Celebrity chef and founder of the famous Goila Butter Chicken (GBC), Saransh Goila breezed through the city recently to do something that’s close to his heart — launch GBC cloud kitchen across three locations in Calcutta — Behala, Chinar Park and Salt Lake, with Gariahat in the pipeline. Back in 2018 he had told The Telegraph about his plans of coming to Calcutta, but what took so long? “Of course the pandemic pushed all of us back. But what we wanted to do was grow with perfection. I started this brand in 2016, it is a homegrown brand, where me and my partner Vivek, we are college buddies, who as chefs started this venture, we thought that people like us for a reason, they believe in our journey, they’ve seen us on MasterChef Australia and hence the demand is high. When the demand is high, love is high, the expectations are higher. We had done a few pilots in Pune because that was close to Bombay, so from that we had learnings. If we grow too fast, too soon, we/people will not be fulfilled. We did not want to do that. Mann toh karta hain. You want to go everywhere. More than business, people are asking for you, you want to honour them," Saransh told t2.
"We definitely always knew that we were going to come to Calcutta and I know that this city loves to cook and eat and feed, so it was pretty high on our priority list but it took us four years because we wanted to get the processes and procedures right. The main thing is when you are feeding people at a chain level, how do you make sure that your quality consistency remains the same. How do I make sure that when you have eaten this butter chicken in Bombay, and now you are going to eat in Calcutta, you cannot say that Bombay mein better tha. That is something I don’t take. When we opened in Pune we got a lot of such feedback. This difference in Bombay is what we wanted to remove. Now, when you eat the butter chicken in Calcutta, it is the same. And that’s a big part of our job… to make sure the taste and consistency remain the same. It’s very difficult to achieve in Indian food because it’s ending in an outlet where someone is preparing it. It’s not machine-made,” explained Saransh.
On a hot summer afternoon, The Telegraph caught up with the very friendly and super talented chef and dug into some signature dishes from his brand.
Saransh stirred up Goila Butter Chicken for The Telegraph
Goila Butter Paneer: Believe it or not, the Goila Butter Paneer happened before Goila Butter Chicken! MasterChef Goila’s version took shape as the chef wanted to make butter chicken the way his mom wanted. The one where it packs the tanginess, the smooth texture and delicious gravy with paneer. Saransh brainstormed and gave it a new smoky twist that blew his family away. A must-try
Goila Butter Chicken: The star on the menu, this one is truly worth the hype. What makes it special? The texture of the gravy is satin-smooth and the smokiness and the perfect balance of the spice ratio make it a clear winner! Enjoy it with rumali roti.
Dal Makhni: Rich in flavours and dense in texture sums up this slow-cooked black dal simmered with smoky butter. Relish it with naan for best results.
Chicken Naan Bombs: You might mistake them for a close relative of momos but this chef’s special dish has naan dough balls stuffed with minced chicken tikka, onions, coated with tandoori marinade and grilled. It is served with butter chicken gravy.
Paneer Kalimirch Tikka: Bite into these soft paneer tikka marinated in a unique peppery and creamy marinade with classic capsicum, onion and tomato. The robust kick of the black pepper balances the paneer perfectly.
Gulab Jamun: Conclude your meal with these perfectly round gulab jamuns stuffed with kesar and badam.