When I visited Goa in 1994 it was peaceful, relaxing and relatively uncommercialised. We stayed in unassuming accommodation in a quiet area on the Calangute/Baga road. A few small eating houses and shops but nothing pretentious. There were tourists, of course, in the main tourist area of Calangute, and some in Candolim as the tour operators had made a start with their package tours. The writing was very much on the wall. This visit six years later showed these areas of North Goa to be much more commercialised. Inevitable I suppose, but sadly many of the package tourists show little interest in the real India and seem only interested in European style food, cheap booze and the obligatory sun tan. A shame after journeying several thousand miles to get there.

The resulting development to cater for these tourists is, in my view, gradually destroying the charm of Goa. For example, Candolim was a relatively small village with fairly low key tourism when I first visited. Now, although not built up with large hotels, the main street is one continuous stretch of restaurants and gift shops/shacks all competing for the (mainly English) tourist’s rupee. Calangute - by far the largest town on the North Goan coast - still retains it’s Indian atmosphere in the part of town furthest from the sea but I noticed a fair amount of unattractive development since I was last there. Signs such as ‘Pub - pool tables within’; ‘Cafe & Cyber bar’; ‘Fast Food’; ‘Live Entertainment Club’, and ‘Coffee Bar’ outside bars, and ‘Lovely Jubbly’ signs in some shops and stalls provide an indication of the current ‘un-Indian’ atmosphere created by tourism.

The road from Calangute to Baga - where previously there had been a scattering of small shops and local eating houses - is now built up to provide an almost continuous line of gift shops, restaurants and bars. Examples such as ‘Julie’s Karaoke Bar’ give a flavour of the place. The little shop where only six years previously we would sit under the Banyan tree drinking cold Kingfisher from a small dilapidated fridge whilst we watched the cows wander down the street has now gone. It is now The Pagoda Chinese restaurant. The restaurant we used previously has also changed. Situated next to the Annette Apartments (an early accommodation block more like utilitarian flats, but pleasant enough) it used to serve only Indian food which was absolutely delicious. Now it is called The Octopus Inn serving ‘Indian, Chinese, Seafood’s and Grills’. Perhaps the food is still delicious but I didn’t try it as I suspect I may have been disappointed.

The road eventually merges into Baga which, when I was last there, was quite a small backwater. It’s still smaller than Calangute or Candolim although again with an increase in tourists and bars/clubs.

Having recorded my dismay at the development, what of the food and restaurants in the area? Well, as most curryholics know, Goa has many dishes particular to the region the most commonly known being Vindaloo. In English high street curry houses the term seems to just mean ‘very hot’ but in Goa it is pork marinated in vinegar, garlic and chillies, and completely different from English high street offerings. Xacuti (another Goan dish - meat or chicken with coconut) can also sometimes be found in Indian restaurants in England, although less commonly in the average high street outlet. However, other Goan dishes much less familiar at home and well worth trying include Cafreal (chicken marinated in spices and mint and then pan fried - delicious!), Reichado (a term meaning stuffed with spices and chillies), Balchao (meat or fish in a bright red curry sauce), or Chourisso (a spicy sausage rather like, and no doubt originating from, the Spanish Chorizo).

Unfortunately the restaurants in Candolim and Calangute have become far more Europeanised with signs outside restaurants proclaiming such British delicacies as ‘Fish & Chips’, ‘Steak & Onions’, and Bacon & Eggs. Even the Indian restaurants have adopted English style names such as The Taste of India and The House of Curry to make the tourists feel at home. I sought out the small restaurant where I used to have a superb vegetable pullau and one of their various vegetable curries for about 40p but this had also changed. Now called Capricorn restaurant it has tablecloths, smartly dressed waiters and an outside menu listing Prawn Cocktail, Macaroni Cheese, Prawns in White Wine, Tagliatelle and Pepper Steak. How things have changed!

Apart from lunch in beach shacks (which usually offer excellent Chinese dishes) I didn’t eat in Candolim or Calangute on this occasion, but I did see Crab Xec Xec on one menu in Candolim which would have tempted me had I spent the evening there! Also, Souza Lobo’s restaurant in Calangute is very reasonably priced and has a good reputation for serving good European style dishes, although this may not suit the curryholic.

In Baga there used to be an good vegetarian restaurant called Two Sisters serving what was reputedly the best vegetarian food in Goa but it was not there on this visit. However, I was later told that it still exists but has moved. Any visitor to Baga should try and seek it out as, if the food remains unchanged it will be well worth the visit.

Away from the tourist areas is Coco Beach on the estuary of the Mandovi river where the curve of the estuary provides calm waters for swimming. Nothing else there except a few beach shacks open during the day. One - Vivek Shack - has a daily barbecue at about 1pm on which a variety of fresh fish are cooked and which are delicious. Get there early or you won’t get a seat!

For ourselves, we stayed in the country on the Mandovi river, some 15 minutes walk from Coco Beach along a narrow, palm fringed lane. Delightfully peaceful and free of tourists, but the seclusion means that places to eat in the evening are few and far between. Apart from the restaurant at the Reis Magos Hotel in which we stayed (a modern hotel which has few tourists but a number of Indian holiday makers and businessmen), there is River Rays some 5 minutes further on. The Reis Magos has an extensive menu, including a good selection of Goan specialities. The food was generally good although it could be variable (perhaps there are different chefs). Chicken Cafreal was excellent, as were the vegetarian dishes, but Pork Vindaloo was disappointing as the meat had not been thoroughly marinated and was rather tough and gristly. (Unfortunately this is frequently a feature of Vindaloo in most small Indian eating houses and I was hoping for better in this restaurant. Oh well!). Service was also variable, depending on the number of customers (there were many Indians as the hotel caters for Indian residential conferences as it is not far from the State capital of Panaji).

River Rays, despite the appearance of a holiday complex, was very quiet (no tourists at all as far as I could see) and has a much more limited menu. It caters mainly for the local population, particularly functions such as weddings (we were fortunate enough to be invited to an Indian wedding reception one evening. Good food and quite fascinating - rather like a dance from the 1950’s with the band playing numbers like ‘Roll Out The Barrel’ and ‘ When the Saints go Marching In’). The Bengali chef was reckoned to be the best of the two hotels, and the vegetarian dishes were certainly excellent. Chicken dishes OK, although the chicken used is the typical Indian stringy birds, and there are, of course, the bits of bone left in.

As one might expect, the best restaurants and a far greater variety are to be found in Panaji, or Panjim as it is commonly known, the State capital. Of these, the Delhi Darbar is probably the most upmarket although the spicing has certainly been toned down to suit the European palate. If you want it local strength you have to ask for it.

A uniformed doorman stands outside while inside, where it seats about 70, it is similar to a reasonable quality high street Indian restaurant in England. The clientele are either tourists or the wealthier Indians. On our first visit these were split about 50-50 but unfortunately the second visit had a predominance of tourists - some loud with excess alcohol - making the atmosphere even more like a high street Indian on a Saturday night.

Despite the toning down of the spicing the food was very good indeed, and complimentary pickles plus those wonderful little red onions with some large fresh green chillies were provided at the outset. The menu is very comprehensive and includes most of those dishes found at home (including Chicken Tikka Masala at 95rps - the first time I’ve seen it in a restaurant in India!). In addition there are more unusual dishes. Prices about 85 for starters, main dishes from 90 rps, and veggy dishes 50-80 rps. We started with Tandoori Mushrooms (curiosity really) which were tasty but at 95rps expensive by local standards. Murgh Rukhsana (chicken stuffed with cashew nuts and fruit and served in a mild creamy sauce) and Murgh Kalimirsh (chicken in black pepper) both at 100 rps. were good. Aloo Bhojpuri (potato stuffed with cottage cheese, nuts and vegetables) at 75rps was also very tasty. Other dishes of Do-Piaza (90rps), Vegetable Jalfrezi (70 rps), Aloo Gobi (60 rps), Vegetable Pullau (55 rps) etc. were all good but again not as spicy as in smaller restaurants. Service exemplary (even the spotless American named ‘rest rooms’ have a ‘toilet man’ in attendance) for which 10% is added to the bill.

Elsewhere in Panjim there are plenty of other good class restaurants, including those at the Hotel Venite (upstairs, with a good selection of fish which is unfortunately invariably served with chips), and the Mandovi Hotel (where there is a good selection of Goan specialities). There is also a Punjabi restaurant - Sher-e-Punjab - which is good although the service is not a patch on the Delhi Darbar. However, for those wanting a more authentic taste of Indian meals there are many small ones, rather like faded 1950’s coffee bars, where the locals eat. For a good, cheap lunch, all serve vegetarian Thaly (sic) at between 20-25 rps, which is excellent value - and not a tourist to be seen. Of these we tried the Annapurna, the Kamat (both upstairs) and one near the steps of the large Immaculate Conception Church, the name of which was not displayed.

Another place well worth visiting in Panjim is the Panjim Inn, if only for a drink. It is situated in the less visited Fontainhas district of town and said to have been n the hands of the same family since it was built 300 years ago. It has great character and a faded old world charm and elegance. Sitting on the wooden balcony in the evening, with its carved antique chairs and tables, geckos on the walls and a cold Kingfisher in hand is wonderfully relaxing. The menu is fairly limited (eg cabbage Bhaji at 50rps, Dal Fry at 50rps, Aloo Gobi at 65rps) but there is a blackboard menu of about half a dozen items. 8% service charge is added to the bill. The friendly young Nepalese waiter was only too pleased to show us the interior and bedrooms, where four poster double beds and antique marble topped dressing tables are straight out of the last century.

Although once again I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Goa, particularly the uncommercalised spot where we stayed - I’m unsure about future visits. Perhaps next time Coco beach will have souvenir shops and Karaoke bars and I would be greatly disappointed. Luddite I may be, but I prefer the memories of the unspoilt Goa.

Malcolm Wilkins - April 2001