This is a combined review for two visits to Café Goa.
1st Visit:
1st Visit:
When a crazy gang of foodies decided to spend an
evening together the unanimous choice of restaurant was one that we had heard
rave reviews about: Café Goa. Situated in a by-lane of Viman Nagar, this tiny
restaurant serves the most awesome Goan cuisine, seafood et al, without burning
a nasty hole in your pocket.
Though we chose to go for an evening meal the sultry
summer was getting to us; hence as soon as we rested our butts we ordered refreshing
fresh lime sodas. These were served in vibrantly coloured glasses; the myriad
of colours were very pleasing to the eye. The fresh lime sodas were very well
made with the perfect balance of tang and sweetness.
Our choices for starters were Pomfret Masala Fry
(Raechardo), Surmai Rawa Fry, Surmai Masala fry (Raechardo), Squid Rawa Fry,
Prawns Rawa Fry and Prawns Stir Fry (Raechardo).
Be it prawns; surmai or squid, every variety of
seafood was cooked to 'spot on' texture. I was especially pleased with the squid
and prawns because some restaurants tend to overcook these beautiful babies.
The Raechardo masala was spicy yet totally yum. The chef hadn’t allowed the spices to overpower the deliciousness that this masala is so capable of imparting. We all loved it!
The Raechardo masala was spicy yet totally yum. The chef hadn’t allowed the spices to overpower the deliciousness that this masala is so capable of imparting. We all loved it!
For the mains we opted for Chicken Cafreal and Rus
Omelette. The Cafreal was delicately spiced and the chicken was cooked just
right so as to retain its succulent quality.
The Rus Omelette was a new dish for me. This was a regular onion omelette served with Xacuti gravy served with four pieces of soft ladi pau. As known to most of you, I’m a hard core carnivore so trust me when I say, the Chicken Cafreal was delish but the Rus Omelette simply blew me away! I loved the combination of the omelette and gravy. Imagine: You cut a piece of the omelette while dipping a piece of soft pau into that robust rus. You ponder a while wondering what the taste will be like because you’re having it for the very first time. You put that morsel in your mouth and ‘bang!’, the flavours hit you all at once, savoury and spicy! Such a simple dish and yet it so vehemently made its mark among stalwarts like surmai and chicken. There are only two words to describe it perfectly… sublime deliciousness!
The Rus Omelette was a new dish for me. This was a regular onion omelette served with Xacuti gravy served with four pieces of soft ladi pau. As known to most of you, I’m a hard core carnivore so trust me when I say, the Chicken Cafreal was delish but the Rus Omelette simply blew me away! I loved the combination of the omelette and gravy. Imagine: You cut a piece of the omelette while dipping a piece of soft pau into that robust rus. You ponder a while wondering what the taste will be like because you’re having it for the very first time. You put that morsel in your mouth and ‘bang!’, the flavours hit you all at once, savoury and spicy! Such a simple dish and yet it so vehemently made its mark among stalwarts like surmai and chicken. There are only two words to describe it perfectly… sublime deliciousness!
By the time we finished our dinner we were in two
minds whether to opt for dessert or to go easy on our tummies. A friend (if I name him, I'm dead meat) with a
perpetual sweet tooth (actually, that’s a darn understatement, he has ‘sweet
teeth’ :P ) who really cannot do without dessert made that decision for us and
we opted for two Caramel Custards, to share. We cannot thank him enough for
goading us into having dessert because this was one of the best Caramel Custard
we had ever eaten. The caramel was burnt just right, lending that perfect hint
of bitterness; such a vital part to a good Caramel Custard.
Our tummies were so full with everything we’d eaten
that we simply could not try the Goan curries from their menu. We plan to use
that as a major excuse to revisit this eatery. (Evil grin)
2nd Visit:
On a second visit, a couple of days back, we stuck to
the same items we ordered in our last visit with the addition of two new
dishes. The new dishes were, the Pomfret Rawa Fry and Prawn Curry Rice.
The pomfret was fresh and fried to perfection. I didn’t expect them to get that wrong and they didn’t! The prawn curry was served with approximately 6-7 prawns. The prawns, too, were cooked perfectly, but considering that they serve Goan cuisine, I expected the curry to be more flavourful and full-bodied. Unfortunately it fell short in regard to flavour and texture. It wasn’t bad; it just lacked ‘oomph’! A wee bit of tanginess and some thick coconut milk would have added that ‘oomph’.
The pomfret was fresh and fried to perfection. I didn’t expect them to get that wrong and they didn’t! The prawn curry was served with approximately 6-7 prawns. The prawns, too, were cooked perfectly, but considering that they serve Goan cuisine, I expected the curry to be more flavourful and full-bodied. Unfortunately it fell short in regard to flavour and texture. It wasn’t bad; it just lacked ‘oomph’! A wee bit of tanginess and some thick coconut milk would have added that ‘oomph’.
Except for the curry, I truly cannot find fault with a
single thing we ate that evening (Konkani music included.. sigh!) and for that
very reason my ratings for Café Goa are…
Food: 4.5/5
Ambience: 3/5 (it’s a simple non-AC joint but clean)
Service: 5/5 (polite, courtesy, attentive.. what more
can one ask for?)
Address: Shop No 3-4, Faith Center, Near NEXA
Showroom, Sakore Nagar, Viman Nagar, Pune
Tel: +91 9820159824
Tel: +91 9820159824
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