The Verandah
The chefs at Grand Hyatt Goa’s The Verandah are committed to serving authentic Italian home-style cuisine and that’s evident in the food
An Italian dinner on a hot and humid summer day? If it were a run-of-the-mill multi cuisine restaurant, my answer would be a vehement no. Simply because many serving “Italian” food offer pizza with some kind of red sauce or pasta with aforementioned red concoction or drowned in a béchamel sauce and a generous (sickening?) topping of cheese. But the Grand Hyatt is far from ordinary and its restaurant, The Verandah, promises a home-style quintessential Italian dining experience. Excited at the prospect of busting popular notions of Italian cuisine, I made my way to the Grand Hyatt property in the quiet and picturesque village of Bambolim.
Overlooking the vast lush lawns of the resort, one can choose to sit outdoors (on the verandah!) and revel in the view of the serene beach. Those preferring cool confines can relax in its elegant interiors and enjoy a unique experience – an open kitchen! A marble counter with shell curtains as a backdrop takes centrestage. It is here that talented chefs freshly roll pasta and hand-stretch pizza dough. In another cooking space on the right, chefs quietly create culinary magic, while diners look on.
The staff here is extremely helpful and not only explain menu choices (I must mention the courteous and enthusiastic Ronaldo who shared some of his favourite dishes too!), but will also help you pair them with a suitable wine. I was perfectly happy to spend the night sipping on water, so I skipped the wine choices and went straight to the food. The menu has a large selection of recipes native to Italy featuring a wide variety of antipasti, zuppa, pizza, risotto, gnocchi, pasta, and luscious desserts. While I pondered over what to order, I nibbled on a breadstick dipped in a most delightful earthy artichoke and almond dip (the bread basket has an array of freshly baked breads, including focaccia). The meal was kick-started in all earnestness with Burrata. The creamy mozzarella cheese, which was freshly made that morning, was served with vine-ripened tomatoes, sweet basil and organic caper berries (sourced from Ishka farms) with little pearls of balsamic vinegar. This Burrata is quite different from what you would normally find. For one, the mozzarella itself is of the highest quality – if the chefs here are not satisfied with the milk or the manner in which the cheese sets, they just won’t serve it. Secondly, the tart caper berries vary in taste from the capers that are normally served in salads. Executive Chef David Ansted provided an interesting education in capers. The small capers that are bottled and sold in supermarkets are actually flower buds. If you gently peel the capers, they open out into tiny flowers!
But enough about my caper fixation and onto the next dish, Carpaccio. Wafer-thin slices of raw buffalo tenderloin are delicately placed on a plate, topped with fresh arugula, balsamic pearls, Dijon mustard pearls, parmesan shavings and drizzled with green olive aioli. I’ve only ever seen Carpaccio on Masterchef and marvelled at how pretty it looks without mustering the courage to order it anywhere because, well, it’s raw! It would have to be the choicest meat in order for it to be tender and safe to eat. But one can be assured of quality ingredients at the Grand Hyatt and this buffalo tenderloin paired with the peppery arugula and the tangy Balasamic and mustard pearls was absolutely delicious. I love the little pearl flavour bombs that pop in your mouth – these are created with a light hand and are not overpowering at all. Next came the Fritto Miso or crispy fried calamari with a saffron and garlic aioli. There’s no doubting this is a crowd favourite at The Verandah because we Goans love our calamari and this crunchy version does not disappoint. I would have loved to try the Crocchette, warm goat’s cheese with onion and beetroot jam with tomato and zucchini carpaccio, but my tummy was fast filling.
The soup was served with a flare – a potato-based soup is served in a soup plate; a steaming broccoli concoction is poured into it and is then topped with a dollop of cream. This broccoli soup is served with an onion biscotti. Stir to mix, pop in some biscuit crumbs, and you’re good to go! At this point, I was contemplating skipping the main course…until the Pomfret Cartoccio and Gnocchi were placed before me. The Pomfret Cartoccio looked like an inviting present waiting to be opened. I went in like I do with all my presents – with slow excitement, trying not to rip the paper. Inside this butter paper casing (those of you who get your primetime kicks from cookery shows may know this form of cooking as papillote, which is the French term) lay a gently cooked pomfret with fresh tomatoes, olives, amaranth leaves, those deliciously tart caper berries and potatoes. This refreshingly light main course dish is understandably popular with diners here. But, for me, the most exciting dish of the meal was the Gnocchi. I’ve only ever eaten heavy, gluggy, floury gnocchi and was almost put off of it for life, but here came this gnocchi dish that, quite frankly, looked like palak paneer! An innovation of Chef De Cuisine Dinesh Rana, these homemade potato dumplings are sautéed with a spinach sauce and topped with a pancetta bacon crumble, ricotta cheese, pine nuts and micro herbs. The fluffy pillow-like gnocchi marries perfectly with the wholesome spinach sauce, the salty crunchiness of the bacon and the creamy ricotta. Some parmesan on top? Some freshly milled pepper? No, thank you. This dish is perfect. For my next visit, I’ve got the Australian lamb cutlets and slow-cooked pork belly on my to-eat list.
Perfectly satiated, I could have gone home without dessert (sacrilege!), but who dines at an Italian restaurant and doesn’t order the Tiramisu? It’s unheard of. This is another Italian culinary classic that needs to be savoured in all its authentic glory. There are too many creamy, mousse-y versions out there that are nowhere close to the original. At The Verandah, chefs soak Savoiardi (also called ladyfinger, NOT the vegetable) biscuits in Bailey’s Irish cream, coffee liqueur Kahlua and Indian cafe espresso and top it with a fresh cream and mascarpone cheese mix, and finally dusted with cocoa. Boozy, light and heady! The second dessert was a vanilla panacotta topped with red grapes, sliced kiwi, dragonfruit, plums and pears. A splash of pomegranate sauce makes it look like a work of art.
Happy sigh. The passionate chefs at the Grand Hyatt are committed to serving wholesome, fresh meals with the highest quality ingredients and this is obvious when you taste the food. All herbs are organically grown in the property gardens, as well as a few vegetables. Whatever is sourced is tested in their own labs to ensure quality. What I especially appreciate about The Verandah is that it has not compromised on flavours to appease a local palate, but has stayed authentic as well as innovated to create new dishes and combinations without losing the Italian flavour. Very often, restaurants in luxury properties promise something as amorphous as an “experience”. But here, the clear, innovative, delicious food is front and centre.
Buon Appetito!
