<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/mar/Chef-Gome-Galily-1.jpg" alt="" />
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure if you know this, but Matsya is shutting down. Today is the last day,&rdquo; says Chef Gome Galily when we call to talk about his upcoming pop-up at Byculla culinary space Magazine Street Kitchen, the menu for which is shrouded in secrecy.
We&rsquo;ve heard, we say. The 32-year-old chef had been running Matsya Freestyle Kitchen in Goa for three years before deciding to shut shop. What went wrong? &ldquo;There were a lot of issues, from internet connectivity to electricity supply, which took away from the pleasure of cooking,&rdquo; he admits.
<img title="Beetroot Carpaccio, Maple Yuzu Yogurt, Crispy Spicy Quinoa, Goat Cheese" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/mar/Chef-Gome-Galily-2.jpg" alt="Beetroot Carpaccio, Maple Yuzu Yogurt, Crispy Spicy Quinoa, Goat Cheese" /> Beetroot Carpaccio, Maple Yuzu Yogurt, Crispy Spicy Quinoa, Goat Cheese
Moreover, the restaurant&rsquo;s inland location in Pernem, off the tourist radar, wasn&rsquo;t pulling in crowds. Throw in the fact that you couldn&rsquo;t walk in and order a meal (there was no menu, and you needed to book a table a day in advance), and it appears as though Matsya was doomed from the start.
&ldquo;We make everything fresh on the day. One day, I cooked for 20 people, and only two arrived. It made me sad. But, I don&rsquo;t want to make this a sad interview. Let&rsquo;s talk about something else,&rdquo; he says, launching into a story that started one fateful day, right here in India.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/mar/Chef-Gome-Galily-3.jpg" alt="" />
Thank the thieves Eleven years ago, Galily, who has his roots in Israel, arrived in India in search of inspiration. &ldquo;I wanted to write; I hadn&rsquo;t even considered being a chef,&rdquo; he says. Alas, it wasn&rsquo;t meant to be. Two weeks in, he got robbed in Rajasthan. &ldquo;I lost everything, and had to start from scratch. I knew I could cook well, so I decided to do it for a living.&rdquo;
<img title="Chinese Steam Bun, BBQ Crispy Duck, Cucumber, Seaweed Kimchi" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2017/mar/Chef-Gome-Galily-4.jpg" alt="Chinese Steam Bun, BBQ Crispy Duck, Cucumber, Seaweed Kimchi" /> Chinese Steam Bun, BBQ Crispy Duck, Cucumber, Seaweed Kimchi
Did he consider getting a degree from a prestigious culinary school? He laughs, &ldquo;These schools teach you to clean chicken and fish, and make sauces no one uses now. The best way to learn is by experience, and I started my learning by peeling potatoes and washing dishes at Le Bouchon in Monaco.&rdquo;
It took yet another misfortune, this time a line cook falling ill one day, to get him his big break at Le Bouchon. Since then, Galily has worked for Michelin-star restaurants like Noma and Nahm, before setting up shop in India&rsquo;s sunshine state.
Fishy talk Galily says his cooking style is inspired from his travels around the world and, more specifically, Asia. &ldquo;Food needs to be sexy. It should be fresh and must smell good. You can&rsquo;t make good food using terrible ingredients,&rdquo; he says.
True to this philosophy, he has befriended the local fisherfolk, a result of buying catch from them every morning. &ldquo;They hated me in the beginning; I would keep instructing them, saying &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t throw the fish around, put it down gently&rsquo; or &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t cut it this way.&rsquo; But, over time, they started respecting me,&rdquo; he says, adding, &ldquo;Now, they know my name.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s not goodbye More travel is on the cards for the nomadic chef, who soon hopes to visit Indian chef Gaggan Anand&rsquo;s eponymous restaurant in Bangkok, known for its unique take on desi cuisine. &ldquo;Indian food is so playful. Your mind jumps with happiness with the explosion of flavours,&rdquo; says Galily, excitement evident in his voice.
Galily is also scouring for a new location in Goa to reopen. In the meantime, he plans to host more pop-ups.
Before signing off, he says, &ldquo;My father always said, &lsquo;Meet people when they are happy.&rsquo; And cooking lets me do that.
I meet them when they&rsquo;re eating, enjoying some of the best moments of their lives.&rdquo;
On: March 9 and 10, 7.30 pm onwards At: Magazine Street Kitchen, Byculla (E) Log on to: insider.in Cost: Rs 4,500 to Rs 5,500

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