Mustard Musings

I wander about a lot and am fascinated by new experiences, particularly in the culinary world. When I stumbled upon Mustard, my first thought was an ‘either love it or hate it’ sentiment towards this sharp condiment.

But one step indoors and this venture by Shilpa Sharma and Poonam Singh blew me away. It’s an old Goa house in Sangolda that could be mistaken as a blown up version of a doll’s house. Varying shades of blue – navy, cornflower, powder – deftly interact with each other creating a broad colour scheme that immediately relaxes the mind.

I was taken back to the charming cottages of the English countryside with the quaint antique-style cupboards, tea pots and summery patio seating outdoors. Although I had company, I would imagine that even solo travellers or visitors will find it absorbing to sit here over a languid dinner, taking in the décor details.

The name made immediate sense when I looked at the menu – both Bengali and French cuisines celebrate mustard. French fields are filled with its shocking hue during spring and every Bengali I know shivers in excitement just anticipating that well-loved taste.

It is quite apt then that Mustard made its home in Goa, India’s perfect mélange of East and West in both culture and food. It’s one of the few restaurants in Goa serving authentic Bengali delicacies. The menu was curated by Pritha Sen, a renowned chef and food historian, to help visitors uncover the nuances and secrets of the cuisine, while Frenchman Gregory Bazire gave expert thought to the European section of the menu for those who love mustard and also for those who don’t.

Mustard has two separate kitchens with chefs specialised in their respective cuisine styles. This ensures absolutely authentic tastes. Chef Abhimanyu Sen was on site when we sauntered in, taking a seat under the outdoor bar area topped with traditional Goan coconut leaf mats.

It was still a little warm but the winds of seasonal change were blowing and it was the perfect spot to savour the last of the fresh seafood before the onset of the monsoons and the fishing ban in Goa that comes with it.

We had a delightful little tasting menu to sample the cuisine, as I’ve not been exposed to Bengali food too often. It turned out to be a beautiful gastronomical revelation. First out of the kitchen was the kaach kola shammi kebab made of raw green bananas, apparently a favourite in the eastern state. A chicken starter followed with the meat marinated in kashundi, a tangy mustard sauce that is as signature to Bengal as recheado masala is to Goa.

The smoked fish at Mustard is not your typical dish. Flavours of history abound here, known as it is for delicate flavours with hints of mustard powder and oil, smoked in the traditional manner with puffed rice, jaggery and husk. All of this lends a distinct taste to the dish.

I was also impressed by the house-style tabouleh that incorporates many Goan elements including kokum, dry coconut, grilled cashews and Goan sausage bread crumb. We returned to the kashundi with stir-fried calamari that also featured a lovely blend of zingy ginger and sweet pumpkin. Very interesting indeed. The final starter was jholsamo mangsho – tender mutton ribs marinated with nigella seeds and charcoal-grilled to perfection.

Our mains featured two dishes from France, and two from Bengal. Chef Bazire reinvented the classic French dessert, the mille feuille. Instead of the usual light custard piled between razor-thin crunchy filo pastry sheets, Mustard serves a savoury version with a hearty vegetable fricassee tumbled with parsley and cheesy béchamel. Across the table was a juicy chicken breast stuffed with Dijon mustard and liver, and glazed with rosemary butter. It was served with étuvée vegetables, cooked in the typical French fashion of cooking them in their own, and garlic jus.

A fresh barramundi was taken to another level in the maachcher paturi, or fish cooked in banana leaves, a very traditional Bengali style. At Mustard, the delicate flavours of the banana leaf and mustard marinade permeate the fish through slow-roasting rather than steaming.

Kosha mangsho is Bengal’s star mutton curry, with fat chunks of meat soaking in a heavy gravy of mustard oil, onions, cardamom, clove and cinnamon.

We ended the meal with a celebration of the seasonal fruit. There was a delectable mango cheesecake and mango kheer. The menu also features a refreshing muskmelon and feni dessert soup with freshly cut fruit, grilled almonds and hints of coco and feni. I will certainly return to try it!

 

Everything Nice at Fortune Miramar!

You know how you like your hotel to be a little bit of everything? Close to the beach, but also to some shopping. Convenient to get to, but also out of the city. Luxurious, but still affordable. Contemporary, but classy. Warm, but not overly friendly. Well, that is Fortune Miramar to the ‘T’.

The five-star resort, in what is almost Panjim’s ‘suburb’, is the latest venture by ITC, India’s second largest hotel chain. With more than 100 hotels, the company knows what works best and with Fortune Miramar, reaches out to clients who desire a certain kind of travel – something that’s easy-going and laidback, without the tamasha of overcrowded tourist spots.

There’s no cloying fuss with service and no pushiness to tempt guests into ancillaries. Fortune Miramar is simply as hospitable as you’d expect from an ITC venture, and a stay here leaves you joyously satisfied with its service.

Overview

Located at the end of the famous Dayanand Bandodkar Road of Panjim shaded by a canopy of rain trees, Fortune Miramar has joined the ranks of the transitory architecture in the neighbourhood. Decades-old buildings are being redeveloped or given a face-lift and swanky new restaurants and spas have sprouted nearby.

Behind its classy glass façade, the hotel hides a quiet space to unwind and gather your thoughts, either as a business traveller after a long day at work or a leisure visitor summing up a day of sightseeing.

Accommodation

Fortune Miramar houses 45 beautifully furnished rooms, all contemporary at its core, but touched subtly by a Goan vibe – blues and greens reminding you of the azure ocean and lush greenery, and warm wood of heritage interiors.

There are 32 Standard Rooms kitted with amenities expected of a five-star hotel – tea/coffee maker, safe, high speed internet, fruit platter, TV, the works. Upping the luxury quotient a little bit is its posh sibling, the Fortune Club Room, of which there are 11.

Finally, there are two suites featuring separate living areas, private work station and four-fixture bathrooms. The choice is yours!

Dining

Here too, the resort has kept things clean and simple. There are three food and beverage outlets – one multi-cuisine restaurant, one bar and lounge, and one café. Together, they satisfy every craving most judiciously, ensuring you never have to leave the hotel should you not want to.

Orchid is busiest at breakfast time, serving a sumptuous repast at its buffet. Many guests also avail of its tidy selection of à la carte offerings at lunch and dinner, choosing to sit indoors when it’s hot outside and al fresco when it’s cooler. Open round-the-clock, you’ll find this the perfect place to stave off midnight munchies or grab a bite after a night on the town.

For a relaxing night, head to Neptune for its thoughtful selection of spirits, wines and beers. It’s also got snacks, cold beverages and mocktails along with lively music to keep your spirits up.

The most tempting aromas, however, waft in from the Fortune Deli, a comfort food lover’s hideaway with its warm goodies straight from the oven. There are light snacks like puffs, sandwiches and quiches, as well as pastries, cakes, chocolates and breads.

Amenities & Services

Fortune Miramar offers a whole range of complimentary amenities for guests who stay there – from buffet breakfast and parking to tiny bits and bobs like babies bibs, diapers, dental kits, band aids and even a mobile phone charger. There’s a clear blue swimming pool up on the rooftop and a well-equipped gym.

For a fee, guests can avail of valet parking, airport transfers, baby-sitting services and in-house laundry. There’s a doctor on call as well, and a currency exchange desk.

Small business meets will find their perfect partner with the hotel, which has a fully equipped board room for conferences, discussions and brainstorming sessions for up to 10 guests. The hotel also offers Wi-Fi internet connectivity, professional services and other infrastructure for such events.

Experience

I’ve always been a fan of the Miramar stretch from Campal onwards with its beautiful colonial houses leading towards open spaces, public sports infrastructure, and finally the beach, all the while shaded by these giant rain trees that have been around since Portuguese times.

For a while now, the area has been adding fun hang-out spots from restaurants to spas, cafés to pubs, each bringing its own character to the area, but retaining its relaxed vibe. With ITC’s Fortune Miramar, we have an added element of luxury to the main stretch.

My stay at the hotel reinforced the feeling that this hotel has everything one could want, as a business or leisure traveller. I see lots of potential in it becoming the next big thing for meetings with all its offerings available right there on the ground floor, along with valet parking.

I found the suite pretty luxurious and the spacious work area with desk and office supplies impressive. The living space had comfortable sofas, a large television set, and a massive bedroom. I was most taken in by the expansive bathroom and the inviting bath with the loveliest of toiletries. Nothing relaxes me more than a hot bath after a tiring day!

It’s also important for me to stay fit while I travel, for work or otherwise, so I was happy to have a gym with all the trimmings and a swimming pool as well. Plus, a four-kilometre long beach was barely 150 metres away for a morning run and some functional training on the sand.

Food was another highlight of my stay at Fortune Miramar. For lunch, the very talented Chef Pranay Mallick treated us to a smoked salmon cornet and a grilled snapper with garlic mash and roasted pepper coulis, followed by a decadent dark chocolate mousse. Dinner saw my partner and I share a Goan chowder, watermelon steak salad and a grilled pork chop with potato rosettes and thyme jus. It was finished off with baked cheese cake with brandy snap. Each dish was both innovative in taste and presentation, and flavourful.

The ITC Hotel Group is one of my favourites in India and I had no misgivings about the quality of hospitality at its latest addition. With its splendid location and easy accessibility, I see Fortune Miramar becoming one of my top meeting places for a business discussion or a quick coffee catch-up with a friend.

Fancy a Butter Chicken Burger?

My mid-week dinner dilemma was solved a few weeks ago, when I dropped in at Café Cotinga for their weekly Wednesday live music events and ended up staying for the better part of the night. The charming Café Cotinga at the Tamarind Hotel in Anjuna, have just revamped their food menu. The restaurant design is tasteful and contemporary with alfresco seating, an attractive bar, an indoor pool table, and a couple of giant birdcages you can dine in!

The new menu reflects the trend of fusion north Indian food by offering a globalized mix of tandoori meets continental. I tried the new ‘Butter Chicken Burger’; succulent pieces of tender, juicy butter chicken wrapped in home-baked buns with a refreshing salad on the side. Also the unique ‘Achari Chicken Pizza’, a curried chicken pizza that was just spicy enough for me to handle. For dessert, we dug in to the chocolate brownie with a soft mousse filling; and the mango cheesecake which was light and airy. Besides a well-rounded menu, the restaurant is also one of the few places where one can get quality food late at night and many local residents order home delivery.

 

Owned by the Arya family, from Delhi, the heritage property was designed by famed Goan green architects Gerard D’Cunha and Dean D’Cruz some years ago. Over the last two years, Café Cotinga has become a cultural hub for hosting different independent musicians every Wednesday at their ‘Free Bird’ nights. Some of the country’s top musicians have played here to packed crowds. International traveling bands from Balkan gypsies to mouth-harp troupes frequently perform here during the peak season. Local greats like Elvis Lobo, Anirban Halder and Ranjit Arapurakal, often jam here. Another hot favourite among local expats, the Wallfly film club brings together like-minded culture buffs here every Tuesday, when they screen handpicked art-house and indie cinema.

The new menu adds icing to the ol’ cake and makes Café Cotinga a must visit for north Indian food with a twist. It’s sort of a hidden gem where tourists from Delhi who stay at the hotel can meet fun-loving expats and local residents, which makes for a memorable holiday.

A taste of Mexico in Goa!

Habanero Goa opened up a few months ago in the midst of scenic Baga, by the sister-brother duo of Rohan and Pooja Ghotage. Even though it is a franchise outlet, Habanero Goa continues to honor the founders’ culinary vision by offering an exciting menu of fresh, authentic Mexican American cuisine – full of lightness and brightness, color, punch and enthusiasm. For years I have been told that the Mexican culinary tradition is a unique thing full of depth and wonder. The only problem was access to ingredients, and really, if you can’t make it to Mexico itself, you have to try the food here.

The Habanero Goa menu includes everything we in India have come to love about Tex-Mex cuisine like nachos, quesadillas, fajitas, and burritos. You can also choose from a wide variety of light bites like the Holy Guacamole, made fresh at your table and served with 100% homemade corn chips. The handmade ‘Jalapeno Poppers,’ or the ‘Macho Nachos’ that come in mini or macho sizes, are other light favorites. For other tasty options, you could also try the Habanero Fiesta Salad, which is accompanied by cheese quesadilla triangles, or the Mexican Burger. And if you like to customize everything on your plate, take it a step further by building your whole meal from their special ‘Build Your Own’ menu. This section has many styles that have a distinct Habanero touch, from burrito bowls to soft shell calamari tacos to Enchiladas – and fillings that range from Barbacoa (beef) to Carnitas (braised pork) to refried beans and grilled vegetables – to go along.

 

The lively bar features a bartender who is an expert arsonist, setting drinks on fire! Try one of the signature cocktails like the amaretto flavoured ‘Rock Lobster,’ the signature beer based margarita ‘Beeritas,’ or the ‘El Chingon Pomegranate Margarita’. If you’re in a group, experience the giant Margarita pitcher that resembles a fish bowl.

The interiors are vibrant and spacious while exuding a casual, fun atmosphere, and I’ve been told it will soon include Goa’s first micro-brewery in April. The décor creates a warm and rustic environment with bright colours, delightful murals all along the boundary walls and fun props like the over-sized sombrero hats, which make for great selfies and group photos. There is a shaded area with picnic tables, besides the long bar and a sprawling indoor area wrapped with a pretty balcony upstairs.

Habanero is not just about the food and beverage, the vibe is completed with its live stage. Fast becoming one of Goa’s live hot-spots, Habanero plays host to two days of live music – Friday Chilli Vibes nights, which is a platform for some of the best established as well as upcoming acts in Goa, and Sunday’s ‘Fiesta de Brunch’ which is their brunch buffet that has the soulful singing of Goa’s well-known songstress, Joanne Fernandes.

With its bright and festive ambiance, Habanero is sure to make your mood as colourful as its vibe.