Rebirth Of Cool

Panjim's five historic neighbourhoods-São Tomé, Corte de Oiteiro, Fontainhas, Mala, and Portaisare witnessing a culinary revolution that is being driven by young home-grown chefs. These local culinary savants are introducing decidedly big, bold flavours into the small state's hot restaurant scene.

- VIVEK MENEZES

A few steps around the corner from Panjim's iconic Café Tato, which his great-grandfather opened 110 years ago, Pranav Dhuri's eyes light up with pure passion as he describes the genealogy of every ingredient in the small plate of delicious food I've just devoured: pan-fried mackerel with baby wild potatoes, shaved fennel, and a luscious beurre blanc laced with tirphal (an indigenous relative of Sichuan peppercorns).

His family's landmark restaurant made its name for excellent bhajis-mushroom, tomato, the seasonal tender cashews-served with pao or puris, which he aptly describes as the "OG tapas". Now, this ambitious Switzerland-educated and US-trained 31-year-old has fast-forwarded that same concept into the 21st century with Petisco-his restaurant's name means appetizer in Portuguese which is quietly serving some of the best food in the country. Even more impressive, he's not alone, only one exemplar of an outstanding cohort of emergent culinary mavens with deep roots in Panjim. Their heavy lifting in this laid-back Latinate city is one big reason Goa genuinely deserves its increasingly loud reputation among the food capitals of the world.