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F&B
Goa on a platter
There is much more served up in Goa than fresh crustaceans
from the sea. The men who rule the culinary universe at the Park Hyatt Goa speak
of regional and international influences on the grub of the land. By Neeti
Mehra
Trilok Narain, EAM - F&B, Park Hyatt Goa and Asif Mehrudeen, executive
chef, Park Hyatt Goa, have a lot up their sleeves. With years of international
experience backing them, they have brought in a flavour of the foreign lands
to the Goan shores. Says Narain, "Cuisine should be true and consistent
with the destination."
The fuss over fusion
Authenticity is big on the menu. The property has five restaurants
that includes their signature Goan fine dining restaurant, Casa Sarita, where
the Goan Chef Sarita prepares authentic home style food. The emphasis is on
freshness, and the menu includes the fresh catch of the day, with cooking techniques
revolving around healthy food. "We don't believe in fusion, and stretch
ourselves to get that level of authenticity using high quality local spices."
There is also a stress on the use of organic vegetables. Chef Mehrudeen also
points out that smaller portions permit guests to try more varieties of food,
across courses. "Within Asia we are pushing towards simplicity," he
says. As overtly complex food typically falls out of favour, restaurants serve
up home-style food, with a contemporary twang.
Asif Mehrudeen, executive chef, Park Hyatt Goa |
Trilok Narain, EAM, F&B, Park Hyatt Goa |
Going healthy
Park Hyatt Goa introduced its spa menu six months ago. The emphasis is on low-carbs,
low fat, char-grilled, steamed and baked food, and fresh juices. Put simply,
it means basic, comfort food, they emphasise. Many a time the flavour of the
food is lost in a panoply of ingredients, added to boost its taste and look.
But this is a technique that they do not employ. "We keep the integrity
of the cuisine and don't add taste enhancers," said Narain.
| The restaurant is a traditionally designed Goan house
that serves up home-style Goan food. The menu includes Portuguese bacalhau
salt cod fritter with parsley, onion and chilli sauce and prawns pastelihos
which is stuffed prawns in pastry served hot, with lime chilli vinegar.
The soup selection includes sopa de camarao e batat, which is prawns, potatoes,
lemon and spring onions, whereas Goan pork sausage tossed with onions and
coriander vinaigrette are found in the salad selection. Vegetables include
beans foogath, with fresh coconut, roasted black mustard seeds and vegetable
xacutti. The main course includes prawn curry cooked with coconut, coriander
and dried red chilli. From the stir-fried and grilled Goan specialties is
eixe com tempero verde - a seared fillet of modso baked with green masala.
Desserts include the traditional Goan speciality bebinca and crispy churros
rolled in cashew nuts. |
Shifting plates
Apart from this, there has been a distinct shift in the palate which was accustomed
to and demanded Thai and Italian food. Moreover, the changing lifestyles of
Indians, with more and more women working, more processed foods are entering
homes, and there is a demand for more varieties of cuisine. But within this
shift too, there is a change in the type of food that people would want to eat.
Chef Mehrudeen concurs and believes that the contemporary avatar of traditional
techniques is the way forward. "Food will be presented in a modern way."
However, when asked whether the trends will swing towards classical, fusion
or contemporary cuisine, he says that it is the classical style that works best.
So what cuisine will be popular in the future, apart from the staple Thai? Narain
feels that Vietnamese cuisine will pick up in popularity. Another interesting
trend he speaks of is Indian chefs working abroad packing their bags and coming
home to capture a slice of the Indian markets.
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