Goin’ Goan Chef by Chef | Goa | Bunny Suraiya

My favourite time to visit Goa is during the monsoon. The land is clean and green, the breeze is cool, there are few tourists and Goa returns to the Goans. The two great rivers, the Mandovi and Zuari, flow in stately progress past the villages and towns of Goa, high and swollen, oceanic in their size and majesty. True, many of the beach shacks – and some restaurants – are closed, but that’s a small price to pay for the peace and quiet of a land that has returned to its people.

Many people ask, “What do you do in Goa when there are no live bands and no parties?” My answer is simple. I go there to enjoy the Goan way of life that is fast disappearing, and this is best experienced through its cuisine – not in fancy restaurants, the likes of which I can visit in any city, but as prepared by Goan chefs in their own homes, or at least by Goan families preparing traditional fare.

These experiences are the essence of Goa for me, and nowhere is too far or too out of the way to go. Several of the chefs have become friends of mine over the years, a fact that adds immeasurably to the experience. I get to revisit a friend and eat great food prepared with love – what could be more heart-warming than that?

One evening I went to Pisco - by The Beach, a stylish restaurant located on Anjuna Beach where I chose a table in a quiet corner and happily sat with my friend watching the horizon turn gold. They even have hammock style seating right on the sand in front of the restaurant, but one needs to reach early to get those coveted places. I went for their signature cocktails like Pisco Sour and Pisco punch that literally lend a punch to the evening. There are different menus for the day and night with dishes ranging from tacos and pizzas to burgers, sandwiches and seafood.

From north Goa, where I base myself on the bank of the mighty Mandovi, it takes about an hour to drive down to the deep south of Majorda village, where my friend Simon Hayward runs his elegant home-hotel, Vivenda dos Palhacos (House of Clowns), in a charming old-fashioned bungalow, albeit modernised with a swimming pool and all the mod cons one needs. Simon is a foodie and a great cook and I can authoritatively state that his Beef Wellington is better than that of Harrods in London. Meat you can cut with a fork, in pastry that is perfection itself.

Closer to home, but still down south, in the village of Raia, sited amid fields of green, is Margarida Tavora ’s loving tribute to her late husband, Chef Fernando. Fernando’s Nostalgia is a large space filled with memorabilia, knick-knacks, and eclectic oddities that recall a happy married life before Fernando was cruelly snatched away. Nostalgia keeps the culinary talent of Fernando alive, with dishes you won’t find anywhere else: like Suckling Pig Cabidela and homemade Bolo San Rival – that wondrous almond cake that, as its name suggests, is truly unrivalled in taste.

In Panjim, my hands-down favourite is Ferradura (Horse Shoe), a charming townhouse in the Latin Quarter, where Chef Vasco Silveira excels at Luso, or Portuguese, cuisine. Nothing is cooked until you arrive and it’s all done while you are there by Vasco himself. I never order from the menu, preferring instead to ask Vasco to prepare whatever he chooses. While you have a drink, he goes into his open kitchen and emerges a while later with the most delectable Clams in White Wine, plump Prawns in Butter Garlic and the most divine Red Snapper ever. No spices, no chillies – nothing but the great taste of seafood freshly cooked by a master chef.

Also in Panjim is Godinho’s, the iconic restaurant that’s been owned and run by the Godinho family since 1938, delighting Portuguese and Goan palates for closing on 85 years – and now mine too. No visit to Goa is complete without at least a couple of visits to Godinho’s for its Beef Fry, Beef Steak, Pork Roast, and Masala Tisriyo (clams) eaten with Poi, the stretchy kulcha-like Goan bread or Unde, the crusty bread that is India’s answer to the French baguette. A must-order at Godinho’s is the intriguingly-named Fish Curry Rice Beef Chilly Fry, which comes as four separate dishes for the price of one. Great taste at unbeatable value.

Not too far away, at the foot of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the most beautiful church in Panjim, is George, more of an eatery than a fine-dining restaurant, famous for its succulent, medium-rare (you don’t have to specify) Roast Beef and Chonak Butter Garlic. There is no music here, no TV. This is a place where serious eaters gather for no purpose other than eating.

Further north from Panjim, in the village of Arpora, is Cajy’s Bar and Restaurant. A family-run place, it was founded in 1970 by Cajetan (Cajy) Fernandes and his family continues to run it today. Grandson Elijgio acts as bartender and front-of-house, his sister Evelyn performs waitress service with a smile, and the cooking is done by their mother, phenomenal Philomena, whose Ard Mass (Goan-style ribs) and silken smooth Beef Croquettes are absolutely

These are just a few of my favourite places in Goa. And on every visit, I discover one or two more. That’s the wonder of this tiny slice of heaven on India’s west coast. And why I love Goin’ Goan!

For table reservations contact: Vivenda dos Palhacos (House of Clowns) @+91 8322881700 | Fernando’s Nostalgia @+91 8322777098 | George @+919822487722 Godinho’s @+919822100315 | Ferradura (Horse Shoe) @+919511720868 | Cajy’s Bar and Restaurant @+919370437069