Real Taste of Goa in Khan’s Middle Lane by Sourish Bhattacharyya
BERNARDO’S has seen seven address changes over the past 10 years, starting with Chittaranjan Park to its present location at Super Mart, DLF Phase- IV, but it has had a loyal band of devotees who’ve flocked to it no matter how far it may have moved. There’s something very welcoming about the Goan restaurant’s home- like feel and the natural warmth of the couple who run it — Chris Fernandes, who was a sales manager at Philips before he chose to answer his real calling, and Crescentia Scolt Fernandes, his wife who used to be with the Unicef’s India Office before she decided to join her husband in a culinary journey that started with a pickle factory. Add to this authentic Goan food — some diners, though, still turn up their nose at the vindaloo because it has no aloo — served at shack prices and you have a real winner. Unsurprisingly, Bernardo’s is a doughty survivor. Fashionable restaurants have come and gone, but Bernardo’s is yet to see a bad day. For many of us, Gurgaon is like another planet, especially because of the deathless wait at the toll, but Bernardo’s had to move to DLF Phase- IV because Chris and Cres, as Crescentia is better known as, live in Farrukh Nagar near the Sultanpur bird sanctuary, which is an hour’s drive from Millennium City, because of their extended family of 40 dogs. Sudha Kuckreja and Manav Sharma therefore have done a good deed by hosting Gourmet Goa, a month- long festival of the signature dishes of Bernardo’s, at The Kitchen, their little Khan Market Middle Circle restaurant famous for its khao suey. The challenge with Goan food is that most of us have very little idea about it. Those of us who know about the cuisine are put off by the fare offered by restaurants because they don’t get their masala right. It was this collective feeling that did Souza Lobo in. The famous Goan restaurant was so keen to pander to the local palate, it didn’t realise that Delhiites who venture out to have regional food are well aware of the authentic fare and don’t want to be fed a Goan version of butter chicken. Thankfully, Chris and Cres have strong feelings on the subject. They insist on kingfish ( or surmai ), Kolkata bekti and sea sole because they rightly consider basa, a favourite of restaurateurs because it comes filleted and requires minimal cooking, to be the “ paneer among fish”. And they get hand- ground masala — each Goan curry has its own — from Chris’s native village. Such attention to detail makes a real difference. It shows in the authentic palate of the fiery Prawn Recheado, shallow- fried prawns bursting with the sharpness of the recheio masala of red chillies and spices ground in Goan vinegar. It’s the same feeling you’ll get when you wipe up the pork and liver sorpotel with your warm pao, or the Goan classic, Caril de Camarão, prawn curry simmered with ground spices and coconut milk, with a tart twist of kokum, or the sizzling Ambotik, sizzling hot and sour fish curry cooked with red chillies, spices ground in Goan vinegar and kokum. The slowcooked Vindalho de Porco, of course, is the piece de resistance . It is a flavourful feast for the senses and the cubes of pork just melt in the mouth ( I also love the way Chris and Cres have reverted to the old Portuguese spelling to avoid the aloo confusion!). You need jasmine tea to wash down this feast and to make room for the iconic Goan layered cake, Bebinca. It’s made with white flour, coconut milk, eggs yolks, sugar and ghee flavoured with nutmeg and baked in layers. The taste will stay in your memory for a long time, just like its zillions of calories will haunt you forever. The challenge with Goan food is that most of us have very little idea about it but Bernardo’s has got it right -- eugene