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St. Mary's Convent High school, Mapusa is staging a play titled "Lion King"
December 1, 2007 - Hanuman Hall, Mapusa
to fundraise for a false ceiling for the school hall
& upgrading the school playground
Headmistress Sr. Namika A.C. / Teacher Mrs. Sonia Noronha
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Mama Yo Queiro..O..Co..Co..Queiro
By Odette & Joe
Did you know that the first Chicken Cafreal in Goa was served at Coqueiro?
Well I did not know that, and was happy to sit and soak in the history the
simple bar and snack-eating joint, from the VP - Mr Shailesh Sanzgiri. I
always knew it as the place made famous by the capture of the notorious
Charles Sobraj and of course its reputation for serving authentic
Goan-Portuguese food.
This simple eating joint started way back in 1968, and then later in the
1970's chef Gines Viegas returned from East Africa and turned it into a
haven of excellent local food. The name 'Coqueiro' itself lends credence to
most of the masalas that go into the preparation. Coqueiro' means the
coconut tree.
Now Chef Peter is at the helm, and here we were cosily ensconced in their
air-conditioned dining room called the 'Sala de Jantar.' Seated outside was
the infamous Charles Sobraj. My apologies, he is now languishing in some
prison, so don't get worried. This Sobraj is a white terracotta statue in
the very same place that he was seated when he was caught by the Mumbai
sleuths.
So here we were digging into delicious stuffed crabs, prawn stuffed papad
and stuffed mushroom with cheese. Dee.li.cious. While we waited for the
soup, the Soupa de Grossa was recommended, we were told that Coqueiro had
the distinction of being selected for many reasons. The restaurant has
bagged an International award for excellence, it has also picked up
accolades from the International Wine and Food Society, UK.
The soup had arrived. We take a sip. I stop. Where was I, I wondered.
Barring the absence of those fancy alphabets that used to be put in the
traditional soup at my grandmothers house in the past, the taste was
authentic. Kudos to the chefs. They have created that traditional fare which
brings back nostalgic memories. I look at the black and white photographs of
the Goa of the past, adorning the walls. Small wonder then that most of us
Goans want to cling to this legacy.
And now for the main course, did we have place? No Sir! But food writers
unfortunately have to do justice at one sitting to bring to the fore the
authentic specialties of the place. So we dig in our fork and spoons. The
crumb fried Bombay duck, the tisreo sukhe, the chicken cafreal and to top it
all the prawn curry with rice. Finger- licking good. Don't even bother with
the cutlery, which is my advice to you. Chef Peter's special lunch offer,
the seafood thali starring the tisreo's, fried fish and of course a
vegetable with the prawn curry rice, is available at a fantastic price.
Below the hundred-rupee note, which in today's world is a steal.
I give a delicate burp it is bad manners but everyone on the table seems
satiated. And that too without patronising the bar next door. The dessert
platter was the sweet finale Bibinca made at home, and chocolate brownies.
Let tomorrow come, right now we are floating, like those swaying palms of
the coconut trees.mama yo queiro.o co..co.queiro.
http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=111741
