Delhi’s sudden spate of showers reminds me of a pleasant monsoon holiday I had in Goa. There, the enjoyable rain, after Delhi’s scorching summer, had whetted my appetite, and I found myself stopping by various well-known and little-known places for what turned out to be an endless food fest. So, earlier this week, the happy memory of Goan delicacies during this rainy season led me to Goa Niwas in Chanakyapuri. Delhi’s sudden spate of showers reminds me of a pleasant monsoon holiday I had in Goa. There, the enjoyable rain, after Delhi’s scorching summer, had whetted my appetite, and I found myself stopping by various well-known and little-known places for what turned out to be an endless food fest. So, earlier this week, the happy memory of Goan delicacies during this rainy season led me to Goa Niwas in Chanakyapuri.
I still remember my visit to Viva ‘O’ Viva — the Goa Niwas restaurant — almost 14 years ago. I found no one there, for the chef-cum-owner — a keen footballer — had decided to attend a boxing match in the city. I went back another day, when the chef was present — and had quite a delicious meal.
This time, I was revisiting the restaurant after more than a decade. The ambience was as cheerful, the hall was lit with natural light and colourful decor. We took a table for two, and I looked at the menu. Goan food is a meld of Portuguese and Konkani cuisines. Its seafood is amazing, of course, but I love their meat preparations.
Though the pork vindaloo (pork is simply called meat on the menu card) tempted me, given the season, we ordered fish, prawn, chicken, veggies, baos, and a sweet dish called serradura — crumbed biscuits topped with sweetened cream — and had quite a delightful meal for ₹2,300. We asked for rawa-coated bombil fry as a starter along with rawa-fried prawns. The prawns were delicious — mildly sweet and crunchy. The bombil piece I had was a bit underdone and the batter somewhat soggy.
Flavours of Goa
The next course consisted of baos, a vegetable dish called caldin and chicken xacuti. The mildly spiced caldin — with sliced carrots, baby corn and peas cooked in a sauce flavoured with coconut milk — was excellent, as was the chicken xacuti. The xacuti gravy had been cooked in a thick mix of spices. The shredded coconut added to the taste and texture of the gravy. I dipped the pao in the gravy, popped it into my mouth and could hear the sea waves.
There are not many restaurants in Delhi serving Goan cuisine. One of the first Goan restaurants in the city was a wonderful place called Bernardo’s in Meherchand Market. The owners — culinary experts and dog lovers — had moved to Gurugram, and now run a catering unit called Crescentia’s Kitchen (Tel: 7838692438).
Serradura
The Viva ‘O’ Viva menu includes crabs, calamari, thalis from Mondays to Thursdays, sorpotel, and vegetable vindaloo. On the day I was there, the menu included four kinds of fish — halibut, bombil, cod and anchovy. The fish can be had fried, with the chilli-based recheado, or in a coconut-milk-thickened gravy.
I must say it’s good to have a tiny bit of Goa in sea-less Delhi.
(At Viva ‘O’ Viva, Goa Niwas, 14 Bir Tikendrajit Marg, Chanakyapuri; 12,30pm to 3pm, and 7.30pm to 10.30pm daily. Call 9654156155/011-26118372)
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