The best meal Gresham Fernandes ate last year was at Inua in Tokyo, run by former Noma chef Thomas Frebel, which I picked in 2018 as one of the two best new restaurants in the world. Gresham is not just one of India’s leading chefs, he is also someone who has impeccable taste in food, someone who’s recommendations have taken me from the village paths behind Nerul to Tokyo’s memory alley (Omoide Yokocho) with the charcoal smoke of Yakitori wafting through the air.
The second best meal he ate was in Bandra, at a tiny Spanish restaurant called La Loca Maria. He said “I actually felt good about what I do after eating there. It caused happiness.Not over the top, but simple precise flavours. No bullshit.”
There’s a lot of people given to hyperbole. But the phrase “no bullshit” could have been invented for Gresham so I knew I had to go to La Loca Maria and see for myself. Turns out Gresham was right. The cooking was absolutely on point. No bullshit. Very clean. Very sophisticated. Chef Manuel Oliveira used to cook at Arola at the JW Marriott, India’s first gin and tapas bar and a place that used to be my favourite restaurant in Mumbai. The gin may be missing at La Loca Maria but the cooking remains stellar.
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| The best carpaccio in India |
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| And the best Paella. Made Valencia style |
The carpaccio (with truffle oil, Parmesan and spicy aioli) is the best I’ve had in India in close to a decade, ever since the great Giovanni shut down and the great Don himself passed away. Chef Oliveira also made an authentic Valencia style paella as a special, with a lovely crust at the bottom that managed to be crunchy without being burnt.
We also had:
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| Garlic prawns |
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| Charred octopus |
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| Sticky pork belly |
- - Gambas Al Ajillo. The classic Spanish Garlic prawns with chilli which we soaked our sourdough bread in until there was nothing left in the bowl
- - Charred Octopus. I cannot say what a joy it was to eat perfectly charred and juicy Octopus in India rather than the rubbery abomination I have had whenever I’ve tried it here.
- - Sticky pork belly
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| Sweet and sour |
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Crema catalana
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For dessert I had a beautiful crema Catalana, light as a cloud with crumbs and orange sorbet. But the star was the Sweet and Sour, a marvel of texture and flavour with lime, dark chocolate and salted caramel cream.
This is restaurant worth going back to again and again.
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