I'm back from Goa!
and here's what I got up to
Hi all! Welcome back to another edition of Yesterday’s Curry newsletter, or what actually feels more like Yesterday’s Curry 2.0 now that my long awaited trip to Goa is done. Up until my trip, I was writing on here sporadically and rather haphazardly, aware that I couldn’t properly commit to substack without experiencing Goa first hand. While this was only the first of many visits I hope to make in the future, it has given me some clarity on the future of this newsletter, so I hope you will all continue to join me here for weekly content. Expect stories from my trip, interviews with people I met, recipes, perhaps the return of my food illustrations, discussion threads and more of a regular informal space where I share everything related to my Goan food research, spice business and more!
I got back from Goa exactly a month ago and am finally going through all of my pictures and videos and organising all of the amazing things I picked up while I was there. Getting back into the swing of London life and being utterly freezing all the time when you’ve just spent 2 blissful weeks in 30 degree heat hasn’t been easy, but here we are. To say I miss Goa would be an understatement; it exceeded every expectation I had. The food, the people, the buildings, the scenery, the simple and wholesome way of life; it really made me question the way we do things here in the UK. I finally understand the real meaning of susegad after truly experiencing it myself.
Over the course of the next few weeks and months I will be going in depth about certain aspects of my trip; I met some amazing chefs who I hope to interview and ate at some wonderful restaurants which I will review in more depth. Likewise, the influences I picked up from Panjim in particular are going to feed into how I design some of my products for my spice business. For now though, while it is all still fresh in my mind, I will give you all a whistle-stop tour of my trip and my favourite parts.
After 15 hours of flying, first stopping briefly in Mumbai, my friend Vish and I reached Goa on 17th January. Immediately hit with a wall of heat which reminded me of my last long haul holiday to America, I couldn’t believe I was finally in Goa. We were collected by 2 new friends Wilton and Snedden whom I had connected with through a mutual contact on Instagram; our first experience of the unparalleled Goan hospitality and generosity. From the airport we were taken to our first food stop, a little shack for want of a better word, which you can only get to by pulling over on the highway. We later discovered these type of street food pit stops are very popular in Goa and are often much better and more authentic than the food you get in restaurants. Arriving at Frentos Fast Food, we tried a potato chop, choris pao and a beef curry with poie - all were spicy and delicious and a great way to start off our holiday. From here we made our first trip to Cafe Tato, which we revisited many times during our stay in Goa and had our first taste of the sweet and milky chai. Onto Panjim next, Fontainhas specifically where we checked into our air bnb right in the heart of the beautiful latin quarter. An early night was more than needed after the long journey, ready to start exploring early in the morning.
We started our first proper day with a tour conducted by Soul Travelling. Our tour guide Bob walked us around Fontainhas, showing us the rainbow colour lined streets of Portuguese houses, all of which have a blue and white tile on the front with the name of the inhabiting family printed in handwritten italic. Locals walk and cycle the streets, and there are dogs everywhere blissfully sunbathing. After hearing all about the history of Fontainhas from Bob who really knows his stuff, we were taken to our first stop, Confeitaria 31 de Janeiro, a quaint little Portuguese-Goan bakery which ended up becoming our local for the rest of our stay in Fontainhas. We were shown the wood oven in the back and treated to an assorted plate of breakfast foods; chutney sandwich, chicken pattie and fruit cake, with a side of milky chai of course.
Up next, Bob took us to a beautiful 185 year old Indo-Portuguese heritage home, Solar Andrade, where the very kind owner showed us photos of his ancestors and family artefacts. Slightly underestimating the walk and the volatile traffic we then made our way on foot to Bombil for lunch after many recommendations. Here we had our first fish thali in Goa and we were not disappointed. I will be going into more detail about the restaurants in a future newsletter, so I’ll come back to Bombil. After a much needed nap back at our air bnb, we headed to Kokni Kanteen for dinner, another very popular suggestion from Instagram. The food here was very good though I didn’t get the best pictures of it!
On day 2 we woke up nice and early to head to Mr Baker 1922, another spot which lots of people recommended to me. We were a bit too keen and got there before it opened but after a few loops around the park, we made it in and were the first to get the fresh bakes of the day. We met the very lovely Nenette and her son Nathan, but i don’t want to go to into too much detail here as they deserve their own newsletter post at a later stage. I will say that the food was delicious and if you’re in Panjim you have to get your breakfast or afternoon pastries here, they were all divine. Still a bit stuffed from all the food we had for breakfast, we made our way back to the Latin quarter to meet one of my online friends Shankar for lunch. Those of you who have been reading my newsletter for some time may remember Shankar as the owner of Goan masala business The Women of Fatorda whom I’ve written about previously here. We went to popular haunt Hotel Venite, a seriously hip restaurant that looks like it belongs in a Basquiat exhibition. After a lovely catch up and a delicious xitt kodi (fish curry and rice) it was back to our air bnb to change before heading to Pilerne market in the evening. I will talk much more about Pilerne market another time but here I met Marius Fernandes whose work with Goan festivals I have been following for some time. We met some lovely local chefs and business owners and bought some unique homemade products and masalas to bring home as souvenirs. A quick stop off at Joseph bar where we met so many friendly locals and tried feni (lethal!) then home to fall asleep to the sound of the local dogs fighting outside my bedroom window. To be honest this became quite therapeutic after a while!
On day 3, we tried something a little different for brunch and went to Miguel’s, an upmarket tapas bar turning classic Goan flavours into fine dining style small plates. The choris and batata dish here was particularly good. Then it was back into research mode as we went on our second Soul Travelling tour, this time the “secret food & tavern trail at Panaji” with the lovely Adolfina who happens to be the mother of Bob who conducted our tour on day 1. Alongside a couple who had travelled to Goa from Bangalore, we stopped off at a handful of local eateries to sample some local snacks. First was The Caravela where he had delicious prawn rissois and beef croquettes, then onto Cafe Toto for a banana bun dipped in vegetable curry, Mohan Soda Factory for a quick drink and finally Ashok where we tried their delicious mutton xacuti which is their signature dish. Utterly stuffed, it was off to bed before a very exciting venture to North Goa the next day.
Prior to arriving in Goa, I had been desperate to try Shubhra Shankhwalker’s food after salivating at all of her pictures on instagram. So on day 4 of our trip we ventured to her idyllic house located in a jungle-like setting close to Siolim. Alongside one of my online contacts Ruben and a couple from Ladakh, we spent a glorious afternoon eating Shubhra’s delicious Gaud Saraswat Brahmin feast and every mouthful was beyond delicious. This was one of the highlights of our trip so I’m saving all the details for a future newsletter when I can talk more about Shubhra and her business “Goa from home” but for now here’s a picture of her amazing cooking.
Shubhra very kindly drove us back to Panjim where we had a quick rest before venturing out to Antonio’s, another fusion style small plates restaurant and finally Bar 51 for a nightcap.
Day 5 was our last day in Panjim which we were very sad about. We absolutely fell in love with this part of Goa especially the streets of Fontainhas which we had become very familiar with by this stage. It really started to feel like home and far too soon for us to be moving to the next part of our trip. We had our final breakfast back at Confeitaria 31 de Janeiro before strolling around the area really soaking it all up before we left. We found a gorgeous little shop called Global to Local which had so many lovely masalas, cakes, biscuits and bath products, all beautifully packaged for gift giving. This shop in particular gave me lots of inspiration for my own ventures back home. Our final dinner in Fontainhas was Viva Panjim which for me was the best restaurant we ate at in Panjim/Fontainhas. It had an extensive menu of Goan dishes and also some really nice Indo-Chinese options, sublime dessert, massive portions and everything cooked to perfections. Chef’s kiss. We finished the night off at Joseph Bar, said goodbye to all the locals we had befriended earlier in the week and set off home to pack before venturing south to Benaulim.
Leaving Panjim was bittersweet, but we were ready to check out another side of Goa and see what the south had in store for us. After a hectic week we were delighted to arrive at our accommodation for the next few days, Palm Grove Cottages in Benaulim. We couldn’t have chosen somewhere more peaceful, with beautiful landscaped gardens and away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist resorts. We had an eventful start to South Goa, spending our first evening at the wedding of Kim and Jhonus at Costa’s Countryside in Varca. With delicious food and glamorous surroundings, we had a fantastic time experiencing our first Goan wedding.
By this time, as you can imagine, we were knackered so day 7 was our chill day spent on Benaulim beach, finally getting in some time to unwind before another week of activities. Later that evening was one of our culinary highlights as we went for dinner at Cavatina by Avinash Martins, something I had been looking forward to since we arrived in Goa. I have to come back to this and write a whole newsletter about Cavatina another time because it was just incredible but if you’re in Benaulim, definitely pay Avinash’s restaurant a visit. The flavours and theatre of each dish were sublime and I wish there was a restaurant like it in London.
Day 8 was absolutely boiling and we started our day with a nice healthy breakfast at Palm Grove Cottages before meeting our friend Chris, a fellow chef based in Ireland who I had met on instagram. Chris first took us to Colva where we ate and drank tender coconuts from a beachside shack. This was just the hydration we needed on this roasting day and then we set off for Margao where we sat on a hill overlooking the city and ate choris pao and an amazing beef croquette burger which had the most delicious green chutney inside. We then went to Margao market, a fantastic place where I wanted to buy absolutely everything to bring home. Toddy vinegar sold in whisky bottles, chillies overflowing from wicker baskets and Goan sausages hanging like drying pasta; Margao market had it all and I bought myself a nice selection of spice blends, whole spices and Goan ingredients to courier home for my cooking. Later that day I got a chance to visit The Goan Kitchen, a company I have followed for ages on instagram. Their products and packaging were even more beautiful in person and I bought an array of wet masalas and pickles to try when I got back to London. After an eventful day of shopping, we visited the distillery of Horagen beer in Velim, a venture co-founded by our friend Wilton and his business partner Alan. Started from Alan’s garage, the beer tasted like a refreshing combo of a lager and an ale and has recently started being stocked in some local bars. After a jam packed day we had a lovely dinner at Amarela in Assolna, which was the best seafood I tried while in Goa. We ate an assortment of rawa fried fish and prawns, stuffed papad and a baby shark ambot tik which reminded me of my Grandmother’s.
Day 9 was a really special one where I ate one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had in my life, and one I’ve thought about a lot since coming back to England. Thanks to a recommendation from Clive Figueiredo, I booked a tour and meal at Palacio do Deao in Quepem, not really sure what to expect. First we were given a tour of the beautiful 18th century Portuguese palace and then enjoyed course after course of 10/10 dishes cooked by the owner Reuben’s wife. I don’t want to give too much away about this one yet because it deserves its own newsletter and I really want to find out more about the chef and her cooking, but I can’t recommend the meal here highly enough.
The following day we headed to an event I found on Urbanaut, a great little app with fun activities to do in Goa. The Floating Feni Experience is something I’d seen others talking about on instagram and after reading the rave reviews we booked 2 tickets and headed to the Fazenda Cazulo distillery in Cansaulim. I plan to do a more detailed newsletter all about the feni making process as it was really fascinating to hear about, but for those of you looking for something unique to do in Goa this is a really great one. We met Julio, another instagram pal who is also from London and all sat around enjoying food and feni while our bare feet rested in a lake full of fish. Slightly woozy from all the feni, we headed back to Palm Grove Cottages for a quiet dinner at the hotel and sampled their amazing 34(!) layer homemade bebinca.
Day 11 was the day I had arranged to meet my Goan family for the first time and I couldn’t wait to finally put faces to names. My grandmother Emeliana was from Betalbatim and so this was our first stop as a lot of the family still live there. My granny was one of 4, and today I was meeting the families of her two brothers, my Mum’s first cousins. After a few whatsapp chats and phone calls we were all so excited to meet and my first stop was to see Jasmita, Hercules, Nelson and his wife. I would never have imagined 2 years ago when I started connecting with my Goan heritage that I would be here now meeting members of my family whom I never even knew about; it certainly was a joyous occasion. After spending some time at the first house, getting to know each other and looking through old photo albums, we went for lunch two doors down to the house of Isodore (another of my Mum’s first cousins) and his wife Nazima who cooked an amazing spread of Goan dishes and the most delicious bebinca. Here we met another cousin Alex and his wife Meena who later drove us to Margao to meet his sister Annie and daughter Lusshel whom I had been in contact with for about a year prior to my trip and it was so great to finally meet her in person! We also managed a quick pit stop to Mungul where my Grandfather was from and I met my Mum’s cousin Pio, his wife and one of his sons. It is great to have so many new family members I am in contact with and whom I can’t wait to see again on my next trip. Amongst all the excitement of meeting the family, I had a minor incident and was bitten by an overly playful stray dog in the street so we had to make a quit detour to the hospital to get that looked at. The efficiency of the Goan medical system was really quite impressive and half an hour later I had my rabies jab and was ready to head back to the hotel after a very busy day and pack our bags ready for the final stretch of our trip.
We had one final foodie event planned before heading to Palolem and this was a really wonderful way to see things off. I booked Feast in the Fields the minute I saw it advertised; it is exactly the type of thing I wanted to experience in Goa. Hosted near the feni distillery we had visited a few days earlier, this was a spectacular event hosted by Hansel Vaz and showcasing food by The Goan Kitchen and drinks from Fazenda Cazulo. Here I finally met Clyde DSouza in person, one of my instagram friends whom I’m sure lots of you are aware of, and we met lots of other lovely people travelling through Goa. As this was such a special occasion I will dedicate a newsletter on Feast in the Fields later, but to get an idea of how cool it was, here’s a picture:
The foodie tour part of the holiday now finished, we were ready to do nothing but chill so before flying back to London we spent 2 days in Palolem resting on the beach, eating yummy food at Art Resort Goa and going to see some live music; shout out to Chris and Stuart, 2 great English singers who brought the house down with their epic gigs. Exhausted from going out the night before (we didn’t think that one through!) it was up bright and early to fly from Goa to Delhi and then Delhi to London. Arriving home was grim to say the least; it was about 2 degrees here when we got back and the beautiful sun drenched streets of Fontainhas felt so far away. My first excursion to Goa really was the trip of a lifetime and I am already thinking about my next visit; hopefully the same time again next year. Every single part of this trip is going to feed into this newsletter, my spice business and Goan cooking which may turn into a catering business or supper club this year, who knows…
Until then, thanks so much for reading, and I hope you’ll all join me next Sunday when I’ll be returning with a double-bill of the Goan Diaspora interview series.
Emma x
Was really great meeting you Emma. Looking forward to your future visits to Goa. Mog Asu!
Very interesting! Thank you!