From Goa With Flavour: Praça Prazeres Pops Up At Tuscany

For Hyderabad's food lovers, this week comes with a passport-free trip to Goa. At Tuscany, Trident Hyderabad, Chef Ralph Prazeres of Goa's acclaimed Praça Prazeres is serving up a menu that reflects exactly what diners have come to love about his restaurant: ingredient-driven food, comforting flavours and a refreshingly uncomplicated approach to cooking.

The pop-up, on till Saturday, is available for dinner until Thursday, while Friday and Saturday offer both lunch and dinner services, giving diners a few more opportunities to experience the collaboration.

Interestingly, this isn't Chef Ralph's first encounter with Hyderabad. He recalls an earlier breakfast pop-up in the city that received an encouraging response and convinced him there was an audience ready for what his team was doing. “this time we've brought our classics," says Chef Ralph.

The learning from his previous visit shaped the menu now on offer. Instead of experimenting, he has brought dishes that regulars in Goa instantly associate with Praça Prazeres. The idea, he explains, is simple: give Hyderabad a genuine taste of the restaurant rather than adapting it into something unfamiliar. If guests later visit Goa, they will recognise the same flavours waiting for them there.

The menu moves from fresh salads and small plates to hearty mains and nostalgic desserts, but there are a few dishes Chef Ralph is especially excited about. The prawn and mango salad was created specifically for this pop-up, while the chicken croquettes replace the predictable grilled chicken with something more playful. The red amaranth lasagna, usually reserved for special events, also makes an appearance, alongside the ever-popular chicken parmigiana.

While several dishes draw from European traditions, Goa anchors the menu. Chef Ralph points to the red rice and amaranth salad as perhaps the most Goan dish on the table. Made with local brown rice and inspired by Goa's seasonal red spinach, it celebrates ingredients deeply rooted in the region. The root vegetables in Caldeen, with its gentle Goan-Portuguese curry base, carries that influence even further.

One of the surprises on the menu is pork belly, a dish not often seen at travelling restaurant collaborations. But for Chef Ralph, the choice is as practical as it is personal. It's one of the restaurant's favourites and a dish his team knows inside out, making it ideal when working in an unfamiliar kitchen with limited prep time. Diners were seen thoroughly enjoying the dish, branding it outstanding.

Unlike many chefs who modify flavours to make it palatable to the guests from the city, Chef Ralph believes consistency matters. With Praça Prazeres begins travelling more frequently across India, he wants diners everywhere to experience the restaurant as it truly is rather than a version tailored to local expectations. "When people eventually visit us in Goa, I want them to find the same food they have already experienced here," he says.

For him, these collaborations are about much more than introducing a menu. They are helping build stronger relationships within the culinary community while taking the restaurant beyond Goa without opening another address.

His cooking philosophy, however, remains firmly old-school. Trained in classical kitchens in Europe, Chef Ralph still believes good cooking begins with mastering fundamentals rather than relying on shortcuts or modern gadgets. That traditional approach continues to shape both his own food and the way he mentors young chefs entering professional kitchens today.

Chef Anubhav Mathur of Tuscany says the partnership felt natural because both kitchens share similar values. "Chef Ralph's cooking reflects the same respect for ingredients and craftsmanship that we believe in at Tuscany. This collaboration is about giving Hyderabad diners something authentic and memorable while celebrating great food without unnecessary complexity," he says.

If you are wondering where to begin, Chef Ralph has a few favourites he never hesitates to recommend: the ceviche, pork belly, seafood dishes, slow-cooked lamb and, without question, the desserts. "Desserts are a no-brainer," he laughs.

For Hyderabad, this is an opportunity to sample one of Goa's most talked-about restaurants without leaving the city, and perhaps discover a few reasons to plan the next holiday around a reserved table at the busiest restaurant.