[Goanet]Sydney Morning Herald: Restaurant Review: Viva Goa

[Eddie Fernandes]

Source: Sydney Morning Herald 25 Oct. 2003 at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/24/1066974306093.html Headline: Goan, get into it. By: Annette Shun Wah.   Full text:   Pan pipe music aside, Viva Goa is a flavour sensation, writes Annette Shun Wah.   Viva Goa 2 Scott Street, Pyrmont, 9566 1311 Lunch, Monday to Friday, noon-2.30pm, dinner, Monday to Saturday, 6-10.30pm   Grandma is giving us the eye. Perhaps she's bored with the three generations of her Indian family supping around her, or perhaps she's intrigued to see how the seven of us will fare with only one table while she and her nine rellies look a little cramped around two. Soon we're the ones eyeing them off, envious of their elbow room.   It's Saturday night at Viva Goa, and there's barely space to swing a coconut. The timber settings used outside on balmier evenings have been pressed into service, and we're perched two apiece on unforgiving wooden benches. No matter - it's a lively place and we're soon distracted by the wonderful aromas drifting from the open kitchen.   We'd all been to this restaurant under its former guise as Kokum - Taste of Goa, and were disappointed when it closed about eight months ago. There are only a handful of Goan eateries in Sydney, and most offer only a few specialties alongside standard Indian fare. But former Kokum co-head chef, Gus D'Souza has re-opened with a focused menu offering authentic Goan cooking, blending Portuguese, Indian and even a touch of African influences.   As we negotiate the choices, one of my companions notices that the woman in a vibrant green sari at the next table is mopping the corners of her eyes. Has she been moved by memories of Goa or is the chilli getting to her? This worries one of my companions because we're favouring the hotter selections on the menu as signified by one or two chilli symbols. We compensate with appetisers and vegetable dishes with no chilli indicators.   We start with redfish fillets flavoured with clove and chilli, and a hearty vegetable pancake, both crumbed in a light, crunchy semolina coating. They're served with a scrumptious coriander and mint yoghurt, garlic sour cream and a fresh tomato relish, although one of my friends declares the alfalfa garnish to be "very 1980s". Accordingly, that's all that's left on the platter.   The decor has a nautical theme, with P&O posters, pictures of wooden boats and a decorative lifebuoy ring carrying the words "welcome aboard". We hear snatches of folksy music, then recognise the familiar refrains. It turns out to be the Beatles' greatest hits on pan pipes.   The Indian family makes a move, and we celebrate our expanded space with lemon and cashew feni sherbets. Feni is Goa's favourite spirit, distilled from fermented coconut sap or cashews. Its potency is deceptively masked by the fresh fruity flavours of the sherbet.   Feni is also used in sorpotel, roast pork simmered in a rich chilli and garlic sauce. It's served in a small, deep pot, and we're soon guessing which dish is which. Button mushrooms are delicious baked with tomato and wild fenugreek, with a hint of coriander. Amotik is a typical Goan fish dish, hot and sour with chilli and tamarind. Grilled Portuguese chicken is a tad dry. It's served with peri-peri sauce, a lemon, garlic and chilli concoction that originated in Mozambique but travelled to Goa via their colonial masters. The standout dish is choricou - a casserole of spicy Portuguese-style pork sausages and potato. It is the only dish worthy of a chilli rating, but certainly nothing to bring tears to the eyes. Perhaps the woman in the sari was nostalgic for the flavours of home after all.   OUT OF TEN   Food 8   Goan cooking with distinct flavours.   Service 7   Friendly and low-key.   Atmosphere 8  Crowded, noisy; the timber seating could do with some padding.   Value 8   Offers a set number of courses for between $29.90 and $35.90, but our party of seven ordered a la carte for under $30 each ==================