Goan Rhapsody - II

The pleasantly warm weather, the long sandy beach free of crowds, and the well-maintained gardens of the resort made our experience at the Taj Exotica Goa enchanting, but what is a vacation without some equally memorable food? Thankfully, the Taj Exotica resort in Goa is home to some excellent restaurants.

Eugenia was the place we went to for our breakfasts everyday.  The breakfast buffet was quite sumptuous with a variety of Indian, Asian and Western staples.  The live counters served eggs made to order, fresh juices and shakes and also South Indian delicacies.  The idlis at this restaurant were every bit as good as the ones I have during my trips to Bangalore and Chennai.



Eugenia serves pretty good North Indian food during lunches.  We ordered a few kababs with rotis and daal during our first day at the resort.  The kababs were deliciously succulent and flavourful.  On another day, we were here for a special dinner that was centred around grilled to order meats and vegetables.  That night, the restaurant was very crowded and it took some time to get our stuff grilled to order.

On another day, we dined at the speciality Goan restaurant, Allegria.  Designed liked the interiors of a traditional Goan home in dark wood, pastel shades and Goan and Portuguese artefacts, the restaurant serves delectable Goan cuisines.



We had ordered a few local dishes and loved all of them.  The Goan style prawn curry was made with fresh prawns in a blend of coconut and spices.  A simple Goan Konkan dish, Batata Sukha Masala, was made of baby potatoes and tempered with curry leaves and mustard seeds. Finally, the Galhinha Cafreal was a pan-fried chicken marinated in a fiery combination of green chillies, fresh coriander and whole spices.  The Cafreal was a dish first created in the Portuguese colonies of Africa which then made its way to Goa.



Miguel Arcanjo, named after archangel Michael, is another fine dining restaurant at the resort, serving  Mediterranean cuisine in upscale surroundings.

They served a variety of freshly made breads with dips.  The breads were particularly good; we polished every one of them!



The Mezze Platter contained well-made portions of Hummus, Baba Ghanouj, Falafel, Tabouleh, Vine Leaf Dolmas and Faotush salad.  The dish in which they were served was very cool too!



My Roast Chicken with Risotto, the pasta for my daughter and the pizza my wife ordered were all expertly prepared and entirely to our liking.



Finally, the place we enjoy most in Goa.  Dining at a beach shack.  In this case, a five-star version called the Lobster Shack.  We selected from their Catch of the Day section:  sea-bass, snapper and jumbo prawn washed down with beer.





Overall, the dining experience at the Taj was a good one.  There were a few minor misses such as a fruit juice that had gone stale, but the waitstaff responded quickly, replaced it and even knocked it off our bill.  The service quality was good throughout.





A final word on the Air India flights we took, to and from Pune.  In spite of their poor reputation, I found the experience pretty good.  They were on time, the aircraft was clean and the service quality adequate.