Spectacular view, luxurious settings and delectable food is what makes Saipe at Hilton Goa Resort, a class apart.
Saipe, the in-house restaurant of Hilton Goa Resort is inspired by the vibrant vibe of Goa. An all day dining restaurant, it presents a unique dining experience, which serves multi-cuisine specialties in a relaxed ambience that celebrates the best of Indo-European design sensibilities. My partner-in-crime, Shanice D’Souza and I decided to go for lunch and sat indoors, grabbing a seat near their large windows, so we could have a breathtaking view of the lush Goan landscape in the distance and their infinity pool. Chef Ashley Nunes greeted us and opened up about the restaurant and their dining options. Pooja Sharma was our server and promised to make our time there enjoyable.
Chef Ashley requested the bar-in-charge to whip up some of their special drinks. We were served a drink called the Glittery Shadow, which had Vodka, tonic water and edible orange glitter served in a tall goblet. When stirred, one could see the magic the glitter created and was more of a delight to look at. The Barrache Kaling was a specially curated Goan drink concocted with watermelon juice, whisky, and garnished with basil leaves. A little cocktail skewer with watermelon balls lay gently on top of the glass which made for a pretty picture. Tangy and refreshing, it was a perfect thirst quencher.
Chef Ashley laid out different kinds of starters for us, as he wanted us to savour a little bit of everything. First was a Quinoa Couscous Chaat which had a mix of quinoa, couscous, bell papers, tamarind chutney, and sriracha sauce, served with nachos. Described as summer salad, it was light and pleasing to the palate and something that one would love to have on a hot summer’s day. Next on the list of starters, were the lamb chops. It was soft and juicy, given that their lamb is specially sourced from Jaipur. The Garlic Prawns followed which were served along with olive oil, chillies and mutli-grain bread. The prawns were tender and a delight to bite into. Chef Ashley was extremely kind to share his recipe with us and then we went on to taste the Mala Chicken, which is a North East dish served with a sprinkling of Lazazi chillies which hit the right notes with just a small hint of spice. The Murgh Baladari Tikka, was a typical Indian tandoor starter with the perfect balance of spices and masalas. The Vegetarian Manchurian Pops, an Indo-Chinese dish that would delight any vegetarian and one can go on popping these little balls of goodness with no end in sight. Shanice and I decided that the winner was the Garlic Prawns. This is one appetizer no guest should miss out on, when here.
After stuffing ourselves with the starters, Chef Ashley said that there was still more to come and went on to serve us a veritable feast. First was Yo-Choy, which consisted of stir fry Asian Greens, which could be eaten on its own or as an accompaniment to another dish. Though served in a little sauce of its own, the greens were crunchy and it was the first time, greens slid down my throat so easily. We then helped ourselves to the Jasmine Rice served along with Prawn Thai Green Curry. The fragrant white rice paired with the creamy curry had big chunks of prawn which transported us to foodie heaven. Shanice dug into the Railway Lamb Curry with gusto, which had pieces of their delicate lamb meat swimming in rich red gravy, and had to be eaten with garlic naan as an accompaniment. Next we on to taste the Chicken and Egg Fried Rice which had bits of chicken, egg all mixed with the quintessential Asian sauces and flavourings. The Dal Makhani, another vegetarian favourite; to be had with naan or rice, had little baby potatoes, peeking out from a thick, luscious gravy and was enjoyed by us both. Despite being full, we had one last dish to relish. The Mafu Tofu, as its name suggests had little cubes of tofu, served in a garlic curry accompanied by Chinese greens. The tofu was soft and silky and just melted on one’s tongue. Want to enjoy tofu? This place is your best bet. All their Asian dishes are served in stoneware bowls. I tried to go easy on the main course as I wanted to keep place for desserts, but it was impossible. For me the Prawn Thai Curry with the Jasmine Rice excelled as far as this course was concerned, while Shanice declared her Railway Lamb Curry as number one on the charts.
We took a break for a little while, chatting with Pooja, all about her life in her hometown in Bihar and how she came to be here. Finally it was time for my favourite part of any meal. Pastry Chef Amit Chatterjee, brought us three types of desserts. The first was a New York Cheesecake served with a berry coulis, passion fruit, pate de fruit and a dollop of citrus cream. This dessert was a treat to one’s visual sense had the right amount of creaminess with a hint of a citrusy, tangy flavour. The second dessert was a sticky chocolate cake with basil essence.
A mound of moist chocolate cake hidden inside tall shards of hardened chocolate, we dug our spoons in. Chef Amit said he wanted to try out something different by mixing a herb in a dessert dish. Shanice was clearly smitten by this one, and slowly dragged the plate towards her. The last one is my personal favourite, the Tiramisu. An Italian dessert, this one has layers of lady finger biscuits, mascarpone cheese, kahlúa liqueur and espresso coffee. Sinfully delicious, every spoonful was scrumptious and a perfect ending to any meal.
