With all the city rush and the fast lives we have, Goa is one place that is on the bucket list for most of us. Well how about going to a restaurant, which is, more or less, like the Goan beach shacks, and relaxing the same way you would in GoaIJ Basically, if you and your friends have been planning a Goa trip for a couple of years and failing miserably, we’ve got good news.
lady Baga, a Goan shack-themed restaurant, has hit the shores of the capital recently. The place brings along with it the best of India’s party coastline when it was in its hippy hey days. Despite being in the middle of the honking madness of Connaught Place, the restaurant packs a relaxed vibe complete with a trippy décor, hammocks, retro tunes in the backdrop, a make believe beach, and digital waves crashing across the walls.
True to its inspiration, the menu will also take you back to the thriving shacks of Baga. The restaurant serves up a fiesty Goan fare.
After settling in, we could not wait to have the food of the coast. We started with stuffed tikkis, chicken wings and Father lorenzo’s chorizos. The former was crumb-fried potato cutlet stuffed with diced veggies. The cutlet was bigger in size than the usual potato cutlets and was well fried. The coating of the cutlet was not very thick and the light spiced stuffing made for a good starter. We then got our hands dirty on the chicken wings. The wings were however average. Marinated in the in-house sauces, the spice quotient in the dish was too less for a chicken wing. The chicken was tad dry and failed to impress us.
Coming to the dish of the evening, Father lorenzo’s Chorizos, the deep red chorizo had subtle flavours of vinegar, chili, garlic and ginger served with buns. The chunks of pork sausage were cooked to perfection. Unlike the pork dishes we have tasted earlier, the pork in this dish was succulent and when combined with the soft buns, which soaks in the flavours, Father lorenzo stole our heart.
While in ‘Goa’, we did not want to miss on the cocktails. Speaking of which, have you ever tried a cashew infused vodkaIJ The vodka shot was served along with coconut water and was enough to get us going. The bar was a sheer delight for anyone looking to experiment and venture into the wilds of alcohol. The next we ordered Acid Test. The small bottles of kala khatta infused vodka and jalapeno infused vodka was a good (and successful) experiment by the mixologists.
For the main course we ordered Vindaloo Paneer and Goan Dal with pao (bun). The reason for the bun was again the same, it soaks in all the flavour of the dish.
The cottage cheese dish is a must have. A vegetarian vindaloo dish came as a complete surprise. The dal however was not a good choice. The yellow dal had no spices and tasted like simple boiled pulses with onion and coriander.
All and all, the place is a must-go if you have been seeking a restaurant for a long time to hang out with your homies. Beach, check. Food, check. Shack, check. Vibe, check. Now all you need is a group of Goa-hungry people to hit up
lady Baga.