Yes Chef!

This one’s about the day I bought lunch for a chef at his own restaurant.

Spanish food is easily one of the most underrepresented cuisines of the world. Particularly in India, where we’ve largely clubbed diverse European fare into one seminal category of “Continental”, it has even endured being sidelined and sometimes misunderstood to be the same as Mexican. Widening the conundrum, tapas or small plates are now a “cooler” way of labelling appetisers.

Blame it on the Americas. While all other colonial powers found their way to the Indian subcontinent, the Spaniards caught winds that took them in the opposite direction. History has a way of making us pay a price for the past and the absence of Spanish cuisine in our repertoire could be an “anti-climactic” reason. Which is why the Portuguese, English and even French have intertwined with local fare in India over generations.

But I digress.

There was hope when, in 2021 I visited La Loca Maria in Bandra for the first time. It promised to remain true to its cuisine. Spain had finally arrived in Mumbai.

Like all restaurants in this trendy neighbourhood La Loca Maria has heaved with clientele from the day it opened doors. It was overwhelming to experience a meal for the sake of the meal without being distracted by the celebrity patronage. Which is why my first outing at the restaurant was a lot of gesticulating over high decibels to manage to convey the order. Zealous, well-intending waiting staff insisted on bringing the now famous Pan De Ajo accompanied by herbed butter. The soft pillowy bread served warm from the oven is like a drug that pulls you in.

I insisted on ordering the Charred Octopus, almost ready to dare the restaurant. Could this really deliver a Basque favourite? In Mumbai? And it did! Perfectly crisp on the surface, al dente to retain the flavours of the sea and yet flavoured by a teasing picante rub - we had a winner.

I promised myself that the restaurant deserved to be sampled on a quieter night. Unfortunately, that opportunity never arrived. To the credit of the restaurant, it has always been bustling, save a rare lazy afternoon I got to enjoy it. And was puzzled. The menu - which I had failed to study enough in my first outing - had Italian leanings, even Mexican and Peruvian. Had Spain gone Continental on me?

Which is why when La Panthera was opened by the same team, now in BKC, I ensured I visited it before it was discovered. The staff enthusiasm matched its predecessor. That was a blue tick. The menu mirrored La Loca as well, with a few intelligent tweaks.

And soon enough, it was comparably busy.

When the opportunity to chat with Chef Manuel Oliveira came up, I grabbed it. A recent lazy afternoon turned into a master class of consumer insights, and more.

A love story across continents brought him to Mumbai. Undaunted by the limitations of produce, he took up the challenge to introduce his favourite dishes, many learnt from his parents’ kitchen while growing up, to Mumbai. The results overwhelmed him. He had found a new home, one that teaches him new lessons every day.

For instance, while it may seem that the 6 kilometres that separate his two restaurants in Mumbai city is not a big distance, he treats both with individual attention and respect. His biggest insight? Mumbai changes with every kilometre and the need to become a favourite neighbourhood outpost is to understand and cater to it. That explains the unique personality both restaurants bear - one very atmospheric and the other very occasion-oriented.

While he laments about the inconsistency of produce, he chuckles at how his demand for fresh octopus was met with incredulity by local fishermen, who curiously obliged him. Now he gets first dibs at the day’s catch each time. And that standout dish - brings his home to our tables.

Speaking of home, if there was a way to bring an extra twinkle to his eye, Chef Oliveira obliged while reminiscing of a youth spent in his hometown in Spain, appreciating the nose to tail culture of leaving no spare with fresh produce. Respecting well-bred and well-farmed protein means ensuring it comes to full use, no wastage in vain. Evidently, this was a formative quality he brought to his kitchens in faraway Mumbai.

We spoke more about his family, how he longed for his father’s stew, which he would enjoy upon landing back home. The simplicity of a lifetime that he has ever since attempted to capture in his menu.

Which prompted me to ask - pasta and carpaccio, among others, have made a crossover to Spain? He smiles naughtily and resigns with pragmatism declaring that the blended European menu has allowed him to adapt to local palettes and familiarity, while introducing them to more of Spain on a plate.

For now, Chef Manuel Oliveira seems more native to Mumbai than Spain. I do hope his busy restaurant affords him an opportunity to return home often. For what is at the heart of his success, if his love for the family he left behind to build a family in another country.

As for the meal we had while we learnt more about his life, it was the octopus and steak tartare. And he graciously let me buy him lunch.

For that, I say to him - YES CHEF!