In a fast-paced world, Lento, which means slow in Portuguese, allows you to pause and bask in the glory of all things natural, detailed and made from scratch
An age-old banyan tree taking root through the concrete of a house. Dense, mauve hazes of wisteria blooms spilling out of the crevices of an old stone castle. And, the sightings of wild animals on city roads during the lockdown.
Nature takes over in quiet rebellion, when human intervention decreases. And, in that rewilding, there is a strange kind of beauty.
This was pretty much the story of how Lento โ a in the quiet idyll of Saligao in North Goa โ came to be.
The interiors of Lento
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Natural instinct
โWe wanted to see what happens when human intervention takes a back seat,โ says Dishant Pritamani, the force behind Lento, who wished to create a real and honest space, as opposed to a carefully co-ordinated, sterile-looking cafรฉ. And so, he scripted his own story of rewilding, along with Ayaz Basrai of The Busride Studio, who is known for the design of the Second House next door, with AI at its core.
Nurtured over two monsoons, a local Goan creeper took root at Second House, which became the trellis around which many other climbers enmeshed, unfettered
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Nurtured over two monsoons, a local Goan creeper took root at Second House, which became the trellis around which many other climbers enmeshed, unfettered. No pruning. No trimming. Just allowing. This made way for a delicate entanglement of foliage, which has now become the foundation of Lentoโs design, staying true to thename, lento, which means slow in Portuguese.
Coffee & Bakes
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The rest of the space is a beautiful rehash of imperfections too; chipped tiles, mismatches and misfits, a discarded fishing net, et all. โWe didnโt want to create something perfect,โ Dishant says. โWe wanted to build something honest. Something that feels like itโs always been here.โ
The space will be allowed to retain its shapeshifting essence, as the plants grow out even more
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The space will be allowed to retain its shapeshifting essence, as the plants grow out even more. The aging walls will age. It will wear more of a lived-in look.
Cooking stories
Not just in design, Lentoโs aesthetics extend to its kitchen too, where Chef Jyoti Singh, weaves magic, expertise and storytelling through his dishes.
Chef Jyoti with his breads
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Armed with the Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development hallmark, Jyoti honed his craft with some of the finest chefs across Egypt and Indonesia, across two decades. He eventually returned home to work with kitchens at places like O Pedro in Mumbai.
At Lento, every dish gets his due attention, because Jyoti does not take shortcuts. Be it the sourdough breads, or the sauces or preserves, he alchemises them all.
Sunrise conjee
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It possibly is the reason why some of the simplest dishes, and not the usual suspects, truly standout. One that comes to mind, is the truffled cheese toastie with a variety of cheese, including Brie, Tomme, Monterey Jack and Cheddar, and a wee smear of chilli jam tucked in between its silky layers, which is the real dealbreaker.
Truffle grilled cheese
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However, it may be a bit tough for Lento to not get overshadowed by The Second House next door, an expansive, more than 8,000 square-foot space with a conservatory and reading corner, and an exhaustive menu.ย
Soul food
In a cafรฉ that serves all-day breakfast, you would think eggs would impress. And, they do.
Whether it is the smoked salmon omelette on sourdough toast or egg benedict with avocado, Lento keeps its promise of goodness. The crab omelette with seafood butter sauce, clearly, hits it out of the park, bursting with the most delicious crabmeat.
Crab omelette
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But, what truly delivers a surprise, or two, are the dishes that you would possibly overlook. Take the sunrise congee, a vegetarian spin on Indonesian bubur ayam, made with slow cooked idli rice, mushrooms, pickled cucumber, finished with a swirl of coconut sauce. Lentoโs chicken soup for the soul โ an innocent bowl of goodness, spiked with a hit of Naga flavours and topped with avocado โ will keep you coming back for the invigorating flavours.
Pastel De Nata
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Jyotiโs French toast is poetry on a dish, made with sourdough brioche and served up with a flourish of Chantilly cream and maple butter sauce! The coffee does not try too hard, because it does not have to.
Chicken Soup for the Soul
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Sourced from Salawara Estate, a 360-acre plantation in Chikkamagaluru, Lentoโs beans are a blend of arabica and robusta. The estateโs ecosystem thrives among intercropped pepper, areca nut, and oranges lending a complexity to the beans. Try their classic flat white or something imaginative like the lotus biscoff latte.
In a fast-paced, shiny world, Ayaz has crystallised the snapshot of a beautiful ruin. Because, places like Lento do not impose themselves on you. They simply allow. Lento is one such place.
Lento, located next to The Second House, Muddavaddi, Saligao, Goa, is open from 9am to 6pm (closed every Wednesday). A meal for two at this pet-friendly space is priced roughly at โน1,500.