It's been a long time since Goan is internationally famous for its Beaches , its Nice weather , its night leisure and his gastronomy . But this small state on the west coast of India is much more than a tourist destination, and now more than ever. Over this last year, largely due to the pandemic, there has been a considerable turnover of exhausted professionals from all over the world. India towards this region. Many people were looking for a change, to start from scratch, to distance themselves from the oppressive environment of the big Indian cities and to surround themselves with calm lifestyle which locals refer to as susegad.
Although the experiences in Goa focus on their magical and paradisiacal atmosphere and in the way it allows anyone to be whoever they want to be and its tendency to completely change the perspective of whoever visits it, it has another side, one more focused on the day to day. New Goans are finding the perfect balance between work and leisure in this relaxed pace of life and are discovering how to use the magic of this place to undertake in new ways.
There are also those who return after traveling the world. Ralph Prazeres and Stacy Thanks , both from Goa, run the artisan bakery Padaria Prazeres. The couple recently opened the business and now they have Panjim literally eating them out of hand. He has worked in restaurants with michelin stars In several countries, she has developed her financial skills in some of the most important banks in the world, and now they have wanted to set up something of their own. It is fortunate that in her region of origin there are market for all kinds of cake shop.
Ralph and Stacy, the owners, at the door of Padaria Prazeres.
As you enter the bustling café, the first thing you see is the friendly smiles of Prazeres and Gracias as they acknowledge their regulars' compliments on the bread, sedans and the spectacular cream pie . “Most people our age went abroad to learn and put new ideas into practice, but hardly anyone has ever brought them back. We have had to accustom our clientele to the ciabatta and to the Swiss buns , but the reception has been incredible. Yes one artisan bakery as ours has been able to succeed here, it will surely work in other places”, says Prazeres.
“Drink feni, save Goa!”, the motto for the official Goa shirt that Hansel Vaz wants.
When asking for recommendations places to visit , start listing sites new and very little known . “There is a lot of activity in Goa right now,” explains Gracias. "Between the increase in tourism and the number of people who have moved to the area, there are a lot of entrepreneurs with high hopes for this."
“Drink feni, save Goa!” is the motto for the official Goa shirt that Hansel Vaz wants. The owner of Cazulo Feni spent years trying to get rid of the bad reputation of feni , and it seems that he is finally getting it. Recently, partly thanks to his efforts, regulations have been included that give this liqueur of one Appellation of origin and that they only allow products made in Goa to be labeled as feni. They also set quality standards to help protect the local culture and its biodiversity through the care of native cashew plants.
From what people who know about the subject say, a couple of years ago Goan began to become a kind of breeding ground for the creative entrepreneurship . Without the restrictions imposed by exorbitant prices, crushing rents and high taxes, less conventional companies and concepts They have their chance to shine. Goa's population, a mix of locals and immigrants, offers a public diversity ideal to experience, and the businessmen of the area, who have made an effort to show experiences in Goa a little further from the typical , they are finally achieving the platform they longed for.
Ingredients collected on the grounds of Cazulo.
In the land of Cazulo , Vaz offers elaborate and unique experiences related to the world of feni. In Urbanaut, an application that recommends experiences in 22 cities around the world, you can book harvesting routes through a plantation followed by a feni cocktail session (from Rs 1,800 per head). Also, for 2,500 rupees per person, experience Floating Phoenix , which includes a tasting of local appetizers , such as shrimp empanadas, sanna (steamed rice bread) and the typical rice, coconut and cane sugar sweets, all accompanied by coconut and cashew feni and with his feet soaking in the waters of a stream.
It is Vaz himself who welcomes the Cazulo plantations, with his contagious joy and infinite knowledge of the Goan food tradition . The ingredient collection route, designed to make feni cocktails further on, he makes it clear why he is called “the Goan Renaissance”. In addition to his wisdom and all his activity in defense of liquor, he does not stop innovate , and he is about to take out several new feni flavors.
A dip between trees and waterfalls.
But he is not the only one who is dedicating himself to protecting his environment while he shares it with the kind of more conscious tourism. Mackinlay Barreto , Mac to friends, he returned to Goa after spending several years in Bombay and started organizing excursions through little-known areas of the entire state for his friends and family. This led to the founding of his Tourism Agency ecological, The Local Beat, which focuses on discovering the face of Goa that most do not have the opportunity to know.
Altaf is one of the Mac team guides, who knows the goan natural sites like the palm of his hand. On a route through the green thicket of an area of lakes and waterfalls , he knows exactly which rocks can be climbed, even though they are practically smooth, to jump into the water more than five meters. The fresh water, the sound of the current, the song of the birds... It seems incredible that this paradise exist so close to the bustle of the city , and it is extremely lucky that it can be reached thanks to people like Mac and Altaf. The exact place where this orchard is more or less secret at the request of Mac, who tries to protect this magical environment from irresponsible mobs. “If someone really wants to come here, ask us,” he says.
The best thing after a swim in this absolute peace is a feast of curry, fried fish, rice, spiced potatoes, and red spinach bhaji, accompanied by feni spiced cocktails . It is an unrepeatable experience that leaves a pleasant background sensation, together with the certainty that everything is done from the respect for the people of the area and for the environment.
Antonio at 31, Goa.
Almost all people in Goa love it chat with a drink in hand and recommend different types of feni, honoring the local customs . And it is useless to protest, there are no excuses such as "it has been a very long day" or "tomorrow I have a lot to do" because, as they say, this drink does not give a hangover.
Chef Pablo Miranda, who is practically the soul of the animated Bar Fontainhas and from the restaurant António @ 31, he says that in Goa business runs much smoother . Restaurants in big cities have a series of requirements that do not allow their owners so much freedom. “Here I don't have to worry about 70 percent of my menu being vegetarian or offering avocado toast,” explains Miranda, referring to trends among top restaurants in india . In Goa, the relaxed atmosphere gives free rein to experimentation . He is so clear about the future of this region that he is going to open yet another restaurant, the makutsu , a modest place with capacity for twenty in which will be served yakitori with indian craft beer.
After the fantastic reception of the takeaway ramen boxes that he offers in Patrão's Deli , Miranda bets on Japanese food. The gourmet market local has a vertiginous movement in this place, and it is that, according to him explains Parth Timbadia , owner of two highly successful restaurants in Goa, the state is developing as gastronomic destination . “It is a cycle that feeds on itself. So many people have come to Goa in the last two years that more and more businesses are opening to offer services. This, in turn, attracts better merchants and suppliers. Everybody wins." Mahe , his first restaurant, is highly valued, but it is his most recent, roboto , which serves Japanese food, the one that ends up on all must-see lists.
“If it wasn't for Goa, the company would have had a tough time last year,” he explains. Rakshay Dhariwal , director of Pass Code Hospitality . He claims that income from Goan locals allowed to keep afloat during the pandemic a business that has restaurants and bars such as Jamun, Saz, PCO and Ping's Café Orient in various cities, including mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru Y Calcutta . “In our restaurants in Goa, you notice that customers don't even read more than half of the menu. People go out two or three times a week, much more than in Mumbai or Delhi, where they only go out on weekends. Here you can innovate in ways impossible in other markets with more expenses.
Perhaps the best example of concept experiments throughout the region is the For The Record Vinyl Bar in Panjim , which people affectionately call “FTR”. It is the first and only vinyl bar from India, and the “best bar in the country” according to regular Mayur Sharma (of the duo Rocky and Mayur). It is the perfect place to spend some quiet time listening vinyl with a sound system of amazing quality and enjoying cocktails, spirits and other local drinks.
Buland Shukla, owner of For The Record.
After his foundation in December 2019 , has become a common space for music lovers . Their founder, Buland Shukla , it was vinyl aficionado and he wanted to create a place dedicated to sound but, maybe just being in Goa, it has been developing and now facilitates the purchase and sale of records , offers repair services of analog sound equipment and contains a bar , a kitchen and one Fermentation chamber . Food and drink aren't exactly gourmet, but neither are they the centerpiece of this meeting place for creative minds. The records are listened to from beginning to end, "as it should be", and love for music takes center stage . With all its standards, FTR is an example of #goodvibe, the waiters are friendly and the atmosphere in general is very welcoming.
The community meeting and collaboration spaces they have been springing up everywhere as people come to Goa to turn their lives around. Café Rasa is “a creative arts and coworking café” by Panjim . In its building overlooking the Mandovi River, which has several meeting rooms, they set up concerts Y Street markets and they organize activities to help newcomers find their place in Goa. The owner, Navneet Prakash , moved from Mumbai and took over this 2,500-square-foot space in early 2020, when he saw the potential these spaces had.
FTR is an example of #goodvibra, the atmosphere in general is very welcoming.
“The best thing about Goa right now is that no longer focused only on tourism ”, explains the extraordinary waiter Arijit Bose . He moved to Goa at the beginning of 2020 and opened the Tesouro bar with his colleagues Donovan Vaz and Pankaj Balachandran . Is south goa cocktail bar it serves beverages with a exquisite presentation to a clientele among which there are people from everywhere. are also made feni tastings, whiskey Y tequila Y cocktail tastings personalized. Signing up for them is an ideal way to listen to the thousands of things that Bose has to say about the world of alcohol. It would be almost unthinkable that a famous bartender like him in a trendy bar could stop and chat for so long anywhere else in India, but everyone has more time in goa.
That same night, he takes us to his new project, for which he has designed his drinking program: The Den It is a place with the look of a clandestine bar, a smoking lounge which is in a little known shopping area from South Goa. Until the moment you walk through the metal-trimmed wooden door, everything looks a bit seedy, but on the other side, the atmosphere changes completely. The cocktail lounge have a sophisticated and elegant look , and the smoking room offers an excellent selection of cigars.
Local bar The Den, Goa.
The big goa tour companies They have gone adapting to changes in the preferences of their clientele, and have begun to offer much more elaborate experiences to lie in the sun or go from casino to casino. At the W Hotel in Goa, which is located in wanderer , you can enjoy an authentic feast of typical Muslim dishes from Goa . The Chef Abdul Samad He knows how to give an unbeatable first impression of this gastronomy: the machli halduni is a strong fish dish, with a Konkani influence and prepared with Aldona chili, native to the region; the yakhani raan pulao has a lamb so tender that the meat falls off the bone and carefully spiced rice; the lamb sukkah adapts the traditional Arabic recipe, with camel meat and spices from the Konkan coast. All the dishes are delicious , and there is enough variety like never getting tired.
The divar island it's well worth it to take the day of excursion . And not only for its beauty, but also for the hospitality . the eccentric Neves Squares , owner of the island hotel Moradia dos Quadros, tells fantastic stories of yesteryear and knows beautiful places to walk and rest, like the walks between rice fields leading to a pond known for its soft, nutrient-rich mud . Swimming in it, floating placidly like hippos and then letting the sun dry the mud, which comes off practically by itself, is an indescribable pleasure. And, to top it off, after a quick wash, leaves skin smooth and rejuvenated.
Feast on typical Muslim dishes at the W of Goa.
The IHCL hotel chain has always bet heavily on Goa and is now innovating to offer increasingly interesting services . When the Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa opened in 1974, it was the first luxury resort on the beach across the state. The group already has more than 20 properties in the area , and one of the most recent (and daring) is the Taj Resort & Convention Center , which offers huge meeting rooms in a hotel designed for businessmen.
At the Taj Fort Aguada, the newly renovated seafood restaurant Moorish offers a fantastic pastry experience . The Chef Rishi Manucha teaches how to prepare lesser-known sweets from the region , and the variety is amazing. The traditional bebinca is just one of the traditional desserts that are part of the food history of goa , but there are also caramel-coated shredded coconut, cashew and lady fingers; the letria, which is essentially a spun egg; the aranha teas, of caramelized coconut strips; and cakes like bolo sans rival. Then you can taste all these creations with fado live background with artists like Nadia Rebelo . It is fortunate that these cultural jewels with initiatives like this.
Letria bowl in Moorish.
But if exploring food history isn't your thing, no problem, there are plenty more experiences in Goa to enjoy. food and drink lovers . In this region have begun to emerge unique and innovative shapes to enjoy the international gastronomy . In the small and collected Bate Papo of go out , the Chef Rohit D'Cruz prepare private dinners in which you can bring your own drink and choose between menus of three, four or five modern european dishes with Goan cuisine influences . They have shrimp skewers with mayonnaise, an amazing chocolate chorizo crostini and roast pork served with mashed cauliflower. everything has a chic and secluded atmosphere , a saligao bubble in which to forget about the rest of the world.
The outdoor sports and adventure company Konkan Explorers organizes, among many other activities, kayaking through the mangroves of the Chapora River. Poonam Daryanani and Pascal Ribo moved to Goa several years ago in search of a more peaceful life and founded this company, which offers sustainable luxury adventures . They recently won a contract with Goa tourism ministry to develop the nautical potential country, and they intend to do it "the right way."
Pascal Ribo, co-founder of Konkan Explorers.
In the Expedition through the Chapora , under the watchful eye of the langurs, mangrove crabs can be seen scampering along the shore. The calm waters of this river flow into the Arabian Sea , and pass through an area in which there are more than 25 different species of mangrove , as Ribo, anthropologist and sailor, explains to us. Vegetation protects the interior from erosion and flooding while maintaining a delicate balance . The fauna also has a impressive wealth : Herons, cuckoos and kingfishers can be seen among the branches of the trees without much difficulty.
After a quick swim in the river , we return to the compact I already , in which we are greeted by soft jazz coming out of the speakers. The crowded beaches are not far away, but that face of Goa seems far away as I gaze at the reflections of light on the water. Is new stage that the region is experiencing, with its new modern bars and its chic tourist experiences could finish that Goan character which makes it so unique. But there is still people like Poonam and Pascal who understand the true meaning of sustainable tourism and that give some hope with their in-depth knowledge of the area and his I already powered by solar energy. Perhaps, like them, you have to move to Goa to really understand it.