It’s been a while since we had a basket of fresh, homemade poee. And the batch from the culinary team at Dank restobar in T Nagar, definitely hits the spot. Light and fresh, these traditional Goan breads made by poders (bakers) are not easy to get your hands on in Chennai unless you are at a festival like this one. And they are perfect to mop up everything from a spicy Chicken Vindaloo to the popular Ross Omelette. The latter is a streetside favourite, Ros translates to gravy in Konkani, in case you are wondering, and this is either a chicken or chickpea variant.
Chef Ramkumar Nadar, who heads the kitchen at Dank, has both on offer as part of this menu. But he leads instead with a surprise accompaniment that is his own creation — Poee paired with a soft boiled egg under a decadent brown butter espuma, finished off with a swirl of chilli jam. It sounds simple enough but the combination is heaven.And already has patrons, suggesting this dish be added to the main menu, we’re told. For appetisers, you could also order succulent chunks of Chicken Cafreal or Fish Recheado, straight off the grill.
Although, our recommendation would be any meat coated with Ambotic masala, as this blend has been sourced from Goa. Expect a mix of dried red chilli, soaked in coconut vinegar overnight before it is blitzed into a paste. The chef tells us that this is best had on seafood, so take your pick of everything from prawns to a pomfret. We opt for the Squid stuffed with prawns with a serving of pumpkin purée on the side; the prawns in that ambotic masala are an immediate hit, but unfortunately the squid is a bit rubbery. Fortunately the mood is quickly turned around by the Rawa Fried King Fish, however, which is crisp on the outside and a yes for us on every day of the week.
The curries, as expected are the focus of the main course. We enjoy the six-hour slow cooked Short Rib Curry, which is packed with flavour from the bone marrow that is part of the cooking process. There is also of course, a fish in a coconut-based gravy, which is perhaps what most folks will be ordering with their eyes closed. And with good reason. For dessert, the traditional Bebinca we were looking forward to is a let-down. Instead we find ourselves devouring the Alle Belle — crêpes filled with sweet black jaggery and coconut. Too good to share, too good not to!
On till June 10. 12 pm to 11 pm. Meal for two at INR 1,600.