A nostalgic Taste of Goa

On a heavy monsoon day in Goa, a nostalgic Goan lunch at the brand new `Kokni Kanteen 1972′ (D.V Road, near Mahalaxmi Temple, Panjim) reminded me of my grandmother’s home kitchen in the village…While the rain beat down vociferously on the roof, the warm cocoon like restaurant nestled inside an old Portuguese-Hindu home was a time-rewind straight to the yesteryears of a Goa that only remains in old stories told by older folks.

A 50 covers only full day dining restaurant tastefully decorated by B-Tonic Interiors, Panjim (great job people), rewinds to the 1960s with local flavours and a menu combined simply and artfully from the kitchens of Hindu and Catholic homes to present a cuisine which is ethnic and authentic is as much as its names (in Hindu speaking Konkani), as in its tastes and the flavors that greet your tongue in a language of its own. There is no hurry here. Find your table, get comfortable, and the menu reminiscent of a shala slate board (remember those old times when slate boards and chalk were your books and pens), is your first trip to a Goa that was…Absolute must is the Fish Thali. I will let the photographs do its own talking here…

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ban2i5-g7Ff/?taken-by=koknikanteen

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYF6XcaAUG7/?taken-by=koknikanteen

The `Kokni Kanteen’ Must Drink Cocktail Checklist and my favourites:

Jhelaad Kaju (Feni, Orange peels). A palate cleansing, refreshing cocktail of cashew feni and orange rinds for subtle bursts of citrus (when you bite into the rinds).

`Bai Margarita‘ Now this requires an acquired taste for a discerning ‘local at heart, global in thought’ cocktail. `Bai Margarita’ is a feisty tequila with lime juice, tamarind and lemon grass. Dark, mysterious and heavy bodied. Not to be knocked down in a hurry this lady 😊 A signature ‘Kokni Kanteen 1972’ special.

`Traffik Jaaam’ (vodka, orange, lime and lemon) lives up to its name. It literally stops conversation after a sip or two with a fruity aftermath so over-powering that you have to devote some attention to it. The vodka sneaks in sublimely hiding beneath the covers of the orange juice. Ignore it (and down a few) you could feel it (vodka) creeping into your blood stream with a nice almost there buzz. The stuffed papad crispy snack with prawns helps to steer this wheel back on track (smile), with a pungent crackle that hits the roof of your mouth to keep your senses awake.