IG FOOD

By : Aditi Malhotra | Images by: Armaan Malhotra, Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa (Chef Lily)

BANYAN TREE

Banyan Tree, a Thai speciality restaurant at Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa is not just a restaurant, it’s a deep dive into Ta j ’ s c u l i n a r y p r o m i s e a n d hospitality standards that it stands for. The restaurant is nestled around a 300-year-old Banyan Tree and no point for guessing that it derives its name from the same. As you climb the wooden stairs, you witness a small stream of water flowing across a small bridge and lets you enjoy the serene, green beauty of Taj Holiday Village on the whole. There is ample outdoor seating where you can dine amidst nature or choose the classier indoor seating. To ensure the authenticity of flavours and to serve you nothing but the most traditional Thai food, Taj recently hired the services of Chef Thomthong Sungkaha who hails from Nonthaburi province in Thailand. Chef Thomthong brings with her extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the cuisine while making dishes that suit the Indian palate perfectly. Chef Lily as she is fondly called, had a passion for food and curiosity about ingredients since the nascent age of 10 years when s h e h e l p e d h e r f a m i l y - r u n vegetable and noodle stalls at the local market before going to school every morning. Following her passion, she trained at the H o t e l a n d To u r i s m Tr a i n i n g Institute, Tourism Authority of Thailand and began her career at the celebrated Celadon Thai restaurant in Sukhothai Hotel Bangkok. Following her roles at key hotels in Bangkok, including The Peninsula Hotel and The Dome, she migrated to India in 2010 with the aim to innovate, standardize and popularize Thai Cuisine while achieving a perfect balance between international tastes and authenticity. Having been the MasterChef at the Leela hotels in Chennai and Bangalore, and running her own restaurant and food delivery v e n t u r e , C h e f L i l y i s n o w spearheading the culinary team at Banyan Tree, at Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa, Goa. While Thai food is her forte, Chef Lily’s 27 years of rich experience have honed her into a skilled PanAsian Chef with a focus on Indonesian, Burmese, Malaysian and Vietnamese cuisines. She is a strong supporter of the ‘Garden to Plate’ concept and believes that food tastes the best, with the freshest of ingredients plucked from homegrown gardens. Her passion and her attributes are all evident in her cooking and you will get to experience it while dining at the Banyan Tree. We started our culinary journey at the B a n y a n Tr e e w i t h P u m p k i n Crackers that were made for the Amuse Bouche. It was followed by Satay Kai, a traditional dish of grilled chicken skewers served with peanut sauce & tangy cucumber salad. The chicken was succulent, tender and almost melted in the mouth. The peanut sauce and tangy cucumber salad definitely elevated the taste. Som Tam, the raw papaya salad is indeed one of my most favourite Thai dishes. The crunchiness of p a p a y a a n d i t s t a n g i n e s s balanced well with a dressing that includes honey, Som Tam makes for a refreshing salad. Chef Lily had my heart with this beautiful preparation of hers. Next, we tried the Pad Woon Sen, a Thai glass noodle salad topped with prawns. I have to admit that it was one of the best dishes I had that day. It was like a burst of flavours in your mouth and this is definitely something I would go back for. Scallops were the next thing that I made an entry on our table, It was my first time at trying Scallops and must say that I really liked them. The subtle flavours left a great aftertaste on the tongue. Phor Pla Je, Thai crispy veg spring rolls with sweet chilli sauce is what we tried next. Loved the outer crispy covering with juicy veggies on the inside. T o m Y u m S o u p , a s p i c y preparation that was full of lemongrass flavours along with bird's eye chilli, is something that you surely must-have. At most places the flavours of lemongrass are overpowering, but at Banyan Tree, it was perfectly balanced a n d m a d e f o r a g r e a t accompaniment to the starters. For the mains, we tried Chicken Thai Green Curry, Chicken Thai Red Curry, Jasmine Rice, Phad Thai Noodles and Pla Rad Prik. Both the red and green gravies were delicious to the core and teamed with sticky jasmine rice, they made for a perfect combo. Phad Thai Noodles, these stirfried flat noodles ooze out f l a v o u r s a n d t r a n s p o r t y o u straight to the streets of Bangkok. Pla Rad Prik was a delectable dish of crispy fried fish in tamarind sauce. The authenticity of flavours, the freshness of ingredients and Chef Lily ’ s expertise came across in every single dish and one cannot ask for a better Thai food experience than this. To complete the meal, we had the Tub Tim Grob, a refreshing dessert made of water chestnuts soaked in rose syrup served in sweetened cold coconut milk. You have to try this to believe how good it is. I mean you can just keep on sipping the coconut milk and the sweet bites of rose-flavoured water chestnuts are almost irresistible. Overall, Banyan Tree is a true Thai food dining experience that offers you the best of street food, as well as fine dishes from mainland Thailand and Chef Lily surely, has elevated the whole culinary scene with her years of work experience and her native knowledge of the cuisine. This place should definitely be on your list and I am sure you would enjoy it as much as I did.