Goa Portuguesa, Andheri West, Mumbai: Missing the essence of Goa

The mere mention of the word Goa evokes memories of endless beaches, shacks, great music, party, carnival and amazing food. Over the years, the food landscapes of Mumbai has seen many versions of Goan restaurants, but one name that has consistently stood its ground over the years, is Goa Portuguesa. The owner couple of Dr. Suhas Awchat and Mrs. Deepa Awchat conceptualized the restaurant 26 years ago and have primarily focused on bringing authentic Goan food to the diners table with hardly any severe alterations.

Located near the Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri West, Goa Portuguesa shares its building with Diva Maharashtra and a pub named #Tag. The decorof the restaurant is very simple and has an eightyish feel to it. The afternoon I visited, the servers were a bit slow and after a few minutes of waiting, they brought me the menu followed by a glass of thick, tart, slightly spicy and highly refreshing Solkadhi. There a couple of places in Mumbai where I relish this wonderfully refreshing drink and Goa Portuguesa is a happy inclusion to that list.

Starting off on this elaborate Goan food binge, the first dish brought to my table was a Crispy Fried Rawas (Rs.549). The meaty, juicy Rawas, deliciously seasoned with subtle spices was not too oily and was a pleasure to the palate. This was followed by a Prawn Rissois (Rs.399) which was an empanada/Samosa filled with creamy cheesy prawns. The deep fried flaky pastry and the soft creamy cheesy prawns with a touch of Goan spices was my absolute favourite of the day. I also tried a Veg andKaju cutlet (Rs.279) which was a soft pakoda with a heavy coriander/cilantro flavour. The pakoras, a bit dense to the palate were relatively bland as compared to their predecessors.

The Lobster Goa Portuguesa (Rs.1499) which I tried next was quite decadent to look at. The dish had intense tamarind tartness, a bit heavy on the spices and topped with cheese and baked. The tangy spicy flavours married well with the cheese. However, I thought that the lobster was a bit overcooked. Would I pay almost fifteen hundred rupees again for this dish? Perhaps Not!

It is always a fight for me to choose between a Sorpotel, Feijoada, Xacuti, Vindalho, Cafreal and a Balchão, but this time I happily settled for Chicken Cafreal (Rs. 349), Chicken Vindalho (Rs. 349), Mutton Xacuti (429) and a Prawn Goan Curry (Rs. 399). The Chicken Cafreal was a coriander and green chilly based green curry where the Chilly heat did not over power the dish. The Vindalho was much spicier gravy in comparison, and was quick to fire up the taste buds! My only peeve here was that the chicken in both the dishes was a bit tough which brought down the dishes a couple of notches.

The Mutton in the Xacuti was very soft and juicy and I enjoyed the rounded off spices with the right amount of heat. The star of the table, however, was the Prawn Goan Curry which had raw mango pieces floating in the gravy and was served with Garlic Pav. The Garlic Pav was unnecessary and too oily; I chose to polish off the dish by itself.

No Goan meal is complete without the sweet Bibinca. During my visits to Goa, I have scoured several places searching for the best ones, and have become very particular about them. Unfortunately the Bibinca I had at Goa Portuguesa did not quite make the list of the best ones. The warm Bibinca smelt heavily of eggs and was a bit hard to cut through.

The experience at Goa Portuguesa was a bag of mixed emotions, the gravies of the dishes tickling the palate with their peculiar tangy spiciness and then some elements like tough meats, overcooked seafood pulling the same dishes down. In my opinion, the food does reminds one of the shacks in Goa but considering the big brand Goa Portuguesa is, I found it to be quite functional. I would sincerely love for them to make a mark for themselves innovating and adding some chutzpah to their offerings the way Made in Punjab or Punjab Grill have done to Punjabi cuisine…and then , and only then will the prices justify the product!

Ratings (Out of 5)

Food: 2.5 | Ambience: 3.0 | Service: 2.5 | Overall: 2.5

Meal for two: Rs.1500| Alcohol: Yes | Credit Card: Yes | Timings: 12.00 PM to 4.00 PM , 7 PM till Midnight.|

Address: SVP Nagar, Lokhandwala Road, Four Bungalows, Andheri (W), Mumbai 40005|

Tel: +919167096460, 02226313222, 02226313777