One of the very first restaurants to serve tribal and seafood cuisines in the city, Santa’s Fantasea, is popular among the gastronomes for the lip-smacking rustic delicacies, including Bansa pora mutton, Arsa chum, Voksa meh, Jadoh, Julu pitha, and Tilhou kheer among others.
As the brand turns 10 this year, they have curated a chef ’s special menu, titled The Fantasea Decalogue, boasting of 10 dishes celebrating an eventful decade at its Salt Lake outlet. Indulge was invited to taste a few of those specially curated dishes. We were welcomed with a Tanka torani, an authentic tribal cooler from the villages of Orissa made from rice water, tempered with organic spices.
The refreshing coolant is similar to fermented rice water and we relished every bit of it with another tribal fusion delicacy, Stuffed squid filled with a mix of chicken, onion, fresh ginger, chopped garlic and green chillis, steamed together for an exquisite touch of flavour and tossed in a tangy, spicy sauce. We also tried Chicken wrapped prawns, baked to deliciousness, and the succulent Chicken nest, which not just looks interesting but tastes delish too. The dish comes with a crispy potato nest, served with rustic red chicken pieces.
If you want to go light on the spice quotient, Mapo tofu will be a great choice. Tossed in a unique, subtle-tasting sauce, this dish is replete with small pieces of chicken, mushroom chunks and tofu cubes. For us, the last dish on the menu was the real game-changer. Replete with simple flavours emanating from a handful of ingredients, the Honey lemon prawns tasted amazing. Cooked to perfection with honey, freshly squeezed lemon juice, green chilli, sesame seeds and coconut powder, the tiger prawns were heavenly!
Price for 2: Rs 600+
Pictures by Anindya Saha