What’s on the menu at Goa Indian Farm Kitchen, Hemant Bhagwani’s new restaurant at Bayview Village
More on Hemant Bhagwani
Name: Goa Indian Farm Kitchen
Contact: Bayview Village Shopping Centre, 2901 Bayview Ave., 647-352-1661, goatoronto.ca, @goafarmkitchen
Neighbourhood: Bayview Village
Previously: Kabuki Japanese Restaurant
Owner: Hemant Bhagwani (Indian Street Food Co., Amaya)
Chef: Kamleshwar Singh (Indian Street Food Co., Amaya)
The food
Two years ago, restaurateur Hemant Bhagwani was feeling burnt out, so he sold both Amaya and Indian Street Food Co. and went travelling. First he went to Lisbon, then he went back to his hometown, Delhi. From there, he decided to explore Goa, a southwestern state in India with a unique coastal cuisine influenced by its Portuguese colonial history and Christian population. “A Hindu family living across the street from a Christian family will do the same prawn curry differently,” explains Bhagwani, who spent six months living in Goa, cooking in people’s homes and learning about the region’s classic dishes, as well as what locals like to eat today.
Throughout his stay, Bhagwani worked on a Goan cookbook (which comes out this fall), and when he was offered a space in the mall, he figured that maybe Bayview Village was ready for upscale Indian, specifically contemporary Goan. Bhagwani has made sure the majority of the menu is gluten-free, and there are many vegan options (including a tasting menu), too.
The drinks
As many diners will be driving to get to Goa, the alcohol-free options are on point. Mocktails like a guava-mint-coriander concoction are nice and complex, while on-trend thirst quenchers, such as ginger-lemon kombucha, cater to the uptown crowd. The 16-bottle wine list is dominated by Ontario and European wines, and over half the offerings are available by the glass. The tight cocktail card features classic recipes with Goan twists.
The space
To make this 1,700-square-foot, 40-seat restaurant feel more like fine dining and less like mall dining, Bhagwani installed spotlights above every table. That way, the food is illuminated while the room itself stays broody and dark. Bhagwani fell in love with a church in Goa that had a curved ceiling, so he recreated the vaulted effect here.
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Name: Goa Indian Farm Kitchen
Contact: Bayview Village Shopping Centre, 2901 Bayview Ave., 647-352-1661, goatoronto.ca, @goafarmkitchen
Neighbourhood: Bayview Village
Previously: Kabuki Japanese Restaurant
Owner: Hemant Bhagwani (Indian Street Food Co., Amaya)
Chef: Kamleshwar Singh (Indian Street Food Co., Amaya)
The food
Two years ago, restaurateur Hemant Bhagwani was feeling burnt out, so he sold both Amaya and Indian Street Food Co. and went travelling. First he went to Lisbon, then he went back to his hometown, Delhi. From there, he decided to explore Goa, a southwestern state in India with a unique coastal cuisine influenced by its Portuguese colonial history and Christian population. “A Hindu family living across the street from a Christian family will do the same prawn curry differently,” explains Bhagwani, who spent six months living in Goa, cooking in people’s homes and learning about the region’s classic dishes, as well as what locals like to eat today.
Throughout his stay, Bhagwani worked on a Goan cookbook (which comes out this fall), and when he was offered a space in the mall, he figured that maybe Bayview Village was ready for upscale Indian, specifically contemporary Goan. Bhagwani has made sure the majority of the menu is gluten-free, and there are many vegan options (including a tasting menu), too.
[caption id="attachment_484157" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] The Karma Basmati rice mixes in wild rice and chickpeas for added texture. $4.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_484163" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] The Shrimp Balcho is made with coconut vinegar-marinated tiger shrimp that are cooked in a tomato-Kashmiri sauce with curry leaves, ginger, garlic, cumin and an extra hit of coconut vinegar. It’s served with black lentils and red quinoa. $19.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_484152" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] This eggplant is lightly battered in chickpea flour before taking a quick dip in the fryer. The golden strips are then lashed with a saffron-infused coconut yogurt. Pomegranate pearls, basil and pine nuts complete the plate. $12.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_484161" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] This short rib is marinated for 24 hours in coconut vinegar, ginger, garlic and cumin, then cooked sous vide for another 72 hours. The sauce gets its kick from Kashmiri chilies and a ton of garlic. Celeriac purée and pickled cipollini onions accompany the meat. $24.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_484158" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] The Goan Seafood Curry is made with scallops, shrimp, mussels, tilapia and okra. The sauce gets a hint of sourness from the kokum fruit, its creaminess from coconut milk, and its spiciness from Kashmiri chilies, cloves and peppercorns. $26.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_484165" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] Here are some of the team members, from left to right: Sudhan Natarajan, Sakshi Humne and Kushal Singh.[/caption]
The drinks
As many diners will be driving to get to Goa, the alcohol-free options are on point. Mocktails like a guava-mint-coriander concoction are nice and complex, while on-trend thirst quenchers, such as ginger-lemon kombucha, cater to the uptown crowd. The 16-bottle wine list is dominated by Ontario and European wines, and over half the offerings are available by the glass. The tight cocktail card features classic recipes with Goan twists.
[caption id="attachment_484154" align="aligncenter" width="3490"] Fenni is a Goan cashew-derived liquor.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_484155" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] This play on G&T mixes gin infused with betel leaves with St. Germain liqueur, Fever Tree tonic and some fresh juniper. $12.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_484156" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] The Goan Mule is made with turmeric-infused vodka, fresh ginger juice, Fever Tree ginger beer, kumquat and lime. $12.[/caption]
The space
To make this 1,700-square-foot, 40-seat restaurant feel more like fine dining and less like mall dining, Bhagwani installed spotlights above every table. That way, the food is illuminated while the room itself stays broody and dark. Bhagwani fell in love with a church in Goa that had a curved ceiling, so he recreated the vaulted effect here.
[caption id="attachment_484166" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] The gallery wall is a collection of images from Goa, his forthcoming cookbook.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_484153" align="aligncenter" width="4000"] The giant crystal chandeliers are from Restoration Hardware.[/caption]){kind=link}