At Fireback Goa, let go of all your conventional Thai cuisine experiences

‘Please ask your server for guidance as familiar dishes may be bold, fiery and uncompromising.’

The menu at Fireback, EHV International’s latest project in Goa, comes with a warning. 

The usual thick coconut-forward Thai green gravy, loaded with vegetables and seafood or chicken, is replaced by a brownish, runny gravy, layered with fat floating at the top. The only greens you see are the chillies, Thai eggplant, and basil leaves. And there’s plenty of protein to make up for the missing carrots and bell peppers. 

Fireback’s version, cooked using in-house coconut cream, and with a subtle kick from the chillies, is the authentic version of Thai green curry. One can be sure of that without having to visit Bangkok, for the restaurant’s menu has been conceptualised by Chef David Thompson—one of the first non-Thai experts in Thai cuisine.

“We wanted to present a more unfiltered, authentic version of the cuisine. With that, audiences may find differences in the dishes they thought were familiar with, but they taste different at Fireback. But we are not compromising on original recipes,” Swatantra Gautam, Brand Chef at Fireback, tells YS Life. 

Lodged behind Siolim’s Irada Home, which houses celebrity-favourite Hosa at the front, Fireback comes from the family of Indian Accent—one of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. 

While the façade is better accessed by walking past the bustling dining area of Hosa, it’s worth taking the less travelled path as the view the restaurant has to offer is gold. With the Anjuna River flowing next to it and St Anthony’s Church as its backdrop, Fireback offers a classic date-night setting. But of course, there’s more to cherish. 

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The restaurant takes its name from the Thai national bird, Siamese Fireback, and also features a fire-grilled cooking method behind the restaurant’s signature delicacies. With an open kitchen and a Josper grill taking the centre-stage, one can choose to sit on the high stools of the made-up glass house—designed by London’s Russell Sage Studio and Pratap Naik—observing and getting familiar with the action that takes place in the kitchen. Also, there are tables next to the koi pond to experience a balance of action and privacy. 

I choose to dine by the riverside, on the outer deck, where the bar is the centre of attention. 

No-fuss dining experience

The dishes at Fireback do not show themselves off. There are no edible flowers, micro-greens or lemon wedges to make the dishes look Instagram-worthy. They are served straight from the grill or the wok, in the order that they are prepared in the kitchen. 

The offerings of the one-page menu, comprising a selection of soups, small plates, grills, large-plates, and sides, may not look like pieces of art, but the flavours and heat are sure to strike a chord with every bite, and make you want for more. 

The crispy squid, for instance, is served with deep fried garlic cloves, fiery green and red chillies, and coriander roots. The only garnish is roughly chopped coriander leaves. While the presentation might not seem as appealing, the taste is top-notch. 

The lemongrass prawn skewers marinated in galangal might seem sweet at the first bite but the flavour gets complex with hints of coconut, and the sauce on the side adds a tinge of sourness. The stir-fried chicken, marinated in a banana chilli paste, comes as a surprise and has stronger flavours of lemongrass than the prawns. The strong spices, along with the heat from the green and red chillies—which number double that of chicken pieces—along with the prik Thai sot (or green Thai peppercorns) can seem overwhelming but come with a warning from the server. 

The rich, spice-forward dishes are well balanced with the fresh cocktail menu designed by Varun Sharma, Head of Bars at EHV International.

During the ideation process, Sharma travelled through Asia to create cocktails that would highlight Thai ingredients. The 10 cocktails are named after their ingredients, reflecting the research that went into each one ingredient to represent Thai culture. They are lemongrass, mango rice, tom yum gimlet, basil, tamarind, galangal, and pandan. 

The clear agave cocktail offered a subtle flavour of lemongrass. The Pandan is a version of negroni served with coconut, sweet vermouth, and orange bitter liqueur. 

The large plates at Fireback offer a glimpse of the street food in Bangkok. From the classic Thai omelette to soft-shell crab red curry, krapow, and the famous massaman curry, the options are plenty and can be paired with regular jasmine rice, fried rice or the classic pad thai. 

Having tried the Thai green curry at the many Thai restaurants in India, I ordered one at Fireback to truly understand the difference. 

“We spent more than a month in Bangkok, eating Thai food thrice a day to understand the cuisine in-depth,” Chef Prantush Rai informs. The fat that floated on top of the thin gravy came from the oil separated from the in-house coconut cream. “We do not add vegetables or refined and brown sugar to the green curry. We use jaggery or palm sugar wherever required and try keeping the dishes as authentic as possible,” he adds. 

The dessert menu at Fireback is limited to only three offerings, and two variations of ice cream trio. The Tab Tim Krob—a coconut milk and cream dessert with water chestnut rubies and rose water syrup—was subtle and its sweetness not overpowering.  

The ice cream trio was served with a scoop each of coconut and jaggery, kaffir lime and lemon grass, and coffee flavours. The kaffir lime and lemongrass flavoured ice cream was unusual, and though exciting initially, the lemongrass flavours might seem too overpowering after the initial few bites. The coconut and jaggery ice cream was the safer and most familiar alternative. 

For Rohit Khattar, Founder Chairman of EHV International, Fireback comes full circle. “In 1999, we opened what was perhaps India’s first pan-Asian restaurant, Oriental Octopus. I always nurtured the desire to open an authentic, approachable Thai restaurant,” he says. 

Timings: 12 noon to 3:30 PM, 4 PM - 11 PM (Thursday to Sunday)

Cost for two: Rs 3,500 (without alcohol)