?ASSOCHAM urges Union Government to reduce customs duty on chilled and frozen sea food

After the popular Global Fusion, Bora Bora, Walkman Bar, and TAP, Mr. Krishna and Ankit Tamang have started a new seafood restaurant, Goh Jia Ting in the side streets of Bandra, Mumbai.

“At Goh Jia Ting, we aspire to be a culinary destination that delivers an extraordinary dining experience by bringing together the most talented chefs, using the finest ingredients, and mastering the delicate balance of traditional Asian recipes with innovative techniques to create dishes that are both authentic and extraordinary.” said Ankit Tamang, Owner, The China Gate Group.

Mr. Tamang added, “The restaurant is inspired by my family friends and my long term chef - the Goh Family. It is basically an hommage to Mr Goh who helped make Global Fusion what it is today and is no longer with us.”

The menu offers a variety of fresh and unique seafood dishes which are their specialty and they also offer vegetarian choices as well.

Some of their dishes include Crispy Pomfret Thai Style, featuring fried pomfret in a coconut stir-fry sauce, steamed Edamame with sea salt, Salt and Pepper Calamari, Whole Lobster with noodles in your preferred sauce, Vegetarian Baked Hakka Noodle, and their signature Peking Duck.

For dessert, they offer classic options like Lychee Panna Cotta, as well as creative options like Chocolate Dome with Hot Butter Caramel Sauce.

Goh Jia Ting's cocktails demonstrate a profound understanding of mixology. For instance, their Kokum Sour combines Kokum Extract, Bourbon, Lemon juice, and Bitters, presenting a tangy and contemporary blend.

Another highlight is their signature creation, Cho Cho, consisting of Gin, Gooseberry, Ginger, Lemon juice, and tonic, offering a simple yet very flavourful.

Coast & Bloom, founded by Mitra Walke, draws inspiration from the time-tested traditions of Chaitanya and Nav-Chaitanya, which have thrived in Mumbai since the 1990s.

Mitra's journey, spanning from the shores of Malvan to the streets of Mumbai, is deeply influenced by his parents' legacy.

This legacy is founded on core principles such as authenticity, hygiene, transparency, and a commitment to local empowerment.

Coast & Bloom has emerged with a vision to share a diverse range of coastal delicacies with the world.

Coast & Bloom offers a venue with a coastal-inspired design by Nishant Umesh Desai, the Creative Director of Umesh Desai and Associates.

Chef Prasad Parab has curated the menu at Coast & Bloom, aligning it with the restaurant's vision.

The menu is a thoughtfully crafted selection of dishes inspired by coastlines worldwide, designed to cater to a wide range of tastes.

It encompasses traditional options for older generations, innovative creations for those in the middle age group, and more elaborate, contemporary choices for the younger generation.

The menu caters to a wide range of preferences, including both vegetarians and non-vegetarians, with a particular focus on pescetarians.

Fish enthusiasts can enjoy an array of options, from imported choices like Scallops and Norwegian Salmon to indigenous varieties like Rawas, Pomfret, Tiger Prawns, Bombil, and Lobster.

The menu spans a diverse culinary landscape, from the Mediterranean charm of Spanakopitas to the bold flavors of Mapo Tofu, a Sichuan classic known for its distinct spiciness and numbing sensations. Complementing the mains are rice preparations, such as the aromatic Nasi Goreng, the  Moplah Biryani, and the tantalising Kolambi Khichdi. 

The Crab Chopper, an ode to the street-style Indo-Chinese delicacy, where wok-tossed crab meat is infused with spicy Indo-Chinese-style sauces.

Chef’s special offerings will add the final touch where a range of delicacies like Alaskan Scallops, Norwegian Salmon, Live Mud Crabs, and Nobashi Prawns await, each impeccably presented in their unique signature style. 

The bar menu draws inspiration from culture, heritage, and culinary traditions, combining them with modern mixology techniques to complement the dining experience.

It has been carefully curated to capture the essence of coastal living. One such creation, Nacre, is inspired by the Malabar Coastal region and features a rice-based spirit paired with Sichuan pepper, harmonizing with the flavors of Raspberry umeshu liqueur.

As a tribute to the rich Ayurvedic traditions of the country, Tapaswani blends Jatamansi liqueur with Gin and Tulsi vermouth. This drink pays homage to India's cultural roots.

Bengaluru-based Captain Fresh has raised $ 2.3 million from group of investors, including Ankur Capital.

"With a billion aspiring Indians seeking to up the protein in their diet, we see a huge latent demand for fresh fish and seafood, already a USD 12 billion market, waiting to be unlocked,” shared Krishnan Neelakantan, Partner at Ankur Capital.

Captain Fresh is a freshwater fish and seafood supply chain platform that has raised funding from Incubate Fund India and Silicon Valley-based angel investors.

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"The fundraise will be used to invest in technologies like computer vision, IoT, bots, data analytics to digitise and drive efficiencies across the supply chain," shared the statement.

Founded in April 2019 by Utham Gowda, Captain Fresh aims to expand into new cities and increase headcount.

"We started with a simple vision to build a fresh fish and seafood platform that the ecosystem could completely trust and rely on for their daily needs. We want to nurture our retail partners' businesses by providing full availability, range and high-quality fresh supplies on a daily basis,” added Gowda.

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It currently has presence in cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad with clientele base comprising over 125-150 retailers in Bengaluru and two to three big players in Mumbai and Hyderabad each.

Nao Murakami, Founder and General Partner at Incubate Fund India said, "As Incubate Fund is a Japanese-origin fund, we can bring best practices in supply chain innovations and support potential collaborations between Captain Fresh and Japanese companies."

One of the leading exporters of sea food, Gadre Marine Export Pvt Ltd. has roped in celebrity chef Ranveer Brar as their ‘Brand Friend’. Ranveer will be promoting Garde's premium seafood products.

As the part of the association, Ranveer will be involved in most of the brand activation activities. He will also have to travel to different cities, where he will showcase several exclusive recipes, share culinary tips and highlight on healthy food habits. The first promotional event will be held in Goa next month where Ranveer will give live recipe demonstration, organized for hoteliers, restaurateurs and caterers (HOROCO members).

Chef Ranveer Brar commented, “I am happy to be associated with Gadre Marine which is India’s leading exporters for packaged seafood and quite delighted to share my recipes. It is very gratifying to note the importance given to food safety by them. Frozen seafood is in line with the taste of modern Indians, who like to experiment and look for simpler, healthier and easier sea food options. The experience of interacting with the HoReCa segment soon in Goa will be an enriching experience for me and it was good to note their keen interest in new and innovative seafood recipes.'

“Most of the menus are focused on chicken, mutton and limited verities of fish. Now, chefs can add more sea food options to their menu with convenience of Gadre products,” Brar states further. 

RI Bureau

Gadre Marine Export Pvt Ltd, the largest Surimi producer in India and the third largest in the world, has roped in Vikas Khanna an award winning Indian chef as their brand ambassador.

Since he is one of the few Indian chefs with global presence, and is a pioneer in the F&B industry, Vikas Khanna is a strong personification of Gadre’s brand identity and exemplifies the same values that are attached with the brand.

”I can never get enough of seafood and through this association I've explored some interesting recipes which will change the way we eat seafood especially with an upcoming innovative products from Gadre,” shared Chef Khanna.

Gadre Marine Export was originally a processing and packaging unit of frozen marine products such as shrimps, squids, cuttlefish and other fin-fish.

In 1994 however an unprecedented and bold step was taken, India's first and only Surimi manufacturing plant was set up in Ratnagiri. Gadre Marine since then became the third largest Surimi** manufacturer in the world and also started Indian operations for the frozen sea food category.

Talking about the association Arjun Gadre, Owner, Gadre Marine Export Pvt. Ltd comments, “Vikas Khanna is one of the most versatile chefs in the country with an expertise in sea food. We are extremely delighted about this association and couldn’t have thought of any one better to represent the brand Gadre and our products”

The brand is all set to launch its new campaign – "What The Fish" for the packaged Frozen food products with Vikas Khanna for the year 2015 - 16.

Through this campaign the brand plans to engage with its target audience on various levels from Television commercials to digital activation.

Khanna has also created a range of fun, easy to cook recipes with Gadre Seafood that are perfect for a quick snack or meal with your family. These recipes will be accessible through the website and the Webisodes of the brand.

With this association the brand aims to change the perception about frozen seafood in India and create more awareness about its specialties.

Newly open Coastal Reef at Baani Square, Gurgaon is offering authentic Seafood.  It is a place to have good quality Konkan and coastal food, with excellent ambience, service and hospitality. The sea food platter consists of crab kurumilagu, fried squids, tawa fish and prawn vedupu. Everything is very fresh, devoid of the fishy stench. It is complete value for money restaurant for the food loves. You are a new entrant in the restaurant business.  What are the challenges you face while opening at this locations?

As there is a lot of competition around, hence we’re trying to firm our foot. We tried a new concept i.e. more ‘blue ocean’ where we introduced a new cuisine bringing delicacies from along the coast of India. But the responses that we have received so far, has been tremendous and warm welcome in the market with a lot of appreciation.

What are your views on how has the market evolved over the years?

The traditional market has changed over the years. People have been more receptive to trying out new cuisines as long as the quality and taste is maintained. A lot of the market segment has been receptive to trying out coastal sea-food as well. Thus, I started this venture.

Who do you see as your competitor in the Indian market?

Our main competitors are Swagath and Zambar or any restaurant which specializes in sea food.

How do you engage customers at your restaurants?

We have jovial staff where they interact with customers and check on food and presentation, a kiosk outside the restaurant to invite customers inside and explain the new concept and the light instrumental music while they savour dishes.

What is your unique marketing strategy to place your brand in the Indian market?

Our marketing strategy is more of online marketing at different portals. We also spread the news through pamphlets, writing at the blogs across different corporate portals and corporate tie-ups.

From where do you get the best quality supply of the ingredients and other products you need?

We get the best quality from the vendors where we get fresh meat (chicken, mutton, sea food) everyday. And we also do not store or refrigerate but provide fresh items to our customers.

Who are your target customers?

Our target customers are the people who have a palate for coastal food, cater the middle class segment where we can cater to all ages and people experimental with cuisines.

Are you planning to develop a franchisee model for expansion?

Surely, but first we want to establish our self in the market.

By Sunil Pol

Pescafresh, one of the leading fresh seafood brands in India, is planning to tap the online space by launching a mobile app and the e-commerce website.

“Pescafresh is giving the Indian consumer a fresh look at ordering excellent quality seafood 365 days of the year, with minimal seasonal lags by introducing our ecommerce website and the mobile app this June. With our quality product, this launch allows us to have a huge competitive advantage and our accelerated growth is proof that this model will work for our consumers. The brand continues to ensure that the same quality and brand promise is strengthened with this new offering,” said Sangram Sawant, CEO, pescafresh.

The digital space of the brand will be featured with integrated online payment component capability which will help it attain the larger expansion goals to supply the most convenient way of ordering fresh seafood.

The launch of the website and mobile app will further reduce the time lag and ensure that Pescafresh patrons can now order at their leisure and have ready menus through ‘Favorite lists’, ‘Catch of the Day’, ‘Offers and promotions’, etc at the tip of their fingers.

The brand- which presently serves over 20,000 households in Mumbai through their home delivery centres while being available across all the modern retail format- claims to have built on the International Good Manufacturing Practice benchmarks of HACCAP, which involves technological intervention and scientific approach to ensure that the same quality standard of a highly perishable product like seafood is maintained.