadralok’s (fine
gentry) more British than the British. And didn’t
the French occupy Chandernagore in Bengal and
make it a French settlement for years. While the
Bengalis didn’t turn French, the French did partly
fall in love with, local Bengalis. But we are digressing.
(all Bengalis do). Pritha Sen, Bengali chef and food
curator and Gregory Bazire who created the French
menu didn’t take the association of their countries
to Chandernagore when they cooked up their dream
menus.
While Bazire will be dealt with some other time,
a meal in the Bengali corner, of aam porar sherbet
(raw mango juice), prawn cutlet, fish chop and
macher paturi (steamed fish wrapped in banana
leaves) followed bykosha mangsho ( dry mutton in
thick gravy) is a very small way of nature telling you,
what it is to be Bengali. Which research tells us, is no
different to being a Goan. We have massive afternoon
meals, love our sleep and our revolutions. And when
we are not doing any of these we watch or play
football or argue.
Pritha Sen, a very old friend from Bengal
ultimately did fall for the Goa charm along with
Shilpa and Poonam adding to the long list of
lovely ladies who’ve opened quaint to magnificent
restaurants having moved here. Not far from
Sangolda are the two veterans, Yellow Mehra and
Akritee Sinh owners of Fiesta and Au Reverie
respectively. They were the pioneers of fine dining
in Goa and the Ruta, Pritha, Shilpa and Poonam are
carrying on this fine influx.
What would Goa be without these charm
injections? This Goan- Bong is satiated but still
hungry.
