THAI FLAVOURS WITH A GOAN VIBE

Rohit Khattar's latest offering, Fireback, located in Siolim, makes complex Thai flavours accessible to the Indian diner 

- Avantika Bhuyan

As you approach Firebackthe latest addition to the bevy of restaurants in north Goa-it looks like a pristine glass house set amidst a sea of greenery. The minimalist interiors of restaurateur Rohit Khattar's newest restaurant offer a stark contrast to the verdant green all around. Wood runs as a leitmotif, connecting the inside with the outside. Fireback, which opened to public last weekend, overlooks the Chapora river in Siolim and the majestic St Anthony's Church.

The 80-seater has a chic laidback vibe, very unlike the conventional Thai restaurants across the country, where the decor borders on kitsch.

This is not the first time Khattar, founder and chairman, EHV International, which owns restaurants such as Indian Accent, Comorin, Hosa and Koloman, has dabbled in Asian cuisines. Though he is best known now for restaurants that offer a modern rendition of Indian cuisines, way back in 1999-he started Oriental Octopus in Delhi as one of the first pan-Asian restaurants-setting the tone for many such restaurants to follow across the country.

"I am not too sure whether I am a trendsetter, but at that time nobody in India had experimented with multiple cuisines from the East. Since then, the Indian consumer has evolved considerably, courtesy travel, the internet, and social media," says Khattar, 60. "Food has become a national pastime in more ways than one. Even kids are glued to MasterChef and looking for innovation in each dining experience."

All of these factors, perhaps, made this an opportune moment for Khattar to bring his long-standing desire to open an authentic, yet approachable, Thai restaurant to fruition.