Souza Lobo (Calangute Beach, North Goa)

Like every self respecting yuppie Indian, who was exposed to the wonderland that is Goa at a young age, I come to consider it my second home. A Goan may frown upon this notion or ignore it altogether, but for me the feeling of belonging in Goa is so complete that, I in turn frown upon the ‘other’ tourists. So leaving this merry-go-around of who the state belongs to, let me get down to business to talk about one of my favorite places to eat while I’m there.

I generally avoid the Calangute side of the beach like the plague because it is so packed with tourists at any time of the year. Hordes and hordes of buses will dump their beach hungry populace there and to cater to their needs the area has become a densely populated commercial hub. But I must trudge my way through the fat man in a baniyan and the lady with the wailing kid and the beggars who plead with interesting British accents and the Romeo’s basking in their ditty underwear to reach the sand covered steps of solace that is Souza Lobo.

Souza Lobo has been around since 1932. (The restaurant, not the lady – bless her soul). By the number of locals as well as tourists who eat here, they seem to live up to their USP of ‘Traditional recipes live here’. They are open from 11am in the morning and continue dishing out succulent seafood and Goan delicacies till midnight. And if you intend to come during rush hour – be prepared to wait in their patio till your number is called out. No, Seriously. In the ten years that I have been coming here, I have spent considerable time and consumed innumerable drinks in the patio, waiting for my turn to eat. No Regrets! 

Herby Chicken Salad on Multigrain Bread

I bought a lovely multigrain loaf from Bliss Chocolates. Yes, yes…they now bake loaves, pita, lavash, foccacia and a host of other yeasty delights. And their packaging is quite nice as well and you know I’m a sucker for such things anyway. After I polished off half a loaf with just olive oil and some balsamic vinegar, I was left thinking how wonderfully this bread would lend itself to my chicken salad. I know it’s winter and a Chicken Salad is more of a light summery meal. But in Bangalore, the sun still shines nice and bright and the skies are awash with my favorite shade of blue. It’s not fair is it? :P

This basic recipe has many tricks up it’s sleeve. a. You can make this ahead and keep it in the fridge, the flavors just get better. b. So needless to say, it’s a great picnic staple! c. Serve it on some cucumber roundels and you have a fancy cocktail snack at a party! d. I ate this for lunch, so yes it’s hearty enough. And finally e. even though it’s a salad, it dosen’t feel like punishment at all because it’s so yummy! If all this is not enough to make you try this right away … look at the pictures!

DELIZIOSO - Italian Food Festival @ Bene, Sheraton Bangalore

I was invited by the Sheraton for a preview of their Italian Food Festival – ‘Delizioso’ last Friday. Their signature Italian restaurant Bene, was playing host to celebrity Chef Enrico Fiorentini from 9^th -18^th Nov. (That’s the duration of the festival by the way!). Last year Bene did a Truffles festival, but this year because of the weather in Italy (No good rains), availability of good quality truffles was a dicey affair. Hence they decided to showcase ‘Lombardy’ cuisine. Now when we say Italian food, the two things that immediately spring to mind are Pasta and Pizza. But that’s not all Italian food, is about. (Same as Indian cuisine is not equal to Garlic Naan and Chicken Tikka Masala!).

Milan is the major city of the Lombard region and is bordered by Switzerland to the north. Lombardy cuisine primarily consists of hearty fare with rice being a foundation. (South Indians rejoice!). Apart from being famous for its fashion, gastronomically the region is associated with Risotto. Now does Risotto ‘Milan’ese, ring a bell?  Dairy products also rule the roost (close to Switzerland darlings) and you can find the best Gorgonzola cheese here as well.

I made a mental note to myself that the acid test of the festival would be whether Chef Enrico could turn out a perfect risotto. If the executive chef from the award winning Sheraton Milan can’t do it, then who could, right?

Quick Fried Rice - A Lifesaver, literally!

Chinese Cooking is an art (At least for me). So attempts of Chinese cuisine at home are few and far between. We do visit the fancy Chinese restaurant for a nice meal, but nothing beats ordering greasy Chinese food from the neighborhood restaurant and settling blissfully on the couch to watch reruns of ‘How I met your Mother’ (Or CSI Miami, if that’s your scene :P). At the end of the meal however there’s always a faint feeling of regret. And regret tastes like a swollen tongue because of the amount of MSG/ Ajinomoto that the local guys use, to kick up the taste of the food. Not nice… not nice at all!

When such derailing urges strike these days, thankfully I don’t need to call the Ajinomoto joint anymore. (No, I don’t have a Chinese chef at home.) But I recently found this brand called Blue Dragon, which makes some amazing stir fry sauces. All I need to do is cut up some chicken and veggies and stir fry them quickly and toss the sauce in to finish! It tastes brilliant :) and even though I know there is some MSG in it, the level is not as high as leaving my mouth feeling like a barren wasteland! The only problem with this situation is that I only have the main course bit covered. Now if I order the noodles or rice from Ajinomoto Joint (that’s not their real name!), it defeats the purpose. That’s when I came across this fantabulous (yes, it’s that satisfying) Quick Fried Rice recipe. It looks and tastes like the real deal and helps complete the meal! Win win! Feels as good as Superman saving the day… well almost!