Borscht on the beach
By Vivek Menezes gorges his way through the state's best restaurants
Vegan in the land of vindaloo? Do you seek borscht instead of bebinca? Want
to eat at the best Burmese restaurant on the planet? You've come to the
right place. Goa has it all, with world-class chefs hidden away behind
coconut palms, and an amazingly diverse culinary landscape during the
tourist season.
Let's be clear - the majority of restaurants and shacks in this state are
mediocre and overpriced, and it is very easy to lose your way as you wander
the thickets of food outlets that line every beach road. But we've checked
all those indifferent places out so that you don't have to. Keep your eyes
on our top 21 restaurants in Goa and you just can't go wrong. These are
establishments with a track record of excellence. They are simply the best
Goa has to offer.
Avanti
Unless you have a seriously skilled Goan grandmother, this is the closest
you're going to get to the soul of Goan Catholic home cooking. Michael
Fernandes and his wife and mother-in-law run this cheery boite of a
restaurant like an extension of their own home, packed daily with regular
customers who know they've found a good thing. Take Michael's advice on the
day's catch, and try the beef chili fry without fail.
Fontainhas, Panjim (0832-243-1788). Mon-Sat 11am-3pm, 7-10pm. Meal for two
approx Rs 500.
Bean Me Up
More a mini-conglomerate than a mere restaurant, this wonderful North Goa
institution boasts of rooms for hire, a massage area, an excellent
delicatessen, a surprisingly complete boutique, a children's area, and, oh,
yes, a huge range of vegetarian dishes featuring world-class home-made tofu,
tempeh, seitan and other natural food products.
1639 Deulvaddo, near petrol pump, Anjuna-Vagator (0832-227-3479). Daily
9.30am-10.30pm. Meal for two approx Rs 800.
Bomra's
Yes, it really is true. This is the best Burmese restaurant in the world.
London-trained Bawmra Jap is an inspired dynamo in the kitchen. The flavours
of Burma and his Kachin homeland dance at his fingertips. It's stunningly
original and delicious food. We think it's worth a trip to Goa just to eat
at Bomra's.
Souza Vaddo, Candolim (98221-49633). Daily noon-2.30pm, 7-10pm. Meal for two
approx Rs 1,200.
Café Chocolatti
The best lunch place on the North Goa tourist strip. Great grilled
sandwiches, bountiful salads and an outstanding selection of fresh-baked
biscuits and cakes. Don't miss the hand-made chili chocolate truffles, and
much more for sale in the little shop attached. The kids will love this cute
garden restaurant.
Fort Aguada Road (0832-247-9340). Mon-Sat 9.30am-7pm. Meal for two approx Rs
600.
The Copper Bowl
We generally don't like the restaurants in the luxury hotels of Goa. But
Pousada Tauma is different, a highly distinctive, terracotta-shaded property
that's full of charm. The in-house restaurant is amazingly secluded and
private. This is a serious contender for best Goan food in the state.
Pousada Tauma Porbavaddo, Calangute (0832-227-9061). Daily 7.30am-10.30pm.
Meal for two approx Rs 1,500.
Ernesto's
This is the clubhouse you've been waiting for all your life. High ceilings,
comfortable armchairs, great music on the stereo, constant breezes coming
from the Municipal Garden that's spread below the double-height windows -
all of this adds up to an unbeatable combination. And now you also have the
inspired cooking of Chef Vasquito to bring you back to this lovely relic of
Old Panjim.
Clube Vasco da Gama, Souza Towers, Municipal Garden (98230-15921).
Daily11am-3pm, 6.30-11pm. Meal for two approx Rs 400.
Fiesta
Page 3-types, you've found your mecca. This undeniably stylish restaurant,
run by two ex-models, is the in-house clubhouse of the flashbulb-friendly
set when they're in Goa. We have always liked Fiesta, and think especially
highly of its mouthwatering desserts. But all that bling is getting to us,
as is this rapidly deteriorating location that forces you to drive through
crowds that resemble Churchgate at rush hour.
Saunta Vaddo, Baga (0832-227-9894). Wed-Mon 7pm-midnight. Meal for two
approx Rs 2,000.
Fisherman's Wharf
This is a South Goa rarity - a reliable, international-standard restaurant
that's outside the mammoth five-star complexes that have come to dominate
this part of the coast. It's a genuinely beautiful spot, right bang on the
slow-moving River Sal, and this is a tightly ticking professional set-up
that consistently delivers good value for money.
Mobor, Cavelossim (93261-29810). Daily 11am-midnight. Meal for two approx Rs
1,200.
Home
It sits right on Patnem beach, one of the prettiest and most pristine
strands of the Goan coastline. The layout couldn't be more picturesque,
tables laid out in the sand with the ocean blue as backdrop, with
comfortable floor-level seating on one side. But don't be fooled by the
idyllic setting. This is a hard-working, professional set-up that
specialises in Italian-influenced vegetarian food, and even serves Lavazza
coffee.
Patnem Beach (0832-264-3916). Daily 8.30am-5.30pm. Meal for two approx Rs
600.
Horseshoe
It takes a tough man to create such tender interpretations of the food he
loves best. They don't come any tougher than Chef Vasco Silveira,
ex-commando, who served in the Portuguese forces in Angola. His food evokes
the Lusophone arc that stretches from Mozambique to Macau. Call ahead so
that he has time to prepare his bacalhao: his version is hands down the best
of any restaurant in Goa
Rua de Ourem, Fontainhas, Panjim (0832-243-1788). Mon-Sat 12.30-2pm, 7-10pm.
Meal for two approx Rs 1,000.
I-95
Just two years after opening, there's no denying this restaurant its place
among the very best in the state. It's on one of the few quiet enclaves
remaining right off the main tourism drag of North Goa. But it's the very
solid modern cooking that draws us back - robust Maryland crab cakes,
curried lobster served with clove-scented pilaf, and a killer banana cream
pie with gingered crust.
Castelo Vermelho, 1/115 Gauravaddo, Calangute (0832-227-5213). Daily
7-11.30pm. Meal for two approx Rs 1,500.
J&A
Run by the ebullient Jamshed Madon and his wife, the self-taught chef Ayesha
Billimoria, J&A has been one of the great successes of the Goan tourism
marketplace. What's more, it has become a kind of clubhouse for a revolving
array of India's cultural and business elite, who are particularly
ubiquitous around New Year. Alas, this has meant that this otherwise super
restaurant has become less friendly to the rest of us plebs.
Baga Creek (98231-39488). Daily 6pm-midnight. Meal for two approx Rs 2,000.
La Fenice
Come in through the nondescript entrance on the ground floor, and you're
quite unprepared for what comes above, as this unexpectedly fine Italian
restaurant unfolds upwards to a series of broad terraces that are open to
stars. Run by two energetic Italians, this is zestful cooking from the boot
country of the Mediterranean, bursting with flavour and always deeply
satisfying.
Opposite Tarcar Ice Factory, Gauravaddo, Calangute (0832-228-1182). Daily
10.30am-11pm. Meal for two approx Rs 1,000.
La Plage
Gorgeous location on a sand dune on a pristine North Goa beach. Spirited
French cooking, with every item on the menu a well-conceived winner. There
are many reasons to love this restaurant, and we have always thought very
highly of it. But then the service became alarmingly slack last season. We
hope it was a temporary problem.
Ashvem Beach (98221-21712). Daily 8.30am-10pm. Meal for two approx Rs 1,000.
Lila Café
This bright, spacious German-run restaurant is among the most successful
establishments in North Goa, with a fanatically loyal multinational
clientele that keeps the space buzzing all through the season. Try the
spatzle and goulash, the water-buffalo ham, and eggplant pate, all unusually
fine and served with a smile by an unusually efficient, friendly staff.
Baga Creek (0832-227-9843). Wed-Mon 9am-6pm. Meal for two approx Rs 800.
Mum's Kitchen
This increasingly popular restaurant prides itself on "a mission to save
Goan food". To that end, the management recruited a cross-section of expert
aunties to share recipes for a wide range of Hindu and Catholic traditional
Goan dishes. These make Mum's Kitchen a kind of one-stop emporium for the
flavours of Goa. Focus on the delightful Goan vegetarian dishes like
uddamethi, and keel khotkhotem, made from banana shoots.
DB Road, Miramar (93261-00873). Daily 11am-11pm. Meal for two approx Rs
1,200.
Nostalgia
When he died earlier this year, Chef Fernando da Costa was eulogised as a
fighter for traditional Goan cooking. This is a man whose fragrant pulaos
were always made with homemade chicken stock, who insisted that red-flecked
Goan rice was the authentic companion to prawn curry. The maestro is gone,
but the tradition lives on in scenic Raia village.
Uzro, Raia (0832-277-7098). Daily 11am-11pm. Meal for two approx Rs 600.
Ritz Classic
If you took a Goa-wide poll for best restaurant, this place would win hands
down. You can test this for yourself by trying to get a table during peak
hours at lunch or dinner - every seat is always taken, and there may be as
many as 50 eager customers hanging around in the aisles and corridors,
quietly salivating about the piscine bonanza that's unfolding around them.
Remember Trishna 25 years ago? That's what we're talking about.
Wagle Vision, 18th June Road, Panjim (0832-564-4796). Daily 11am-3pm,
7-11pm. Meal for two approx Rs 500.
Venite
Over the years, this charming little restaurant has become established as a
must-visit for foreign travellers to Goa. It's easy to see why. Venite has a
beautiful setting in the Latinate ward of San Tome that leads to Fontainhas,
and features cute pocket-sized balconies which are unbeatable for soaking in
the old-world vibe. Try the no-label feni (the editor of this magazine
swears by it).
31st January Road, Panjim (0832-242-5537). Meal for two approx Rs 800.
Mon-Sat 8.30am-10.30pm.
Viva Panjim
Why are we so enamoured of this modest restaurant, which serves basic Goan
and international tourist fare? Because of the location, tucked in the
middle of a fairytale stretch of old Fontainhas. Because of the relaxed
setting, with tables spilling out of a family's parlour. And mostly because
of Linda D'Souza, ex-Mumbai, a warm, chatty genuine Goan Aunty who will take
care of you just like you need her to.
Off 31st January Road, Fontainhas (0832-242-2405). Mon-Sat 11am-3pm,
7-11.30pm, Sun dinner only. Meal for two approx Rs 500.
Zeebop
Okay, so the food here is pretty uneven, and nothing to get excited about.
And, oh yeah, the staff is opportunistic and often quite rude in denying the
best tables to unknown customers. So why is Zeebop on our list? Location,
location, location. This is a dream-like beach setting, with the sand kept
powder-soft and perfectly clean by daily sifting and sweeping.
Zeebop Utorda Beach, opposite Kenilworth Beach Resort (0832-275-5333). Daily
10am-10pm. Meal for two approx Rs 800. (ENDS)
Photos and Vivek Menezes' column at:
http://www.goanet.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1066
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The above article appeared in the Oct 3-16, 2008 edition of Time Out
Bengaluru (Bangalore)
