Vivek Menezes lists 15 new things to look out for in Goa this season.
Ever since the millennium New Year, Goa has boiled over every tourist season.
Tens
of thousands of visitors, mostly foreign but increasingly Indian, stuff the
coastline and the state's population actually doubles from November to March.
The
commercial strips along the beaches of North and South Goa are packed tight
with
sun-bathing humanity. But even in season, there is a lot to Goa besides beer
and
bikinis, and something new is always springing up if you know where to look.
Here
are 15 new things you need to know about your favourite vacation spot.
Where to eat
Café Chocolatti
Café Chocolatti has long been one of the best daytime establishments on the
tourist
strip of North Goa. Run by a relaxed Goan-Parsi couple, it serves outstanding
salads, sandwiches and shakes, brilliant baked goods and home-made chocolates,
including the sinfully addictive chili truffles. Much of this repertoire will
now be
available in Panjim. Chocolatti has opened an outlet in the restored courtyard
of a
grand old house on the Altinho ridge, which soars over the centre of the city.
The
house is "Sunaparanta - Goa Centre for the Arts". It's an initiative by the
mine-owning Ambani in-law, Dattaraj Salgaoncar, which promises to "encourage,
sponsor and promote innovative work in the visual arts" and to support art
students.
For now, we're just grateful that they promote and support truffles.
Café Chocolatti Sunaparanta - Goa Centre for the Arts, 63/C-8, near Lar de
Estudantes, Altinho, Panjim (0832-2421311, www.sgcfa.org). Call for restaurant
hours, which were not available at the time of publication.
Ernesto's
The newest restaurant in Panjim's oldest neighbourhood is an instant classic.
Deep
in the Latin Quarter, which stretches along the Rua do Ourem, is a
neighbourhood of
pastel colours and winding streets, gorgeous and miraculously intact. Here the
Alvares brothers have converted part of a century-old house into a lovely
avatar of
their former digs at the Clube Vasco da Gama. Ernesto's feels like
old-fashioned
Goan hospitality, with a relaxed atmosphere and a constant crowd of regulars.
We're
dedicated fans of chef Vasco Alvares, a man-mountain who goes by the ironic
nickname
Vasquito, "little Vasco". He has become famous across Goa for his deft
treatment of
meats, like the filet-mignon with blue cheese sauce, his signature barbecued
ribs
and the super-satisfying burger. We also endorse the chicken Zambezi made with
coconut cream and real piri-piri peppers, and any of the fish items (but
especially
the smoked salmon carpaccio). Save room for Serradura, the "sawdust" pudding
made
from powdered biscuits and whole cream.
Ernesto's House 6/49, Mala, Panjim (below Maruti Temple) (0-98230 -15921,
0832-3256213). Daily 11am-3pm and 6.30-11pm. Meal for two Rs 800. No credit
cards.
Republic of Noodles
Times have changed on Goa's main tourist drag between Baga and the Aguada
plateau.
Once the realm of coconut-thatch shacks, it's now a concrete jungle of
glass-fronted
hotels, restaurants and brand-name coffee shops. This is the world occupied by
Republic of Noodles. A start-up with ambitions of becoming a national chain, it
comes with a full package: website, slick concept and merchandising,
Bali-derived
décor. The vast menu draws from the cuisine of South-East Asia: Burma,
Indonesia,
Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. But there's a basic problem with
multi-cuisine restaurants - they're sometimes formulaic by nature. This is the
case
with Republic of Noodles. Most dishes - satays, barbecued ribs, tofu with
mushrooms,
rendang curry - are carefully constructed but soulless. The contrast appears
when
you try the simple Bangkok pad thai, an unexpected highlight, scrupulously
authentic
and executed with zest. Achieving that quality consistently, even for a
restaurant
of the caliber of Republic of Noodles, is impossible when your menu lists a
hundred
items from ten different countries.
Republic of Noodles Lemon Tree, Amarante Beach Resort, Vadi, Candolim
(0832-2489600,
www.republicofnoodles.com). Daily 7-11.30pm. Meal for two Rs 2,500. All cards
accepted.
Tamari
In season, Goa's restaurant scene is mind-bogglingly diverse. It features,
among
others, some of the few genuine Spanish and Greek restaurants in the
subcontinent.
But one international cuisine has been missing - Japanese. That gap is now
filled by
Tamari, the restaurant at the new Vivanta by Taj, which sits like a
hermetically
sealed cube on the edge of the heritage district of Campal, in the state
capital. It
is decidedly odd to eat fish flown in from Norway while sitting in
seafood-crazed
Old Panjim. But there's no doubting Tamari's careful execution and presentation
of
its nigiri, sashimi, other wraps and rolls, and the dishes whipped up in front
of
you at the live teppanyaki counter. We gobbled it all down: salmo
