If Spice Traders’ location is anything to go by, the experience is bound to be nothing less than stellar. Tucked away in a discreet corner, at the far end of W Goa, Spice Traders is the hotel’s southeast Asian restaurant. The restaurant is housed in a beautiful structure, seemingly inspired by the pagodas and temples of Bali or Thailand. Spacious and bathed in natural light, with partial views of the sea, the decor and location is enough to lull you into a blissful state of mind, and induce a sense of indulgence.
Over Sunday brunch and curated cocktails, I catch up with the skipper of this restaurant, the dynamic chef Tanveer Kwatra. He comes with Australian work experience under his belt. With a self-confessed soft spot for Asian food, Kwatra honed his skills in Australia where multi-cultural cuisine is the norm, and even helmed Delhi’s famous Asian Hawkers’ Market for a while.
The articulate chef sports a casual-chic demeanour characteristic of all the employees of this ‘fashion forward’ hotel. “Southeast Asian cuisine is like the hip hop of food,” Kwatra says, “It’s fun, it’s spirited and it’s almost rebellious. There are so many explosive flavours and the spice level is often so high, making it quite unforgettable.” While the idea of Spice Traders was already conceived by the hotel, Chef Kwatra and his team have been responsible for the food styling and conceptualising the menu. What, then, is the USP of the restaurant that has already got so many of Goa’s locals and visiting gastronomes flocking to its tables?
“We wanted to go beyond curries and stir fries. Asian food has seldom gone beyond this stereotype. One of our main focuses here are our salads and raw bars.” A case in point is the impressive selection of gourmet salads ranging from the classic Thai pomelo salad, a crispy duck salad and another one with black corn. Another must-try, Kwatra says, is the prawn and glass noodle salad with a zesty lime dressing.
“Another thing that I have introduced on the menu is the raw bar. This is something that is extremely trendy and people enjoy it too,” he adds. “There is a Chilean sea bass carpaccio, the crudo hamachi and a marinated chilled cucumber salad. I have noticed an increasing preference for carpaccio, both vegetarian and otherwise.” There is an interesting selection of ‘raw pizzas’ on the menu as well. You can choose between a truffle tuna with crispy cabbage or a vegetarian option with yellow and red pepper.
Kwatra is quick to point out that his team has been instrumental in the success of this restaurant. For example, Executive Sous Chef Dawa Lama has “worked tirelessly to create a wonderful selection of dim sum and sushi, among other things”. One look at the dim sum menu is enough to transport you to the crowded markets of Hong Kong or Shanghai. “There is a clear focus on ingredients. I want to showcase ingredients as much as possible. Why not let the ingredients do the talking? That said, at Spice Traders, we have not been shy to experiment. The palate is rather bold.”
Take the prawns in XO sauce, teeming with the flavour of onions or the chilli fish doused in a Hong Kong olive relish. While the restaurant is certainly a haven for a meat or seafood lover, vegetarians are spoilt for choice, too. “Our customers come from diverse backgrounds and we have a huge chunk of vegetarian patrons, coming from all over India. We have made sure that the menu is divided almost 50-50 and infused it with a lot of familiar flavours and textures. For example, one of our hot-sellers is the goat cheese wanton. Discerning vegetarian diners who have appreciated goat cheese during their international travels are delighted to see it reinvented into this Asian comfort food.
“The crispy spinach with water chestnut is another favourite,” says the chef. The main course too features many vegetarian options, the standout being the Monk’s style hot pot served with assorted vegetables, tofu and glass noodles. Then there is the favourite—stir-fried asparagus and water chestnut, accompanied by cashew nut and dried Chinese olive rice.
Half way through, it becomes clear just how well-researched this menu is. There is a personal connection though. “I travelled to Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and even Tokyo to do my research and get better acquainted with the street food culture in these culinary hubs,” says Kwatra.
Another interesting thing to note is that as upscale as Spice Traders is, located in one of Goa’s plushest hotels, the pricing has been intelligently thought of. The pricing corresponds more or less to most of the decent Goan restaurants in the neighbourhood. “I don’t want Spice Traders to be a pretentious, overpriced eatery. I want discerning local diners to come here too. I want it to be a prominent feature of the Goan restaurant scene and we’ve priced it to make it attractive enough for people to want to come and dine here,” Kwatra concludes.