Sussegado in Portuguese means laid back or chilled out and that is exactly how you feel as you make your way past the lawns at the Park Hotel to the beach. The Shack does not need much of a makeover as the sounds of the waves crashing and the feeling of cool sand at your feet provide the perfect ambience to try out Goan delicacies. To pamper the senses further, two guitarists from Goa play classical folk tunes.
Goa is today a potpourri of cultures and the food available also reflects this mix. However, no trip to Goa is complete without tasting its traditional food which is a mix of local Konkani and Marathi flavours with a strong Portuguese influence.
It is these traditional flavours that Chef Carmo Peter and Chef J. Saldanha form Goa will lay out for gourmands in the city to relish.
As you settle down with a refreshing drink in hand and the delicious seafood starters arrive you will have to keep reminding yourself that you are in Vizag and not on holiday in Goa. If you have been to the beautiful State before, then dishes like Lamb Vindalho, Chicken Xacuti, Chicken Cafreal and Bebinca are sure to make you relive your holiday.
For those sampling it for the first time it is a culinary cruise that combines local-Goan ingredients with its rich Portuguese heritage.
Chef Saldanha, who has conducted many food festivals across the country and abroad, says although there is a Mediterranean influence in the cuisine they do not use ingredients like olive oil which is used in Portuguese food.
For lovers of seafood the festival is a must visit. Fish curry and prawn curry Goan style, kingfish, and spicy and sour shark will be in offer. The buffet will be cyclical and will be repeated every four days.
For vegetarians dishes like Alami Sukem (mushroom chilli fry), Xengo tempered (drumsticks curry) Beringelas Picante (spicy aubergines), and Goan dal fry will be among the dishes on offer.
For desert delicacies like bathika, dodol and bebinca will be laid out. The staff at the restaurant and the chefs know the cuisine very well and offer detailed explanations about every dish.
You not only get to taste the cuisine you get educated about it as well. As you leave the restaurant you are sure to be humming the popular folk song ‘Y a ya maya ya ’ all the way home.
For dinner reservations and details contact Abhijeet D’Souza at 9966721388. The buffet starts at 8 p.m and is on till March 24.
