------------------------------------------------------------------------ TRI Continental Film Festival - Dona Paula, Goa, Sep 28 - Oct 2, 2007
http://www.moviesgoa.org/tricontinental/tricon.htm For public viewing. Registration at The International Centre Goa. (Ph: +91-832-2452805 to 10) Online Media Partner: http://www.GOANET.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VALUEFORMONEY: SO BLAME IT ON THE COOK, WHEN THINGS GO RIGHT By Edgar D'Souza [EMAIL PROTECTED] Casino Motels, off the CHOGM road, Porvorim. I've been there long, long ago (probably three to four years) and the food was then about halfway between mediocre and decent -- nothing to rave about at all. That's changed now; they probably have a new cook, who's real good.... To get there, take the CHOGM road from the Coqueiro circle, heading toward Saligao, Calangute etc. Soon after getting onto this road, there is a small temple on the left side of the road. About 25 metres further is a turn-off to the left; there is also a "Casino Motels" signboard there. Take this left turn. In about 20 metres, you come to a Y-fork in the road. Again, take a left (there's a signboard there, too). As you drive further down, you hit a dead-end; the motel is the large building to the right. There's ample parking space in front of the restaurant for quite a few cars, and ample road-space a little further down, if this place is full. We ate at the Garden Restaurant. Perhaps due to Ganesh festivities having taken some of the waiters off active duty, two very harried-looking waiters were scurrying between tables, and took some time to get to us -- but the food was worth the wait! Arvind Yadav and I ordered the moderately-priced Fish Curry Rice (just Rs. 30) and an extra Rava-Fried plate of kingfish (Rs. 70). The kitchen was a bit slow, it took nearly 20 minutes to get our order. However, the rice quantity is huge, the curry was tasty, there was a big chunk of very fresh and tasty kingfish in the curry, and a rava-fried "sondao" (sorry, I don't know the English name for that fish) that was also excellent. In fact, though there was no "sol-kodi" or salad or veg, the quantity plus quality of just this Fish Curry Rice make it real value for money. With the extra order, they gave us three palm-sized pieces of very fresh and very well-fried kingfish... not hard or rubbery, but excellent! We were so stuffed that getting out of there was troublesome! I had had lunch there with my Mum a couple of days before this, and was thrilled with the food. So when Arvind Yadav said he was free for lunch around Porvorim, I immediately suggested we try out Casino. I've been to restaurants before where the quality varies from day to day. Or meal to meal. And I wanted to see if it was as enjoyable a second time in "quick" succession - it was! These two occasions were the first time I've had fish at Casino Motels in recent memory, and it was great! Arvind and I have been there before, during the monsoons, which is a bad time for fish -- so we stuck to chicken. If they still have the same Tandoori cook with them, I will heartily recommend their Tandoori Chicken to those who prefer chicken over fish. Arvind agreed -- he said this was the best T.C. he had tasted in a long, long time! I don't remember the exact prices now, but they were reasonable. I've paid more for pretty lousy stuff at restaurants that have better locations. A plus of this place being so well-hidden is that you usually get a table most of the time - though I wonder whether it'll be the same at the peak of the tourist season! Awww... now I'm drooling again. Sighh.. perhaps I'm not cut out to be a food critic! ----------------------------------------------------------- Casino Motels, family bar and restaurant Add: Near Water Tank, Alto Porvorim. Ph 2412131 or 2417781 Edgar D'Souza is a software techie and technical writer based in Goa. He is admin of Moira-Net [http://groups.google.com/group/moira-net]
