OK, just a few quick loose ends about our dining experiences in Goa.
We went to Colva one night for dinner and found Bob’s Shack behind the “Pasta Hut” on the beach where the service was good and the atmosphere was great. After a little bargaining we got the price of our Grilled Shrimp down to something less than you would expect to pay in New York and had a generally great time. They even played an extended set of Jamie Cullum on the sound system when they heard we liked him (he sang at our wedding – before he became famous).
On our first excursion to Calangute beach we made a desperation food stop at a place that was just at the end of the road and overlooked the beach. There was only one other couple dining al fresco with us in this giant venue and the whole thing looked rather sad. But oh my what fantastic Prawn Masala they made (the Indian version was recommended rather than the Goan which the waiter suggested might be too spicy for our taste). These were so go, we made arrangements to come back the next night and have the chef give me a lesson in how to make them. Alas, as is often the case in India, the promise was greater than the fulfilment. Upon arriving the following night after our 90 minute drive we were informed that the sauce was “already made” that they do it only once a week and that we wouldn’t be allowed in the kitchen. We did get them to give us the recipe though so perhaps we’ll still give it a try.
On our last night in Goa we decided to try one of the restaurants just outside the gates of the hotel grounds. We ended up choosing the closest one to the hotel and were served a beer that was already open when it go to our table and a Fish Masala that Mrs. WMG reported had not just one but two fish eyeballs floating in it. I think we were pretty sanguine about the whole thing because we had sampled a bit of Cashew Fenni that evening which is the local moonshine and some of the strongest stuff we have ever tried.
That’s it for Goa then. We are in Varanasi today and are leaving this afternoon for Darjeeling on the overnight train.
