Once A Spark And Now A Flame, Fireback Is That Twist Which Ignites Goa’s Food Scene

Housed in a sleek glass box with front-row views of the chaos in its open kitchen, Fireback is equal parts cool and theatrical. Named after Thailand’s Siamese Fireback bird, it channels fiery grill techniques into bold, punchy dishes. Add in a stunning St. Anthony’s Church backdrop, and its pure magic. The menu? A thrill ride of familiar favourites and fresh surprises. Think tangy, snack-sized Miang Kham stuffed with pomelo and toasted coconut, buttery Thai BBQ Pork Ribs, and a green curry so herbaceous you’ll swear you’re in Chiang Mai. Even the desserts, like the Siam Ice Cream spiked with coffee liqueur are making bold moves. But Fireback isn’t just about food. It’s a vibe. From fiery Jungle Curry challenges (hello, Wall of Flame!) to the upcoming Fire Festival, a Thai night market with DJs and live grills, this season promises to be as hot as their chilli jam.

Thai Flavours Unruly And Unmissable

Chef David Thompson, fireback bird, fireback goa, fireback delhi, thai restaurants in goa — Chef David Thompson

It starts with a plate, doesn’t it? A curious one at that. There’s a som tam missing its usual wingman, raw papaya, and corn fritters that look like they might break into a danceoff with mango sticky rice. Does it sound like Thai food gone rogue? Maybe. Yet somehow, none of this feels like sacrilege. And that’s the magic of Fireback, Goa’s culinary playground, where Thai food plays fast and loose with tradition but still roots itself firmly in the soil of flavour. It’s bold, inventive, and yet, take a single bite, close your eyes, and it’s unmistakably, unflinchingly Thai. Rohit Khattar, the culinary virtuoso behind icons like Indian Accent and Comorin, has always been the guy rewriting food scripts. His ‘green’ curry? It’s not the usual jadehued, coconutcreamy bowl. Instead, it arrives like it just got back from the gym, leaner, spicier, and far more layered. The shallow bowl glistens with oil, the curry packed with baby corn and pea eggplant that snap back at you, little palm hearts adding texture like surprise guests at a party. It’s fiery but not overwhelming, like a secret that unfolds with each spoonful. Then there’s David Thompson, the man behind Fireback’s culinary compass, who arrives armed with Michelin stars and a wry smile. ‘What the hell is a white boy doing cooking Thai food? Honestly, I ask myself the same thing,’ he says, shaking his head as if he can’t believe it either. Thompson fell for Thailand hard, a love affair that’s lasted decades. ‘There was this old lady. Her hands! The way she worked with seasoning…it was hypnotic. Until then, I thought Thai food was just cheap takeaway. She tore that idea apart. Everything she made was poetry, and I spent months trying to soak up everything she knew.’

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Rooted In Passion

It’s not often you meet a chef who’s got ‘gastronomic globetrotting’ woven into his DNA, but Kaustubh Haldipur, the culinary captain at Fireback (Goa and Mumbai), seems to have that unflinching hunger for authenticity that transcends borders and spice levels. The man’s résumé reads like a food lover’s dream itinerary: from the intricate precision of Wasabi by Morimoto to the Michelinstar dazzle of Ginza’s Spice Lab. When I spoke to him, he still had this twinkle in his eye while reminiscing about his stint in Thailand, where he spent months honing his craft under none other than Australian titan David Thompson. ‘We weren’t just cooking,’ he says, pausing for dramatic effect. ‘We were eating endlessly, on rickety stools at Bangkok’s no name roadside stalls.’ By now, I can see him replaying those taste memories in his mind, the way you rewatch favourite grainy VHS tapes from childhood. There was a crab-laden mussel omelette so divine it could convert a devout vegetarian and a sour orange shrimp curry that, as he put it, ‘reminded me of rasam my grandmother used to make, but more… wild’.

Refining Thai, One Bite At A Time

The flavour’s stretch farther than simple labels of spicy or herbal, they hum with lemongrass, turmeric, and the sharp edge of fresh chilies. It’s a reminder that what we think we know about Thai cuisine is only the tip of the pot, familiar yet quietly redefined, as if the dish is stepping out of its assigned image and just being itself. And then, everything else on the table starts to join in, turning the meal into a slow crescendo. The tom kha arrives, a bowl so light and delicate it feels like an offering. Coconut and galangal rise to the surface, their balance holding steady, every spoonful like a whisper meant just for you. On the other hand, the pineapple som tam comes crashing in, all bold angles and sharp edges. The fruit, cut into unapologetically thick chunks, is punched up with heat and salt; it’s messy and vibrant, drawing you closer to the puddle of dressing left behind in the bowl. Miang kham follows, each betel leaf packed so full it demands two careful bites, but the reward is instant: bursts of pomelo sweetness against chewy ribbons of toasted coconut and the crunch of nuts. It’s a flavour map drawn with crisp lines and bright colours, chaotic on paper but deeply satisfying in real life.

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At this point, the flow of dishes hits a rhythm. Knobs of pork belly, fried until perfectly brittle on the outside yet yielding like butter inside, make their way to slippery cabbage leaves, charred just enough to fill the air with a smoky edge. Skewers of sweet potato glazed with thick, sticky gorlae sauce tease with a balance of sweet and savoury so rich your fork lingers instinctively. Coming to the drinks, Head of Bars, Varun Sharma takes the ignored, the pulp of pineapples, the squeezed dregs of citrus, and spins them into treasures, like frosted fruit leather crowning a lemongrass-laden tom kha colada, served in a glowing coconut shell. His cocktails are tropical but defy tiki clichés. The Rose, a gin drink veiled in rosewater, shocks with lime leaf and fizz instead of sweetness. The Tamarind teases Picante lovers without mimicking it. Even a clear, coconut inspired cocktail hides its creaminess, delivering it as perfume, not texture, through an oleo saccharum from tender coconut jelly. At Fireback, nothing is obvious, flavours are decoded, unearthed, and always unexpected.

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