PANAJI
This summer, Latitude at Vivanta Goa, Panaji brings to you a curated menu that brings back memories of family dining affairs in ancestral Goan homes and local ingredients plucked from the backyard or carefully sourced from the village market. Aptly named ‘Goenche Jevon’ translating to ‘Goan Food’, this revelry of local culinary culture, generational gastronomic knowledge and time-honoured traditions is a taste of days gone by, of summers spent with cousins and the generous warm hospitality of beloved family members.
Busy professionals can soak in the iconic IHCL hospitality after a long day at the office in the capital city. A quick stop, some sumptuous Goan pickings paired with hand crafted beverages and you’ve been transported to a different realm - a gratifying pick-me-up in the middle of a work week or a weekend feast. Celebrate with colleagues, meet up with friends in the city or have a business dinner where strategies are cooked up over that comforting aroma of local Goan fare.
Showcasing a lavish buffet at Latitude from 7.30pm to 10.30pm, Chefs at Vivanta Goa, Panaji have handpicked dishes that one might find in their grandparents’ home on an unannounced visit or at a favourite tea shop that’s run the gamut of popular consumables over generations. It would be wise to begin the feasting with some refreshing sol kadi, kokum sharbat or the seasonal niro. The aromatic cashew juice kickstarts a time travel teaser for the tastebuds with upcoming live counters, salads, soup, mains and dessert, all featuring authentic Goan culinary heritage.
Savour the flavours of the ocean with crispy Bombay duck (kurkuron bombil), fried mackerel, kingfish masala and prawn rawa fry. Relish usal poori, banana buns, alsande xacutti and more from the live counters while being served with delicious fresh Goan pao.
Salads haven’t really been a mainstay in Goan homes but it’s surprising how the Chefs at Vivanta Goa, Panaji blend flavour filled ingredients in each option. Try the moong salad made with beans; the addictive chana dal sundal combining chickpeas and fresh coconut; the ubiquitous prawn and dried mackerel kismoor and and the traditional Goan salad. Bring on the summer freshness with some grilled pineapple and kokum salad, grilled calamari and curry leaf and more, brought to a crescendo with a variety of accompaniments such as chilli guava, raw mango, cashew slices, bimbli, tamarind and coconut flakes. For some added carbs, taste the balchao buns and jaggery sannas.
Soup works as a great palate cleanser - the Portuguese-style caldo verde and the macaroni soup of our childhood features prominently at this extravagant feast. Among the variety of main dishes, diners find themselves spoilt for choice with options that include Saraswat-style cooking and Portuguese-influenced fare.
If the cravings settle on comfort food, then go straight for the Goan rice with dal varan or vegetable caldine with a side of tidki midki bhaji, tambdi bhaji or raw banana and cashew foogath. Up the ante a little bit with seasonal gems such as phansachi bhaji and pineapple uddamethi that hail the local fruit of the earth. Make it a celebration with a taste of mouth-watering mutton sukhem, shark ambotik, crab xec xec, and chicken cafreal, the flavours sopped up by vegetable pulao or a selection of traditional Goan bread - pao, poie, khatre and bhakri. Finish the epicurean trail with decadent Goan desserts including manganem, bolo sans rival, alle belle, bebinca, dodol, puranpoli and a wide assortment of Goan sweets such as perad, gons, kadio bodio, pinag and doce, and traditional laddoos made of sesame, ragi, rawa, coconut and besan.
Passed down through generations, this feast encapsulates the true essence of a Goan affair, celebrating its culinary legacy with a touch of old-world Portuguese charm.
