Thalassa, Vagator, Goa : Restaurant Review

Thalassa means sea in Greek.  Perched on the edge of a cliff, this open air Greek restaurant in Vagator, a small village in North Goa offers a stunning view of the Arabian Sea and sunsets.

Thalassa offers a fabulous ambiance; ocean view, cool sea-breeze, interiors styled in white and beige, white muslin drapes, white walls and beige cane furniture complete with strands of white flowers suspended along the drapes. Plus comfortable seating and candle light as it gets dark. Unfortunately I do not have good shots of the property to put up on my blog, please do google and have a look.

A big group of us happened to visit Thalassa on a Saturday night with a reservation the previous evening – in spite of which we had to wait for about twenty minutes. Being a weekend, the place was swarming with diners with hardly any leg room. We almost decided to head out of the place doubting the efficiency of the staff on such a busy night…well almost, because out of laziness we decided to hang in right there and – surprise surprise!!! The owner Mariketty and her team turned out to be super-efficient and friendly. Our orders were taken real quick, and drinks delivered to the table even quicker – the hospitable staff even provided us a room to feed a small infant who was in our group. Furthermore, food was served piping hot and fresh.

White wine sangria was WOW! Very refreshing, fruity and fresh – surprisingly not sweet.

 Vegetable grill platter was decent, with dips and pits bread on the side

 Pita bread tomato bruschetta was served with crisp and crunchy tomatoes and fantastic feta cheese.

 Pita bread garlic and cheese margarita pizza for the kids was yumm – they loved it.

 Vegetable Moussaka was creamy, rich and full of flavor

Risotto was a disappointment – tasted like our very own lemon rice aka chitra anna with olives thrown in. No red wine flavor as promised in the menu.

 Chocolate mousse cake was yummy – the kids loved it, rich, chocolaty, soft and moist.

 Kataifi was…well different. Sugary and rich, loaded with nuts. Could not help noticing how very similar it is to our South Indian traditional sweet – peni. We even called it the Greek Peni!

 The Baklava was to die for – crisp and flaky with a heavenly coconut filling, served with ice-cream.

Profiteroles were good.

It is easy to see why Thalassa is popular and packed; warm hospitality by Mariketty and team, relaxed Greek culture infused ambiance,  personalized service and recommendation, deadly and exotic cocktails and most importantly delicious Greek food.

Surely going back there very soon!

Verdict: 4.5/5

Chalston Beach Resort, Goa

Chalston is a quaint beach resort located between Calangute and Baga beaches.  Chalston has the privilege of thean excellent location between two busy beaches in North Goa, in spite of which you can actually get some peace and quiet. While the property is decently maintained with a good manicured garden, a very clean swimming pool and neat common areas, the housekeeping is average.  The rooms are pretty small, but then in Goa I spend more time outdoors and the room size hardly matters. 

The restaurant is a small walk across the garden and faces the beach so one can enjoy breakfast/lunch/dinner or even an evening drink watching the sunset. This is my third visit to Chalston and the biggest draw for me to go back was the food (except for the complimentary breakfast – more on that later). However, this time round I noticed a dip in the quality and quantity. On checking, I learnt that the chef had changed.  

The one and only vegetarian Goan dish – veg xacuti, pronounced "shakuti/sha-kooty" was anything but authentic.  Typically, xacuti is a rich delicious curry that is a blend of local spices and fresh coconut, with either vegetables or meat dunked in and served with plain steamed rice. The xacuti at Chalston was a concoction of very north Indian garam masala powder and random vegetables with probably a spoon of coconut thrown in. And why just vegetarian fare, my non vegetarian buddies felt the king fish curry was a big let-down (they usually live on king fish curry and rice while in Goa) – apparently the curry was watery and not well blended.  The regular north Indian fare like roti subzi and dal was just about average. 

Continental stuff like pastas and stroganoff was alright but I have had better continental meals at Chalston.  The Chinese food was pretty good.

Only the quality of desserts and breakfast remained the same. The buffet breakfast served as compliments is as bad as it previously used to be – buns/paav like leather cork balls, insipid bhaji, some eggs and lassi apart from tea/coffee. The desserts, chocolate ganache, apple crumble, tiramisu, walnut brownies and cheesecake – as before, were excellent as they are painstakingly made with a lot of care by the resort owner’s wife.

The staff is very co-operative and service at the restaurant is good. Once a week there is live music and people take to the dance floor– and that really completes the the Goan spirit along with chilled beer and really good cocktails (thankfully the bartender has not changed I guess).

Avarekai Saru / Field Beans Rasam

Avarekai (field beans/hyacinth beans) is a hot favorite  in Karnataka while in season. Because we all love it, it is raining avarekai at home - avarekai uppitu, avarekai saru, avarekai rotti and hitikida bele. I will try to put up more avarekai recipes soon.

A typical Sunday lunch during the avarekai season is saru with rice or ragi mudde/balls. This morning, my father, who is a great cook made it for all of us.

You need:
250 gms boiled avarekai
Half a coconut grated
8-9 small green chillies
1tsp rasam powder
2 tbs jeera
1small bunch fresh coriander
Juice from a small ball of tamarind
Salt to taste
Hing

Mustard seeds
Curry leaves

Grind a handful of boiled avarekai with grated coconut, green chillies, coriander and jeera to form a paste.
In a heavy bottom vessel, combine the ground paste, the remaining boiled avarekai, tamrind juice and rasam powder. Bring to a boil. Add salt to taste. In a separate pan, make a tadka of mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves and add it to the saru. Serve with hot rice or ragi mudde.

Flourless Chocolate Orange Cake

I have already posted Reva Garde's famous birthday cakes - here is one more to the list. 

This time, she tried Nigella Lawson's flourless chocolate orange cake. I took a bite and really had to swear it was flourless as it had a great texture. Reva kept the cake basic, minus icing/frosting, and topped it with some tangy canned orange slices. Moist, rich and yummy to say the least. And super easy of course!

Recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/nigella-lawson-flourless-chocolate-orange-cake-303266

Vietnamese Vegetarian Rice Paper Rolls with Peanut Sauce by Reva Garde

Good friend Reva Garde made these delicious rice paper rolls as starters for her husband's birthday party. They make great appetizers as they are light, crunchy and refreshing - plus they don't leave you feeling too heavy, so you can still do justice to the main course. :)

For the rolls, you need:

• 1 packet rice-paper wrappers/rounds
• 1 Chinese cabbage 
• 1 small carrot, peeled, grated
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, cut into ribbons
• Juice of I lime
• Salt and sugar to taste
• Basil for garnishing

In a large bowl ready the salad filling by mixing all the ingredients except the Chinese cabbage until well combined. Soak individual rice paper sheets in a large bowl of water until just soft. Pat dry on a clean towel or absorbent paper. Spread one leaf of the Chinese cabbage on the paper, arrange 2 tablespoons of the filling into the center of the rice paper sheet. Fold in the edges and then roll up firmly. The edges should seal neatly. Repeat soaking and filling each sheet one at a time for the remaining mixture.
For the peanut dipping sauce, you need:

• 4 tsp smooth peanut butter
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp red chilli sauce

Mix the above ingredients in a bowl until well combined, add a little water to adjust the desired consistency. Serve with rolls.

Choco-Biscuit Fudge Cake

A week night chocolate craving brought about this choco-biscuit fudge cake. I vaguely remember a friend's mom used to make something called 'fridge cake' back in my school days - chocolate, biscuit bits and refrigeration is all that was required. This is something on those lines. Quick, super easy and instantly satiates the sweet craving, plus the family loved it.

You need:
2 packets Marie biscuits or any digestive biscuits
2 tbs cooking butter
250 grams cooking chocolate

Crush the biscuits to form a coarse powder in a mixer or simply break and crush with your fingers and set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the cooking chocolate and butter  together until a smooth and creamy consistency is formed. Let it cool. Add the biscuit crumbs, mix and pour into a greased dish. Refrigerate for about 2 hours and then cut into squares.

So is this a fudge or cake? I am unable to decide....try making it and why don't you tell me?