Little things make paradise. God made Goa on the west coast of India and then made the sun set in the west. That was mythology. The rest, they say is history. The Goans made the sunset the best time for worship; the feni the cup of joy, and fish, the offering. Enjoying life to the fullest thus became a way of life.
And improvisation followed. So we have eating houses abound where the sand on the beach ends. Every other shop a bar, and eating vegetarian food a sin. And where every other shack on the beach competing gamely for its place on the visitors dinner diary, the best time to filter the best is in the rains.
Like every other law abiding Goan(a Delhite once remarked to me that he was amazed when every vehicle in Goa stopped at a red light even when there was no other vehicle at the junction!), Goan fishermen have resigned to the fact that fishes need breeding time and hence don’t go fishing for two months in the rains. So most of the shacks are closed in the rains and only the ones with the best storage facilities and can serve fish remain open.
The most popular beach in Goa is Calangute beach, and its most popular eating house – Souza Lobo. Established in 1932, this restaurant dwarfed by other eating houses, is located linearly where the beach ends with three rows of tables set at two levels with each table commanding a breath-taking view of the beach.
The only wall along the far side is decorated with paintings of fisherwomen in mis-matching floral blouses and skirts; the ceiling with bamboo mats and all lights pointing upwards giving the whole restaurant a serene atmosphere. There is live music with a different band playing every night.
Liquor and fish take prime space on the menu and pork is also available. Most of the dishes are made to suit western tastes, but spicy preparations are available on request. Lobster is expensive at Rs.1500, but otherwise most of the dishes are in the range of Rs.180 to Rs.200.
For starters, mixed sea food grill at Rs.500 is exquisite, consisting of grilled crabs, king prawns, squid, oysters and fillet of chonak(red snapper). Aromatic pork sorpotel is popular among the western visitors. Vinegar, toddy and rum are used liberally in most of the preparations(though not all together in the same dish).
The main dishes of fish are cafreal, vindaloo or plain fish masala and are best eaten with the local pao(bread). These are spicy and aromatic preparations and one generous portion is sufficient for two.
Prawns or Fish fry is available either as rava-fried or masala-fried. Both are equally good with the masala consisting of ground spices in vinegar. Most of the dishes are dressed with salads, so there is no need to order green salads.
The regular Goan desserts like Bebinca and Dodol are available; try the Crepe Sousa Lobo – its ice cream rolled with a sprinkling of grated coconut dust topped with chocolate. Bebinca is a egg and coconut milk preparation, while Dodol is a preparation made of coconut jaggery.
Other popular places in Goa include Ritz Classic at Panaji and Martins Corner at Betalbatim. Ritz Classic serves a fish platter at an unbelievable Rs.220. At most of the eating houses, the fish on the menu is displayed on request and is brought to the table on huge trays.
If you are not too fussy of service and décor, “Alua”’s the place for you. It is said that Alua’s the largest purchaser of fresh fish from the Panaji market every day, and in the rains, anglers supply the fish here. The best part of the restaurant is that the waiter sincerely tells you what fish is fresh and what’s from the freezer! Alua has four outlets – at Sangolda, Campal(Panaji), Merces and Verna. The Merces is the most popular and is about 2 km from Panaji.
Some of the eating houses have become destinations on the tourist map of Goa with Martins Corner quite popular being favoured by Sachin Tendulkar with his favourite dish Crab Xec Xec marked on the menu as “Sachin’s favourite”!