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There are few things more persuasive than a beautiful Goan sunset, especially when there's a cocktail in hand and the promise of good seafood on the table. At Lovefools by the Sea, newly opened at the Royal Orchid Beach Resort in Utorda, Chef Sarita Pereira has certainly got the setting right. The bigger question is whether her ambitious interpretation of Goan cuisine can hold its own against the view.
LoveFools began in Bombay as an intimate ten-seater dining experience, with a new 12-course menu every weekend. Five years of experimentation eventually led to an à la carte format, complete with a fermentation library producing everything from kombucha to three varieties of miso. Pereira's training in a Michelin-starred kitchen, Can Jubany in Spain, informs her approach to cooking, but Goa is personal. Her heritage, childhood food memories and international influences come together in a menu that travels freely between Goan, Japanese, Spanish and Italian kitchens.
When the experiments work, they're excellent. The Mushroom Bebinca – a take on the incredibly fiddly Indo-Portuguese layer cake – is perhaps the best example. Layers of mushrooms, white miso and smoked hiratake create an intensely earthy, almost blue-cheese-like mousse, accompanied by freshly baked focaccia for spreading. It's an unusual, deeply savoury dish that makes a convincing case for the kitchen's fermentation obsession. The Mushroom Xacuti Tart-In, with mushroom ragù and silky xacuti cream tucked into crisp house-made poie and finished with Parmesan, is another clever interpretation of familiar Goan flavours. The Goa on a Plate brings together a mackerel cutlet, prawn balchão mousse and dry prawn kismur. Each bite delivers something different, and the combination works beautifully. Add the fish curry and rice, and suddenly you're eating one of the most comforting meals on the menu.
Not every dish hit quite the same note. The Scarlet Recheado Chonak, despite its interesting preparation, could have done with a little more punch, while the Mixed Seafood Orzo needed a touch more seasoning to balance its rich, tomato-forward, cheesy sauce. Both have interesting ideas behind them, and a few tweaks could make all the difference.
Dessert returns things to familiar territory. The Signature Tiramisu, served generously straight from its tub, is unapologetically boozy and a fitting end to the meal.
The cocktail menu follows the arc of a holiday, with drinks named after everything from leave approvals to check-ins and window seats. Ingredients like feni, raw mango, lal maath and guava give the programme a distinctly local vocabulary, although the drinks themselves need a little bit of balancing.
In all, there's plenty to like here, especially in the dishes where Pereira's imagination and understanding of flavour come together.
Time Out tip: Book a table before sunset and arrive early enough to watch the sky change colours over Utorda – a quiet beach in the southern part of Goa.