This restaurant in Goa's Anjuna serves Indian favourites and global innovations

Meet Jolene Yoursquoll recognise her by the Dolly Parton country song or that woman who has an advanced palate of a welltravelled global citizen Shersquos been brought to life on a cliff overlooking an uninterrupted view of Anjuna Beach by Shakeel Ladak Amrita Arora Ladak FampB veteran Gaurav Batra Ankit Tayal of True Palate Hospitality and Chef Suvir SaranThe first impression of the 140seater space is its flirtatious breezy openness We walk into the alfresco where bohemian canopy umbrellas over relaxed seatings are blowing in the wind The space done up in shades of beige replicates the sand creating that perfect frame to savour the sunset The indoor is nestled in a glass house green planters soft beige and inviting woodwork create a minimalist yet bold deacutecor outlineWhen in Goa you begin with cocktails Over the cocktail not a picante R650 which has the tartness of grapefruit and sweetness of guava playing truant to dry gin and tequila Arora Ladak tells us the inception story ldquoJolene is a pandemic baby We had earlier been scouting places in Mumbai but Jolene was meant to be born in GoardquoFrom being a VJ on MTV at 15 and an actress she compares the transition to a restaurateur ldquoWhen you are doing films the reaction of your audience matters It is the same here Every day is a box office releaserdquo she says confessing her upbringing has been in a family that always talks about food ldquoWe always discuss what we have eaten and what recipe we can use Itrsquos our love languagerdquo says Arora Ladak whose roots are South Indian and PunjabiAmrita Arora LadakldquoWhile Malla Malaika Arora was obsessed with the South Indian side of our home food I was obsessed with North Indian delicacies If she wanted sambar rice I wanted kali dal My mother mastered both cuisinesrdquo she saysAs palates expanded with travel they came home with stories of having savoured Ethiopian food and German stews ldquoBut wersquod come home for her dal chawal papad and achaarrdquo she smiles adding ldquoJolene is for the very same travellermdasha wanderlust kind of person who savours a bit of everythingrdquoMisal RamenBetween buttery bites of Jolenersquos versions of garlic breadmdashflatbreads stuffed with caramelised onions and feta and a morefavoured meaty decadence of chorizo we turn to again and again Chef Saran tells us his thoughts behind designing the menu He says it is a space for hungry people coming to Goa to watch a sunset and spend the best minutes of their livesldquoThe food is modern global and comforting Wersquove taken food from the world map and do all the shringaar that Indians loverdquo says Saran who has 33 years of experience running restaurants in New York including Devi the first South Asian restaurant to win a Michelin star in 2004 He had returned to India six years ago with the idea of retiring ldquoBut life had other plans India is where New York was in the 1990smdashin flux Itrsquos churning growing up and coming of age We are now looking at India 20rdquo he addsKochi Lobster CornettosExecuting his philosophy in the kitchen is his sous chef Ashish Sharma who pours his Mexican and Punjabi roots into the menumdashthere is texture colours and an innate sense of amalgamating flavours ldquoTwo nations that have so much rich history and cultural depth from Harappa to Mayan wersquore as old as each other And yet we also became poor but never for good food Our food is for the hungry visitor who has travelled the worldmdashglobal citizens who want to eat off the world while mirroring the seasons in India when they come back homerdquo Saran addsshyThe Kochi lobster cornetto Rs 700 sums up this philosophy ldquoWersquove made a Kerala lobster curry chilled it down and filled it into a lobster rollinspired Mexican cornetto This is a dish you want to eat by the beach siderdquo Saran explains animatedly Another is forbidden yet yours R650 a good old Chinese fried rice made with Manipuri black rice a crop the Chinese royals denied the commoners to eatFrench Onion soupSharma urges us to try tuna tartare on a crisp purple corn tortilla ldquoPurple corn is made using the nixtamalise process where maize kernels are dried cooked and put in an alkaline solution The Aztecs invented itrdquo he explains as we take a big bite of the seafood mingled with guacamole and peanuts It is topped with dynamite sauce that mimics the one served on chicken wings at his favourite American barSharma has grown up eating Mexican food made with Indian ingredients ldquoBoth cuisines are similarrdquo Sharma says adding makki ki roti chawal and rajma versus corn tortilla rice and beans Itrsquos practically the same food with different flavoursrdquo Sharma tells usSuvir SaranBy now wersquove tried the whisky sour Rs 650 which is too sweet On the other hand the Kingrsquos Sandwich Rs 650 is a cocktail experience with a bite of peanut butter and bacon between a crisp banana bread The drink held in a champagne coupe has white rum lemon banana sugar and peanut butter without making it overtly sweet The French onion soup R600 is a salty Manhattan with caramelised onions fresh herbs and salted butter garnished with aged pickled shallotsFrom small plates TampC which stands for heirloom cherry tomatoes burrata and cornflakes play global chakra Cured in tajin it is garnished with pomegranates The vegetarian version of the fermented rice burrito takes uttapam as a base topped with mustard and sambar potatoes with mustard and coconut chutney In the same breath ramen misal R700 takes a Maharashtrian sojourn with a red chatakedar sauce broth with thecha barbecued tofu and veggies All this is finished with a cornflake chivdaDesserts are the final memory a patron leaves with The great wall of Anjuna R600 is a solid takeaway The 11layered chocolate cake interspersed with rich ganache has a flaky shortbread finish with a thick molten pour Next time this will be our first order The indulgent guiltfree celebration R600 is a panna cotta made from coconut milk garnished with shavings of chocolate coconut macaroons and fruit compote It reminds us of elaneer payasam the pudgy coconut cloud pudding of KeralaJolene may not stick to cuisine but it adheres to the aesthetics of flavour and combinations It marries techniques to ensure the final experience is not marred by confusion and turns out to be pretty cool to hang out with