For the love of   gastronomical experiments

The gastro pub of Radisson Blu Resort Goa Cavelossim Beach, ‘Sagres’ under the name ‘Sagres Stories’ features unique culinary concepts every month. The Kombucha paired degustation menu is a newly introduced concept. NT BUZZ finds more

VENITA GOMES | NT BUZZ

Radisson Blu, is one of the oldest and much famed resorts in South Goa, besides retaining its cliental comfort legacy, they are constantly working towards bringing new variations and concepts in culinary world. The recent Kombucha paired menu is carefully crafted by the culinary team at Radisson Blu led by Corporate Executive chef Mahesh and Sagres (tavern) managed by sous chef Monish Santos.

While introducing the three-course menu, chef Mahesh introduced me to kombucha; though I knew it was a fermented beverage and had several health benefits like detoxing the body, shedding weight, fighting diseases and more, chef spoke about the probiotics content in it. He focused on how they have tried to use the probiotic content in the kombucha to help the gut and foster the gut microbiome organ allowing the body to function well.

Convinced with the soulful knowledge provided by the chef I was really looking forward to trying out the kombucha paired meal.

Meanwhile, as the meal was being prepared, I was served the Manakish sampler an assortment of Mediterranean flat breads with Tzatziki, kalamata olive paste, spiced tomato coulis and a mesculn salad. Usually when one mentions Mediterranean food you think of something like pizza, olives and a plethora of seafood; however these flat breads were relatively soft and flavourful, handmade breads topped with a series of different condiments and ingredients. The salad and the dips complemented the sampler quite well. One could easily nibble two or three pizza slice-shaped flat breads which were served in earthenware tray, bringing in the nostalgic feeling.

The fish course was the first meal. It was Lapsang souchong tea smoked mackerels with pomme fondants, salsa verde and lemon thyme air. This course was paired with a black tea kombucha. 

When I took my first bite, the pure smell of smoked mackerels was relatively loud and delightful while the tenderness of the fish along with lemon thyme air and tartness of the salsa verde proved to be tastier than I expected. The robust nature of the black tea kombucha complemented the complex dish very well. Though it looked like a heavy drink, it was relatively light and mild.

The first course set high expectations for the rest of the servings. As a Goan, the mackerel and kombucha pairing left me eager to find out that else was in store for my taste buds.

The next was the poultry course – Chicken three ways- Confit chicken drummet, chicken mosaic, and chicken crackling with saffron corn puree and orange ouzo gastric. The three preparations of chicken were succulent and paired with an orange kombucha that helped enhance the floral notes of the saffron and subtle chicken flavour.

The main course was Ras el hanout spiced beef with cinnamon apricot jus, wine glazed carrots and potato glass. The well cooked meat and the rich Ras el hanout spice could be tasted in every bite. Setting high expectation for the three-course meal was just the right thing to do. This course was rightly paired with a tamarind kombucha which accurately helped accentuate the spice notes in the dish. 

Dessert was dark chocolate glazed angostura mousse with honeycomb, beet caviar and white chocolate splatter rightly paired with a mango kombucha. The detectable presentation did look tempting but I wasn’t really expecting a mango paired kombucha with it. However, the tartness of the kombucha complemented the sweet mousse quite well. The relatively small amount of beetroot caviar on the mousse makes the simple dish relatively innovative. The presentation does take it a notch higher!

If you really want to experiment with some healthy and innovative food, Radission Blu’s kombucha paired meal is something to look
forward to.