Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Deja vu Goa

Sea food lovers can freak out on lobsters, squids and crabs and get a taste of vintage Goa

Photo: K.Ananthan

ALL AT SEA At the Goan food festival Photo: K.Ananthan

Two tiny guests were seen pondering hard and long on whether the giant lobsters on display were cooked or not. The eyes are in place and intact, said the girl as she dissuaded the little boy who wanted to touch them. The edges are sharp and can cut, she warned.

Giant lobsters are just the beginning when it comes to the fancy stuff here. Mammoth crabs crouch on plates, the corridor is heavy with the flavour of lambs being roasted and fish balls getting fried, waiters saunter in summery shirts, a giant screen brings alive the soccer action from Germany and there is toddy punch to kickstart the action on the food court.

It has to be Goa! The fare at the restaurant of Déjà vu Club is a seafood lover's dream. Over 20 new Goan delicacies are whipped up every day during the five-day Goan food festival on till Sunday.

To start off, there is chicken barbeque, squid masala tawa fry and fish balls fried in sour-hot sauce. Vegetarians need not be put off; they can try the green pepper tikki. As the name suggests, the flavour is heavy on green pepper. The filling of potatoes and onions is soft and the spice just right.

The other speciality starters for the day is an assorted vegetable platter — a la vegetable cutlet and vegetable stuffed papad. When it comes to the main course, frankly there is nothing much the hard core veggies can do. Of course, there is white rice and usually another exotic rice variety. For the day, it was beetroot gola rice and chicken assorted rice.

In the bread varieties, there is the paav as well as a Goan speciality — thaandu roti made of rice flour. The prawns, mussels, squids and lobsters come in all forms. There are stuffed lobsters and chilly squids, all done the Goan way, with lot of peppercorns, coconut and toddy vinegar.

Veggies can have the rice and breads with sprouts and lentil curry.

Moving on to the desserts, try doci baji. It is said to be the breakfast of Goan villagers and is typically a wheat halwa. There are also the other Goan varieties like Bebinca and Cocada.

So, if you are in a mood for Goa cuisine and great ambience, walk into the restaurant at Déjà vu Club in Tristar apartments on Avanashi Road.

There is a la carte as well as a buffet and dinner is served from 7 p.m. onwards, though it will be wise to saunter in a little late, that's if you don't mind waiting!

ANIMA BALAKRISHNAN

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail