Relish these Konkan-Portuguese dishes from Goa's famous bar in Mumbai this weekend

Mordida Crocante with achappams

What's up with Goa's air; how does it manage to keep itself classic and contemporary at the same time? It's the historical markers in food, architecture, art, community and culture that preserve a strong connection to its roots; but it's also the way it creates space to grow into that makes everything about Goa so wholesome. Today, we focus on the food. Miguel's in Goa, which serves up food and drink true to the Konkani-Portuguese cuisine, promises to plate heritage through innovation. The cocktail and petiscos bar will set up shop at Byculla's Magazine St Kitchen for the weekend, offering the city a seven-course meal for vegetarians and non-vegetarians, with curated signature cocktail pairings that are inspired by the 1920s and '30s, the golden era of mixology.

(Left) Mixologist Dhruv Tuteja and (right) chef Madhav Dayal

Taking us through the dishes, which dip heavily into Portuguese names, Miguel's chef Madhav Dayal introduces the menu's opener, vista sul, their own amuse-bouche and their regulars' favourite bar snack. He explains, "Vista sul translates to ‘looking south'; we serve a yoghurt-coconut emulsion, Chettinad powder, rice crackers and aam papad cut into small leaves." The mordida crocante comes with achappams for a savoury version of the deep-fried sweet snack, and is served with mushroom pâté or chicken liver pâté. Another dish that celebrates the Konkan-Portuguese heritage is the azulejo which serves smoked chonak with a deconstructed tomato-tamarind-kokum paste with curry leaf oil plated in the design of the Portuguese azulejo tiles. The meal closes with a Miguel's take on serradura and a dessert-cocktail combination of a Baileys-infused cigar called Boa Noite with an espresso martini.

Boa noite dessert and cocktail

The paired cocktails by mixologist Dhruv Tuteja or Mister Tootsie follow an old-school philosophy of keeping to classic methods and flavours. The six cocktails include a jalapeño-infused vodka cocktail called punha luta Mexicano. The Jose Cuervo comes with Reposado tequila, cinnamon, honey, orange and lime. And one that catches our eye is the Langley's with gin/vodka, ginger, green chilli, coriander, lime, and pineapple ice.

But we're curious if contemporary versions of this cuisine can continue to offer the wholesomeness, not in quantity, of our beloved old-school vindaloo or chorizo pao (which are also on the menu). Chef Dayal deconstructs their vindaloo no pão, noting, "It's another Konkan-Portuguese fusion with traditional vindaloo curry filled in a bread called pão de queijo, which is a Portuguese-Brazilian cheese bread that we also mix with a Yorkshire pudding. It's a bite that gives you an explosion of pork and cheese. I'm excited for people to taste that because it doesn't look like a curry, but when you bite into it, it actually is a curry." This surely ticks our list
for wholesomeness.

On July 30; 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm
At Magazine St Kitchen, 13-A, Devidayal Mill, Byculla.
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Cost Rs 4,750