Yes there are secrets in the lanes of
Panjim. Some kept and some not so well kept and that’s just as well. Some
places are there for you to walk in while finding others is akin to a Gestapo
or Mosad operation.
In the heart of the Panjim market,
opposite the Poshak store and behind a bank is a lane that appears to lead to
nowhere. As the lunch hour strikes and wears on, there’s a steady flow of folk
entering the lane next to the bank and heading to what one wouldn’t have
imagined, a restaurant at the back. The chatter is mainly in Hindi and Urdu and
if you listen hard enough, the words Dubai, Sharjah, and the omni-present
“Gulf” waft across the “Everest”.
A fellow traveller on the culinary circuit
who knows his food and has spent enough time in the Gulf to know the nuances
and the aroma of “Gulf food” was generous with sharing his deep knowledge base
when he said that there is a culinary sub culture in the Gulf introduced by the
Malyalis who have flirted with the culinary senses of the Arab world and
married them with the spices of Kerala to develop a sub cuisine culture. The
owners of Everest had done the usual right of passage from Kerala to the
emirates to become stakeholders of the Malyali-Arab style of cooking where the
meat is spiced up and burnt and served with pickled gherkins and hummus.
Ibrahim initiated this family business and
had restaurants, we are told at Sharjah and then in the Deira shouk area of
Dubai. A quick passing chat with his son Asif didn’t quite unearth why the
venerable patriarch of Malyali-Arabic cuisine didn’t go back to the shores of
Kerala but landed north and set up shop in Panjim. And over the years, as yours
truly travelled all over Goa looking for characters and places which give such
a unique food character to Goa, this family from the Gulf saw to it, that those
who are visiting from anywhere in the GCC countries, or even Gulf Goans or
those whose fathers are in the Gulf and they have a taste for this kind of
food, get it in Panjim.
A little sheepish that this wasn’t yet on
the radar of discoveries, one walked into the Everest, to surrender to the
flavours of Kerala infused with Dubai. The Dubai returned buddy knew precisely
what we wanted. Pomfret with Kerala masala was a starter. And mind you, it’s
not for the faint hearted. The pomfret tempts you with its flavours and knocks
you out with its spice. Next in line was Al Faham chicken which is cooked over
slow fire and burnt and lightly spiced and served with hummus and pickled
gherkins. That itself is a full meal to be had with flaky Malabar parathas.
The piece de resistance was the chettinaad
chicken. Lightly spiced with strong flavours that only this region can bring,
this went down, again, with delicious flaky Malabar parathas. Once you get a
feel of these streets, you realise that this is mini South India, with the
finest cuisine of the Muslims of South India. Next to Everest is another
restaurant which specialises in Mysore and Mangalorean food and on the bucket
list is Kori rotti where the chicken curry is poured over very crispy, almost
broken rice rotti and mixed. Messy but mouth watering.
And yet some things do not change. Since
there is not even a trace of alcohol served in these places, you can see some
of their customers making a quick dive, between courses or while waiting for
the food to come to this hole in the wall bar, next to Everest called
“mal-boro”. With apologies to the legendry man who formed the best known
cigarette brand, Panjim’s “mal-boro’ is simply a creative spin on “good booze’,
in Konkani. A place where everyone knows each other (but then that’s Panjim)
and can make out a clientele of Everest in a jiffy. In fact, Everest could actually
keep a menu card at mal-boro, since most of their customers get energised there
before they order their food.
There will be more from these parts of
town soon. One isn’t quite finished yet.
