Goa Portuguesa spells love and passion! Elsie Gbariel

               Goa Portuguesa spells love and passion!

What I see in this passionate couple; and their labour of love -the restaurant Goa Portuguesa is a deep connection between food and love!

I recall a quote by Henry Ford-" Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success."

This is exactly what Dr. Suhas Awchat  and Master Chef Deepa Awchat  stand for.

The Goa Portuguesa  at Andheri Mumbai, bang opposite the  MHADA Telephone Exchange, near the Ambani Hospital is a Restobar which serves the best in Goan and Portuguese gourmet cuisines prepared by Master Chef Deepa Awchat .

The restaurant on the first floor is welcoming and has a warm ambience. The chirpy happy ring of the English pop music of the 80s filled the air while dining. Bringing back memories of when the Goa Portuguesa at Mahim, first started in 1988 by the very same gourmet couple, who I believe are madly in love as the first day they met.

Of course their food speaks of it and stands testimony. You should hear Dr.Suhas narrate his version of how he fell in love with this Goan girl Deepa, he recalls every detail of how they both then fell in love with food. That’s how the marriage took place between Goa/Portuguese and Maharashtran cuisine.

 Dr.Suhas speaks very fondly of  authentic Goan vegetarian food and how it is still a myth that people believe that Goans are all about non vegetarian food alone, like pork and fish. The menu spread does equal justice to both non vegetarians and vegetarians. The food spot is hounded by celebrities and socialites who enjoy the Goan Portuguese delights.

The restaurant is upbeat, filled with smells and essence of Goa alright. I was served piping steaming hot Portuguese Shrimp Dumplings with the wildest twist. It had cheese inside. This one is one of my absolute favorites also called  Rissóis de Camarão in Portugese. This was a good way to kick start all my taste buds. I couldn’t wait for more. This is what one calls clever cooking and good service. I left my hungry soul entirely on the staff and I wasn’t disappointed.

I was also served Goan sausage pulav, a little hot and tangy which went down well mixed with the Goan prawn curry in coconut milk. Aromatic and insanely smooth, it complimented the sausage pulav with ease.

I experienced the most refined Goan cuisine in all it’s splendor, believe me the Chicken Xacuti (pronounced shaa-koo-tee) was exotic. They say every Goan guards their recipe of their Xacuti authenticity with his or her life and believe me, this restaurant does the same, there is some hidden magic portion for sure here, I have never tasted better Xacuti anywhere in the world. The ingredients were smoothly fused and you could literally feel the burst of flavours in your mouth  with the smooth curry consisting of  Cardamom, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, cloves, cumin seeds and of course red chillies and ginger-garlic as well. The coconut milk is not at all overpowering, there is just the right hint of it to sooth the palate. This chicken dish here takes food to a whole new level with the complex layering of flavors and textures.

The menu spelt out many other dishes in addition to serving iconic Goan dishes such as Vindalhoo and Balichao. They have a large offering.

Everything is very fresh and tasty. The Food served  echoes the ethnicity of Goan and Portuguese culture.

I have yet to hear of the Master Chef Deepa Awchat’s version of her love tales, both  about Dr.Suhas and Dakshin Culture Curry/ Diva Maharashtracha, I guess I will wait until my next visit. Meanwhile I washed  down my meal with tangy Sol kadi. So healthy and yet so uplifting!

I believe that Deepa Awchat is a table tennis champion, an ex Customs Officer and now an author too, while Dr. Suhas Awchat is an Ex Army Officer , who is a medical Doctor [F.R.S.H. (UK)], a special Police Officer, winner of President’s Medals and endless laurels, who now successfully plays the role of the Managing Director. 

Now you have Sudeep, their son, who gives back willingly to the food business I hear. Obviously coming from a highly acclaimed restaurateurs family, this second generation MBA expert has grown up on the eclectic cuisines of home made restaurant food which instilled into him the passion for food. His Inspiration, his parents Dr. Suhas Awchat  and Master Chef Deepa Awchat have so rightly passed on the value of good food.

                       Get Goa on your plate, right here in Mumbai, I say, it’s even better!