If a major part of the pleasure of your holiday is eating good food, then you have arrived at the right destination.
You may think that because Goa is part of India, that you will be subject to curry for breakfast, dinner, tea and supper…..WRONG!
Goan people are so proud of their own Goan food delights, and although there are many curry recipes, they are nothing like your local Indian take-away. Fish constitutes a large proportion of the Goan diet. In fact whereas our main topic of greeting conversation revolves around the weather, the Goan people talk about the fish catch of the day. Believe you me, they can cook a mean Pomfret fish; boiled fried, grilled, baked, tandoori, curried ; in fact just tell the chef how you would like it prepared and Raj is your uncle. In hindsight, Raj is a poor example, because the majority of the Goan people have Christian first names and Portuguese surnames i.e. Simon Fernandes.
Let’s get back to the food. If you think that you have experienced a Tiger Prawn, then think again. My lovely wife had to use both hands to hold one. It was like a gigantic pink banana, but so succulent when cooked with garlic.
So lets not get carried away by fish. My lovely Wife and I walked for miles around the areas
of Candolim, Baga and Calangute just taking in the wonderful digestive aromas from the kerbside restaurants. You could be forgiven for forgetting that you were in India at all. We passed Goan Restaurants, Italian Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Chinese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants and would you believe……We actually saw an Indian Restaurants as well. Yes, there were an abundance of choices. In fact there weren’t sufficient hours in the holiday to eat our way through it all.
If you are a sun worshipper (Most people who go to Goa are) then you will want to find an eating place near to, or on the Beach. Well here is the good news………… The BEACH-SHACK proprietors normally own the array of sun beds. Beach Shacks are proverbial ‘Oasis in the desert’. There are hundreds of them dotted along the coastline. They are shacks constructed from bamboo cane with coconut leaf roof and walls. They all sell Ice cold drinks and the most wonderful food.
My Lovely wife and I spent most of our three-week holiday at ‘Aggies’ Shack, which is just at the bottom of the Goan Heritage Road, Calangute. (Just hang a left when you reach the beach, walk about 50 meters and you’ll find it) They had just taken on a new Chef. This man could cook the most mouth-watering world-wide dishes; and yes, even a good Indian Curry. I couldn’t believe the quality of the food, It was so good. If you want to experience the sight of a Goan sunset, and wish to combine this with a wonderful meal, then have a word with Aggie the day before. Let him know what you would like to eat, and he will go to market and bring the freshest food for his chef to cook or barbecue to your own taste. Aggies evening barbecues are to die for. If you go to Aggies Shack, see Aggie or Jack, just mention our names: Jan and Andy. You will either be kicked out or given a most pleasant welcome.
Away from the beach, there are a couple of restaurants that I would strongly recommend. The first one is a restaurant called the ‘Sangamitri’ (Dress up to go there) It is situated just off the Goan Heritage Road in Calangute. The décor, the ambience, the style are all there. You will be welcomed by the portly bearded friendly Dutch owner of the restaurant, he will sit you down in a quiet reception area; here you can order your meal and enjoy a quiet drink whilst your table and meal are being prepared. You will then be ushered by a smartly dressed waiter to your outdoor table where you will experience the meal of a lifetime (Three courses for two people inc. drinks will cost you about £8 to £9 here.) This is a multi-cuisine establishment.
Just along the same road towards the beach, just on the left-hand side you will come across a different type of restaurant, thi s is called the ’Seagull’ Here you can arrive in your casual or dancing gear. This outdoor establishment is famous for it’s entertainment (Just two nights per week). so if you fancy a dance, a karaoke, (Never could spell that damned word) or to simply be entertained by the vocalist whilst enjoying a good meal at a very reasonable price, then this is the place to be. Joe is the head Bar Person / Waiter / Dogs Body and Bottle Washer. He will make you so welcome, and will remember your name for your next visit. Upon our first visit here, we were shown the menu. I thought that I had made my mind up about which delicacy I should partake in. That was until Joe came along. I ended up having something totally different. Joe interrogates you and ‘Extracts’ from you the tastes that you like, he gets the chef to prepare you the dish that he feels best suits your taste. He’s bloody good at it as well!!
What about the hotel food? Well, from what I can gather from chatting to fellow tourists, hotel food was rather good everywhere, but you are far better eating out at the Beach Shacks during the day, and restaurants in the evening. I must say that the food in our particular hotel (Ondas Do Mar) was very good, but there are so many choices of cuisine out there, it seems a shame to ‘Stay in’ every night.
Can you buy food from the shops?
YES, you can purchase most things in Goa. Bacon, cheese, ham, tea bags. All of which are well-known branded names (but a third of the price), so no problems there. Bit of advice: If you want spices, then do not purchase them from a shop, go to ‘Eddies tours’ (Well known English travel firm in Calangute) Pay to go on the ‘Spice Trail’ trip. Here you can get any spice that you require, straight from the plant. The trip also includes a typical Goan meal, a fish curry presented to you on a banana leaf; your utensils are your fingers. The meal is washed down by the Goan traditional spirit ‘Fenni’ (There are two types, one which is derived from cashew nut, the other from palm leaf (But don’t have more than two if you don’t wish to talk in Hieroglyphics) I can guarantee that you will enjoy this trip.
What about fruit?
The best place to but fruit is from the street sellers. You can purchase almost any type of fruit for a tenth of the price that you would pay back home. One word of warning; Wash it well with bottled water, and make sure that you have a fridge in your room if you wish to keep it for a couple of days. Make sure you sample a freshly plucked coconut, the seller will slice the top off and give you a straw…. Pure magic.
Without wishing to concentrate on too many specific restaurants, I hope that I have managed to explain what is on offer in North Goa. Jan and I are looking forward to 4th January 2001 when we fly out again to Goa. There are so many restaurants left untried, and it is our ambition to try them all of them over the next ten years or so.
I do hope that this article has been of some value, but If you do have any specific questions that may help you decide to come to Goa or not, please feel free to e-mail me at andy@thewilsons.woldonline.co.uk I will be pleased to impart any information that I can to help you to decide.
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