7 new Goa restaurants to try now

“Meldan D’Cunha has just brought his signature Bandra party to Goa. When D’Cunha started the restaurant in 1999 in Bandra, Mumbai, he wanted to offer people a taste of Goa, adding other coastal flavours (Koli, Mangalorean, Malvani) along the way. It wasn’t just about good food, but a wholesome dining experience. And now he wants to replicate the model in Goa. Susegado Microbrewery’s eight beers are on tap, along with Kingfisher. The food menu doesn’t stray too far from the parent one, with a familiar mix of Goan, Bengali, Malvani and Mangalorean dishes.” Read Joanna Lobo’s review here.

Makutsu, Panaji

7 new Goa restaurants to try now

“Makutsu, which translates to ‘den of thieves’, is on the corner by Antonio’s@31, chef Pablo Miranda’s first, hugely popular, Panjim restaurant,” writes Roshni Bajaj-Sanghvi in her review for CNT. “If Antonio’s put 31 January Road in Fontainhas on India’s culinary map, Makutsu reaffirms it. If Antonio’s fun, friendly vibe transports guests to Lisbon, then dark, edgy, sexy Makutsu takes us to the izakayas of Kyoto’s geisha-district Gion, or to the four-seater bars in the network of alleyways in Shinjuku’s Golden Gai. Minimalist, pale, boxy wooden chairs and tables sit under single-light metal lamps that make the food look good and the people cinematic. Harvested edible seaweed, sourced from Gabriella D’Cruz, founder of conservation consultancy The Good Ocean, is merely one element of surprise in a series of uncomplicated, astonishing plates off Miranda’s Makutsu menu. One page of two is dedicated to yakitori: Japanese for lightly marinated morsels of meat and vegetables skewered on short kushi sticks and charcoal grilled on a hibachi (Japanese for ‘fire bowl’). Goa’s beloved beef tongue, and pink-centred slices of duck are exquisitely cooked, lush, and wildly satisfying. Vegetarians get eight options that are treated with equal affection.” More here.

Elephant & Co., Anjuna

The bar at Elephant  Co. in Anjuna Goa

The bar at Elephant & Co. in Anjuna, Goa