Beer and food always sounds good, together they make an essential pair, especially for us Goans. Now using beer to cook food is something that may still sound or seem alien to some people. Regardless, using beer in the cooking process and the whole concept is popular in the west and fast growing all around the world, it has also been around for centuries to say the least. The concept of using alcohol in cooking however is not alien to these parts as you would see a lot of restaurants in Goa making use of wine in the preparation of their seafood and a few Italian dishes. Popular spirits like vodka, brandy and rum are also a common ingredient used in a wide range of meat dishes and desserts too.
Beer has evolved ever since its creation around thousands of years ago. Today there are countless varieties and forms of beer which means the possibilities when it comes to playing around with food, are near endless. Most beers fall into 3 categories; ales, lagers and hybrid beers (smoked, herb, fruit). Beer can be used to add richness and depth or a slight sweet element as well as a contrasting color to the dish, again depending on the type of the beer used and the type of dish. The Fortune Miramar along with their versatile Executive Chef Pranay Mallick has once again devised another great festival called Beer Meets Food that will run from September 15 till the end of October. The festival aims to showcase how the integration of beer will help elevate flavors in their wide range of dishes that have been included in their set menu for the festival. The menu, which has a good mix of continental and Indian inspired dishes has something for everyone and makes sure that people with different preferences all have something to chow down on. Seafood like prawns and fish, meats like beef, chicken, pork and lamb as well as a good amount of vegetarian dishes along with three desserts are on show at The Fortune.
Walking into the Orchid multi-cuisine restaurant at The Fortune, straight away puts you at ease with their calm, airy and simple interiors in alluring shades of cobalt blue that blend into the walnut colored wooden furnishings of the restaurant. The opening night of the Beer meets Food festival was set up perfectly with popular group Omar & Errol along with the soulful Nadia Rebelo gave us a preview of what will come every Friday night. The trio serenaded the crowd with a super set of retro classics along with some down tempo songs that matched the ambience at the restaurant.
The dishes listed on their menu were priced very conveniently and not over the top. The Fortune Miramar has for a while now started to build the foundation of a reputation for excellent food at economical rates. The menu also included a budget meal wherein a customer could choose 1 soup, starter, main course and a dessert which is a great deal considering the quantity and quality of the dishes.
The menu had only one soup which was a beer and cheddar soup that was primarily made using cheddar cheese and a Hoppy pilsner beer which has a pale straw color and is made from hops that give it the slight bitter element. This was a very thick soup served inside dome shaped bread with bits of crispy bacon. A soup packed with flavor and textures. Another must try on their menu would be the Tempura Fish. The use of ale beer in batter is a fast growing trend as the bubbles and alcohol in the beer help the fish stay tender and juicy while the batter stays extra crisp and much lighter than the traditional batter. The fish used was mahi mahi and served with a delicious, tangy-sweet ginger and soya sauce. There was also a vegetarian version of this dish called Tempura Vegetables. The Chilly Garlic Prawns poached in beer were also a real delight as they had a very strong chilly garlic taste along with that slight hint of a beer, a great combo. The addition of the beer added another dimension to this popular dish that certainly left a lasting impression. There were also other starters like pork ribs braised in a honey and beer sauce, buffalo wings in a beer butter sauce and more.
For the main course, the Yakhni Murgh Pulao which is a classic North Indian dish which consists of a pulao that is cooked in a meat stock. The Fortune's version does justice to the classic with a little twist by adding beer to the meat stock which adds to the taste. Long, fragrant grains of basmati rice with succulent pieces of chicken will leave you feeling stuffed. Vegetarians, no need to worry as there is also a veg version of the dish called Yakhni Subz Pulao. The Chicken Roulade was also a very appealing dish that consisted chicken that was rolled up and filled with cheese brown onion in a rosemary just with a beer butter mash. The great thing about the chicken used in the roulade was that the chicken was marinated in beer for four days to help absorb the flavor. Beer also contains enzymes that help break down tough fibers in meat thereby making the chicken more tender and flavorful than usual.
For dessert I highly recommend the Beer Ice cream which was wheat beer infused ice cream that was garnished with mint leaves and a caramelized piece of pork bacon. The crunchy and sweet element that the bacon provided complemented the sweet and rich ice cream really well, which by itself was already something to savour. You can also try the Beer Twinkie that were 2 twinkies (long finger shaped sponge cakes) with a cream beer filling of course, it's the beer and food festival after all. The dessert came with a side of caramel popcorn and a few bits of beer infused mango and strawberry pureed gels.
The Fortune Miramar definitely pulled out all the stops to showcase their prowess and versatility. The menu with 19 dishes that featured beer in them was definitely unique and ticked all the boxes in every department from quantity, to taste, to great value and more. A friendly reminder once again, the Beer Meets Food festival will run from the 15th of September right till the end of October as the festival will be a tribute to the Oktoberfest. So drop by, as this is one experience you certainly wouldn't want to miss.
(Akio Fernandes is a passionate foodie and the owner of The Hungry Wolf food blog - that showcases various culinary delights across Goa)
