Tuesday, April 14, 2009
South India: Goa: Rio Restaurant
(Around the corner from Panjim Inn)
We were feeling hungry late into our last night in Goa and decided to go to Rio, a "Pure Veg" restaurant. We never ventured here earlier because it always looked empty... our loss, because this place is actually a favorite of taxi drivers in the area. Around 11pm, it was packed. The food here was serious, and included both northern and southern food, as well as chinese food.
Alas, we forgot our cameras at the hotel and did not take pictures. The chapati was fresh with a litte char. DJKung and I shared a paneer tikka masala. It was a generous portion, very savory and filling. We agreed that this was the best restaurant that we had tried here in Panajim.
South India: Goa: Venita Restaurant
Panajim, South Goa
Our taxi driver, who was born and raised in Panajim, recommended this restaurant. We were disappointed that this was another tourist trap, unfortunately. But at least we got to try casheew feni on our last night.
South India: Goa: Viva Panjim
Panajim, South Goa
This restaurant is pretty much where the tourists in Panajim go, although we did notice quite a few locals too. Viva Panjim is only a few blocks from Panjim Inn, and the menu looked good. The food was ok and nothing spectacular.
Chicken chili fry. DJKung felt that it was ok, but not as good as Candlelight's.
Fried prawns. I must say that the prawns we've had throughout the trip were very flavorful, not like the cardboard stuff that you get back home. I'm not sure why, when the local prawns here are all farmed, too.
South India: Goa: Auntie Maria's Coffee Shop
Panajim, South Goa
After quite a bit of walking, we ducked into this coffee shop for some refreshments and some good ol' ac. Auntie Maria's is in the ground floor of one of the fancy hotels in the center of Panajim.
I do recall that this place made excellent coffee, which was definitely Nescafe in flavor.It was strong and nutty, almost like it was freshly brewed. I wonder how they were able to make it that way.
Across the street from Auntie Maria's was a storefront that specialized in local sweets and snacks. It was quite mobbed. We promised ourselves that we would return the next day and pick out some snacks, but unfortunately, did not make it back.
South India: Goa: Gitalla Restaurant
Panajim, South Goa
While out exploring Panajim, we started getting hungry. Gitala looked like a local joint that specialized in seafood. DJKung got the fish thali, and I ordered some prawn fried rice.
Prawn fried rice. This was actually not bad.
South India: Goa: La Plage
Ashvem, North Goa
The guests at Siolim House raved about this place, a French fusion joint that has the reputation of being the best restaurant in the whole of Goa. UFC is a bit leery of fusion food in general, but we gave it a shot. La Plage lived up to the hype.
To get there, you need to either get on your scooter or grab a cab ride, because it is quite removed from the town center of Ashvem. Supposedly, the beaches at Ashvem are quieter and low-key, but we found quite a few more tourists here than at Arambol. With the tourists, of course, you also get the sarong sellers, the massage offers, and the like. The beach has clean white sand and strong surf.
La Plage was bigger and livelier than we expected. Our first visit was on a Sunday, and the place was packed. The decor is very cool-casual, with tents, lamps and beach chairs and festive beach music. We snagged a low table with a view of the beach and ordered some beer and apps.
Mussels in coconut curry sauce. The sauce was harsh and rather disappointing, because the curry tasted like it came from a bottle, instead of being freshly made. It did not go too well with the mussels, which were fresh, small and sweet.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
South India: Goa: Panjim Inn
Panjim, Goa
We decided to stay in Panjim for our last two nights in Goa to ease ourselves to the hustle and bustle of Mumbai, the last leg of our trip. Panjim also boasted some colonial-area architecture that we wanted to check out.
Panjim Inn is located in the old section of Panajim, which is about 45 minutes to the airport. I was not disappointed. Panjim Inn has that rare blend of history and style, at a superaffordable price. Our room had a nicely crafted four-poster bed. It came with ac and satellite tv too! It seems that this tourist inn was slowly expanded over the years, because it included distinct buildings connected by narrow hallways.
Breakfast was pretty hearty, and served buffet style. Only one type of egg (scrambled), but you can go back for seconds. As Panjim Inn catered to tourists, baked beans, toast and breakfast cereal were available too.
The area where Panjim Inn and its sister establishments is called Fontainhas. It was nice simply walking around and marvelling at how some of the structures still exist. .. it felt a bit like walking around Fortaleza, another Portuguese holding from way back. Oh yes, a lot of those tiny street-side shrines too, regardless of the creed.
This shot appealed to me on different levels. First, was the layout of the ads. It reminded me of those old -style shingles that one might hang to advertise a local business. I also liked how the "quit smoking" ad is quite prominent and very official-looking. Next thing I noticed was the "Ayurvedic clinic" ad. Ayurvedic medicine is not is a legitimately recognized form of medicine, in the same way the western medicine is recognized by us. Later on, in Mumbai, I came across a bazaar for medical supplies, and some of them offered solely Ayurvedic herbs and oils.
The fish section. It looks like most of the catch was pretty local---mostly small fishes, a lot of prawns, some small clams.
Panjim Inn was very good value. The town itself can easily be covered in a day, so we found ourselves day-tripping back to the beach. DJKung was suffering from acute pool withdrawal, and I don't think he liked Panajim too much.
Friday, April 10, 2009
South India: Goa: Danny's Restaurant
Arambol, Goa
Arambol is the hippie beach of North Goa. All of the tourists we've come across prior to making here had raved about how awesome this beach is, so we were prepared to hate it.
Yet it ain't that bad... the beach was a long strip of white sand and pretty strong surf. Not too many people, which was surprising. There were a number of beach huts and restaurants facing the water, but it was really... dead. Goa, like other parts of India, appeared to have been hard hit by the events of 26/11.
So we walked a bit for a few minutes under the blazing sun. We picked a random place among the many beachfront restaurants. Danny's had your typical tourist menu of spaghetti, salads and burgers. DJKung was happy with just a cold drink and a snack, but I was feeling ravenous.
Considering that Danny's solely catered to tourists, we were pretty impressed by the food. After finishing the fried rice and fried papadum, we were ready for round two.
Shrimp tempura with fried rice. Don't it look cute! DJKung finished every bite.
South India: Goa: Candlelight Restaurant
Siolim, Goa
The area around Siolim is very working class, and the main street boasts a couple of thali places. At night, though, it is deserted. Antoinette from Siolim House recommended that we go to Candlelight for dinner, as it was the only place close by. Candlelight was about a ten-minute uphill walk from the hotel. For some reason, the street lights were not lit the first time we ventured forth... it was pitch-black and scary. We had the tiniest, smallest flashlight with us, so it was not much help.
The creepiest thing was that the countryside was dotted with tiny, whitewashed shrines that kinda glowed in the darkness. (Little shrines are a Goan thing--- they can be Hindu, Christian, or any religion.) They looked like tombstones on the side of the road, complete with garlands of wilted flowers. Once in a while, stray dogs would bark at us. They were not friendly barks. We realized that we were veritable sissies in this scary excursion. We were not sure if we should turn back.
We gave ourselves fifteen minutes before giving up and going to bed hungry. We were glad for being such troopers, because Candlelight was a gem.
Alex from Siolim House joked that we should give our food orders first, because the kitchen was really slow. In truth, we did not mind. It was just interesting listening to the local banter. Two expats talked about having to go to Nepal to get their visas. We fell into a conversation with another expat, who just kept going on and on. Another regular, a thirty-something Indian guy, would just quietly drink his beer. Once in a while, a group of young Indian men would have a drink, and go off, maybe clubbing. Yea, no other women customers here too.
The menu at Candlelight is quite abbreviated. You can get fried prawns. Or beef/pork/chicken chili fry. Or curry fish with rice. Sometimes, they have sardines. That's it. Between our two visits, we sampled everything.
We really liked the homey atmosphere and local vibe of this joint. It was just great hanging out with our beers and stuffing ourselves. On our way back to Siolim, the street lights were lit. The doggies would still bark, but they no longer felt so menacing. They must be used to tourists stumbling back to Siolim.
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South India: Goa: Siolim House, Part II
Siolim House serves serious breakfasts, which is included in the price. You get a choice of tea or coffee, fresh fruit and fresh fruit juice, toast, and eggs prepared any style. Everything is made to order --- no continental buffet table here --- so you are really forced to enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Like with everything else about Siolim, their breakfasts were superb.
Siolim House also serves light lunches and dinners, which you have to preorder, as everything is made fresh. On our last night, we splurged on their dinner. It was a good decision.
Superfatty enjoying a predinner drink too. We both had King's Beer (available only in Goa--- the liquor laws seem pretty arcane in India; all the beers had regional boundaries where they can be sold, except for Kingfisher, the no. 1 brand)
We also chatted with other guests who opted to have dinner in-house that night. There were two English ladies, the jolly French dude, Varun and his friend from Vietnam, and Varun's mum. Varun treated us to a glass of Sula (chenin blanc?), which is India's biggest winemaker. It was crisp and dry, had a bit of a bite.
Then it was off to our own candlelit table by the pool. It was a clear night and the stars were out. It was really romantic, but DJKung and I kept giggling, we could not believe we were having this intimate, sophisticate dinner. And we were buzzed, too.
House rolls (we saw the kitchen staff kneading the dough that morning). It was chewy and buttery, went well with the rich French-style mushroom soup.