Upmarket Dining in Baga

Infantaria, on the Baga Road, offers a great range of eating experiences. Regular Goan visitors told us about its patisserie, and one afternoon we wandered down for coffee and cakes. They have a fine range of sweet pastries (cinnamon rolls and doughnuts crammed with tasty jams), some delightfully rich gateaux, and hot, savoury pies. These are selected from the display cabinets, and as they’re all baked on the premises, you can be assured that they are fresh. There’s the usual range of beverages, but I’m afraid I got hooked into their cold coffee with a blob of ice cream (loaded with calories, but "hey, I’m on holiday"). Upstairs is a small restaurant (accommodating around 30 people), and we enjoyed a great pizza there on a night when we were recovering from "delicate stomachs." The dough was made on the premises, and this tasty, well-cooked straightforward food was a great re-introduction to solid food.

Every Monday night (Sundays as well in the height of the season), a local group performs. A melodic three-piece band led, according to the waiter, by a tall Liverpudlian called Dave (it turned out he was from Essex!), who did great renditions of songs by the "fab four." They were not straight copies, but his own "cool" versions of the greats. On another night we ate spinach and mushroom pancake with a white sauce and a vegetable au gratin with plain boiled rice. Just right and a final settler for our griping intestines! A particularly tasty "homemade" apple pie with vanilla ice cream rounded off the meal. Infantaria is well worth a visit or two!

Eating in Goan restaurants is a tranquil and unhurried experience, and I was pleased to say that other than the odd one or two, we had some great dining experiences. Food is embarrassingly cheap, and in our experience, there was always plenty of it. We would often have a starter to share, a couple of main meals to split, and a dessert each. As we always made it clear at the onset many of the restaurants, they would bring extra cutlery and plates to accommodate our meals. Certainly none of them showed any reluctance or surprise at our intentions. Meals were always served with a smile (well, there was the odd exception!), and the staff were attentive but unobtrusive. Some fine dining experiences!

Quick Tips:

Usually sound advice for choosing a decent restaurant is whether or not there are consistently large numbers of diners sat at the table. I say "consistently" because we got "burnt" on our first night when we found Redna. It was fairly full, we were peckish, and our body clock said it was necessary to eat NOW. We found one of the last remaining empty tables and sat on a small, narrow terrace. If we’d have checked out the faces of the diners, we would have noted discontent, and a passing comment, after we’d ordered our meal, from a nearby diner said it all. "Well, I suppose, for the money that was good enough," was the plaintive sigh. I actually did see potential diners asking diners what they thought of the meal, and on receiving a negative comment, they turned round and continued their search. So it’s worth asking before you sit down; most customers will have found themselves in the same position and my experience is that people are generally honest in the expression of their dining experiences. With hindsight, this place was bound to be fairly busy, as it was in a prime spot in the centre of town and attractive to tourists.

Of course, there’s no better place to eat in than one that has been recommended by "like people." The hotel pool or bar is usually a good place to chat around the best places to eat, and we were not surprised to have the same restaurant referred to on many different occasions. Word of mouth usually is the best recommendation, but you do need to gauge if the recommender is likely to have the same kind of taste—and that’s a fine judgement.

We’re always a little dubious of recommendations that come on an advertising flier and tend to reject any establishment that employs touts to thrust glossy pamphlets into my hand. This may be a little harsh, and I guess we could have missed a few gems by exercising this criteria. Perhaps we should link it to personal recommendation as well!

I reckon we made the mistake of going for the local food too quick. Hot and spicy, alongside a change in water and climate, seems, in retrospect, to be inviting disaster. We’ve learnt, and in the future we’ll build up slowly and treat our digestive tracts with the respect that they deserve!

Best Way To Get Around:

In Calangute/Baga, there are simply loads of restaurants to choose from, and it will very much depend on your personal choice as to "what style" you opt for. Certainly you can "get around the world," gastronomically speaking. In Baga and Calangute you’ll find Italian pizza houses, fine French cuisine, African eateries, Chinese restaurants, Indian restaurants (offering food from all the different states, including Kasmir and Kerala), European food, fast food, and steakhouses. There’s no shortage of vegetarian dishes, and if you’re missing English food, there’s many a place that boasts "fine roast dinners" and fish-and-chips. There are Irish bars and English pubs, nightclubs (although we didn’t experience these), buffet bars, coffee houses, snack bars, take-aways, beach shacks, and the odd street vendor. In short, you’ll never need to go hungry in Goa.

We did lay our hands on a free pamphlet, "Find All," supported by the Goan Tourist board. In the 50 pages, it told of the month’s events and had small write-ups of loads of restaurants. We guessed that only the restaurants that could afford to "advertise" would find their way into the covers of this brochure, but it was helpful, especially if you wanted to check out the kind of entertainment that might be available around town. You won’t be lost without this publication, but it’s a helpful planning aid.

Generally we preferred to walk to and from the restaurants of our choice, and it was interesting that the local taxi drivers were soon saying to us "you walk—it’s very healthy for you!" They still tried, however, to book in for a "job" the next day! Walking around the town at night is perfectly safe. It’s sensible to carry a torch, because the town is regularly plagued with random electricity cuts and the streets are not pothole free! However, the Baga Road is not a street to saunter down. It’s a busy road where tuk-tuks, taxis, buses, and bikes all fight for poll position. As a pedestrian, you need to be alert and ready to move well over to the side—I often felt the overtaking mirror of a passing taxi glance my arm as it manoeuvred the obstacle course of the Baga Road. With caution, you’ll have a truly memorable experience!

A couple from our hotel had eaten here and said that although the service was slow, the wait had been well worth the effort. They even said they’d eat there again—now that is a positive accolade.

Over the Flames (subtitled "food with spirit") is on the main Baga Road and has an attractive no-nonsense look to it. At the front of the restaurant is an open kitchen responsible for nan breads and tandoori dishes, whereas the main kitchen is at the rear of the restaurant. Interestingly, this kitchen is on full view to the diners through a large glass window, and it was a pleasure to watch the five chefs inter-relating as they got on with preparing food for the expectant diners. At one point, I was curiously drawn to the antics of one member of this crew as he peeled potatoes with the largest knife imaginable—a morbid interest made me watch "just in case blood was drawn." Watching their antics made it clear why food was slow in coming, as the pace in the kitchen was slow, casual, and measured.

Not that slowness mattered, because we were in no hurry. A complimentary plateful of hot garlic nan bread was presented to us, and we nibbled on this as we enjoyed our well-cooled glasses of Kingfisher beer. Next came our starter, a tasty dish of breaded mushrooms stuffed with spinach and cheese and deep-fried. Mmm, what a great start.

We relaxed in the comfortable padded chairs, but I was a little distracted by the large wide-screen TV on the wall next to the bar, an unnecessary addition in any restaurant, but I did prefer to return to the antics of the kitchen staff as they struggled to waft the smoke from the cooking area. At home the smoke detectors would have brought the fire brigade screaming to the door, but here... Well, who needs extractor fans... let’s just throw on another steak to fan the flames.

The varied menu at "over the flames" states: "into the house of flames may all enter in and in the hall of plenty partake of this fare. For like a rich tapestry or the multi-hued bow is a dish for every taste." And I reckon that really does sum up the choices in this restaurant.

We’d chosen steaks on this occasion (unusual for me), but when my Chateaubriand arrived, I realise what a good choice I had made. It was cooked to perfection and almost melted in the mouth. The accompaniment of well-prepared vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and peas) and chunky steak fries all made for a superb culinary experience.

We opted to a bowl of strawberries and cream as a dessert, and as a tribute to this superb meal, we succumbed to a final temptation and partook of an Irish coffee, served in elegant glasses, overflowing with the amber nectar, and with quite a kick.

East Meets West is towards the bottom of the Baga Road, and is well set back from hustle and bustle of the traffic. An arched entrance lit with colourful lights marks its presence, and from the road, there’s a fair walk to the main restaurant. When we made the final turn into this spectacular garden restaurant, we were warmly received by a smartly dressed headwaiter, who, with some apparent pride, guided us to our table for the evening.

East Meets West has entertainment every night of the week, and I was particularly attracted to Saturday evening, when a jazz trio were on the bill. There’s a covered dance area in the centre of the garden, and the saxophonist, keyboard player, and drummer started their performance promptly at 7:30pm. I have to say that they were only okay, until they started to sing... Singing was not their forte, and I was only grateful that they chose to play rather than sing. A couple of brave souls risked the floor, and they were mid-flow when a power cut hit the Baga Streets. An interesting finish to an attempt at a slinky boogie on the dance floor!

This garden restaurant is a real treat: the furniture is stylish (although I didn’t find the wrought iron chairs that comfortable) and the tables well laid with a real touch of class. Coloured lights adorn the place and complimented the natural vegetation that surrounded us. It is a truly relaxing environment, and it's run in a very professional manner. If you fancy fish, there’s a small chilled selection of fresh fish for you to choose from. The waiter will happily escort you to make that choice.

An open barbecue area is set back from the main area, but the chef and his distinctive large white hat is easily noticed. This provides pleasant cooking smells for the garden restaurant, whetting our appetites. There’s a whole range of dishes on the menu, and as the name suggests, this restaurant prides itself with providing a subtle fusion of eastern and western tastes. I don’t think you’ll any pure Indian dishes on the menu, and it perfectly suited our palate, as you could select food without any of the usual spices. That is not to say that the food was bland or herb free, but it was subtly aimed at the western palate. On one occasion I opted for a vegetable lasagna, my wife for the Sagaloo with steamed rice.

We’d had a starter of Onion Bajis, which were interesting insofar as they were in delicate strips rather than hardy clumps and were only very lightly spiced. The main courses were in massive portions, and I struggled to finish, but it was extremely tasty and I bravely soldiered on! We thoroughly enjoyed our visits to East Meets West, and I’d strongly recommend it as a venue for an evening out.

There was quite an upmarket feel to this extremely popular al fresco restaurant. We’d walked past it several times and it was always busy and buzzing. So on a Sunday night we decided to dine here. A number of the tables were reserved and I reckon that we got one of the last remaining places in the restaurant. We sat down to consider the menu and then realised that it was O’Pescador’s special night – Sunday is karaoke night. I muttered something about nightmares and disasters and then we both shrugged and decided to sit tight. After all, neither of us intended to participate! If you don't fancy karaoke then Lui, a local musician, performs here live on a Wednesday night.

The dining layout was quite lavish with heavily padded wrought iron chairs ensuring comfort and wooden tables adorned with rich deep blue table cloths, bordered with golden brocade edging, adding to the opulence. Maroon cloth napkins, a substantial cruet and a smart candleholder all complimented the effect. Whilst ordering our meal the singing started and I was extremely surprised at the quality of the voices. We were treated to song after song both from the resident singer, who had a fine voice just perfect for the easy listening jazz numbers of the rat pack era, and a range of really competent guest or karaoke singers. Obviously the odd one disappointed, but overall this was not the tacky affair that we dreaded. We actually quite enjoyed it!

The overall ambiance of this restaurant was great and an interesting array of lights highlight and compliment the plants that flourished in the garden. The place was a mass of fairy lights and a host of star shaped lanterns giving some interesting hues and occasionally some eerie shadows.

Our first course was described as fish fingers, but in truth it was a fine blend of fresh fish and herbs breaded and deep fried. They were served, piping hot on a bed of finely chopped salad and with an exquisitely tasty freshly made tartar sauce. What a superb starter for our meal. We stuck with vegetarian as our main course, although there was a good range of meat dishes (not all Indian) and opted for a cauliflower and button mushroom bake alongside spinach with cottage cheese. I’m afraid we just fancied French fries as the accompaniment. There was no major delay in this being cooked and soon we were tucking into our delicious main courses.

I'd eaten sufficient but my wife was intent on having a desert and I'm too much of a gentleman to let her eat alone! So I had an ice-cream with a warm chocolate sauce. Mmmm - delicious. And to top off the meal we had a couple of Irish Coffees.

This was a great meal in a great venue and our meal only cost us 635 rupees (just over £8 for both of us!). A real bargain for quality fayre.

We made a couple of visits to the Alton Garden Restaurant. It’s a clean-looking westernised restaurant, nothing great in appearances, just set back from the busy Baga Road. Despite its name, there’s no real sign of extensive gardens, but the perimeter of the restaurant is dense with vegetation to hide the main street from the view of the diners.

In effect, all the dining area is al fresco, but there’s a large covered eating area. The pantiled roof is supported by a combination of chunky, carved wooden pillars and classic yellow painted concrete columns. There are massive ceiling fans, which are ceremonially turned on if diners choose the "covered area." We opted for the outside, and although the hedging separated us from the road, we were "treated to great entertainment one night." The Baga Road was gridlocked and a cacophony of sounds pierced through the barmy Baga skies as horns were sounded, children sang away their frustration on the local buses, and Tuk-Tuks revved high. No one seemed to get too angry, but the traffic was immobile for over 10 minutes. Thereafter, we were treated to a variety of European music being gently played as background music.

Bright yellow, blue, and red checked cloths adorned the wooden table and there were really comfortable padded bamboo chairs. Just perfect for relaxing in and enjoying a first class meal! Smart cruets, linen serviettes, and heavy cutlery completed the stylish table presentation. But most importantly to compliment all of this the food was first class. A Marseille salad (with egg, tuna, tomatoes and lettuce in a tasty dressing) with loads of complimentary bread, was a great starter. We both opted for steak. These were extremely well cooked (medium to rare as we’d specified) and were served with a small but well prepared vegetable accompaniment and a choice of potatoes. On our second visit I had filet mignon (three superbly cooked medallions of beef served with, onion rings, mushroom, carrots, peas, and fries) whilst my wife greedily tucked into three chunky pork chops, served with "dainty" tin foil covers to enable the final gnawing to take place with minimal mess.

Complimentary deserts of tasty strawberries were offered to round off the meal (we’d actually ordered a pudding on our first visit so missed out on the freebie!). The third course was wittily described on the menu as "toothpicks," and we enjoyed a fifth course of a Gaelic coffee. What a great way to finish off a superb meal.

Alton Gardens is not the busiest or the flashiest restaurant on the Baga Road, but it is totally unpretentious and service is efficient and friendly. My final observation, an important one for India, relates to the establishment’s toilets. I’m not normally drawn to comment on washrooms, but these were scrupulously clean and odour free – a great positive when dining out in India!