Going For Goan

It seems like the boldly flavoured yet humble cuisine of our happy place is undergoing a renaissance

- Dhvani Solani

Around this time last year, we were in the middle of lush fields, seated in straight-backed cane chairs, wolfing down a thali in the family-run Vinayak Bar and Restaurant in Assagao, Goa. It was so good that we went back there the next day – even my vegetarian thali was outstanding in a homely way, though Zomato reviews talk no end of their fish version.

I remember thinking what a welcome change this was from the substandard shack food (greasy fries + sickly sweet milkshakes) and European food (often excellent) that I largely ate in this teeny state that I absolutely adore. I also remember thinking whether Goan food would ever demand the kind of price points or come with the kind of ambience other cuisines enjoyed, not just in the sunshine state, but beyond as well.

Now, I know better. It seems like over the past couple of months, Goa has come to us even when we’ve not been able to go there. And not in the small homestyle eatery avatar that we’ve seen it as, but the kinds that pay as much attention to their playlists as their poee, their service as their sorpotel. Case in point: Just in Mumbai, three new restaurants have popped up in the past six months: O Pedro at Bandra-Kurla Complex, Lady Baga at Lower Parel, and Porto and Poie at Juhu.

Part of this can probably be attributed to the burgeoning interest and pride in all things swadeshi – be it fashion or film. It was then only a matter of time before we’d turn our attention to regional cuisines, either the way our grandmamas did it or by reinventing lost recipes. Part of this can probably also be attributed to Goan-origin chefs making their mark internationally. Floyd Cardoz, who found fame on foreign waters with the pioneering Tabla, had a homecoming of sorts when he opened Bombay Canteen and subsequently O Pedro in Mumbai. But his Goan Catholic heritage first found home in his restaurant in NYC: Paowalla.