You probably
have not heard of the Himalaya Restaurant next to Taj Village in Sinquerim,
well I am about to sing their praises for this family run restaurant.
Over
the many years of eating in Goa, I have never heard MR R say, “well, I can honestly
say I have never eaten a meal out in Goa that have the flavours, quality and quantity
as good as yours.”
I
totally agree with him. I can say hand on heart these people really care about food;
they are not a family out to make a quick buck, each mouthful of food I took I
could feel that there was love and pride
taken in preparing every dish.
These
people know about good restaurant skills.
The menu is not massive, offering pages and pages of dishes, that to me
as an ex restaurant manager is practically impossible to give quality let alone
constancy. There was no smoke screen to
make dishes sounds appetising, they really were what they said, and much more.
The staff
in their smart uniforms were polite, well spoken and professional, but most of
all friendly. They were able to articulate well every question we asked about
the menu.
With an
inside no-smoking area, and outside garden area the ambience of the place was
serene, no busy traffic, just soft background music and the gentle murmur of
customers enjoying a great night out.
Our
Food
Great
MO MO’s 130 Rupees
We
opted for the veg Mo Mo’s. Flavoured
with fresh herbs and spices
with cheese served with clear soup.
Little
dumplings of flour and water that tasted like little parcels of delight, that
should be renamed Mo Mo Moreish. Drop
one into the clear soup that was so full
of flavour, it remained MR R and I of
our childhood drinking big mugs of Bovril on cold winter days, you have
to keep going back for more.
Phing
Sha Rice 150 Rupees
Steamed
rice served with savoury mixed veg made of glass noodle potato, cauliflower,
spinach and black mushrooms.
The combination
of vegetables and spices mixed with the plain rice sent my mouth on a roller
coaster of flavours.
Che-tse
130 Rupees
Flat
homemade pasta with tomato tofu mushroom green pea sauce.
Normally
I steel clear of pasta dishes when not in a proper Italian restaurant. Why? Because it is cheap to buy, you get a plate
full of pasta and have to search for the sauce, and always overcharged.
However,
I set my principles aside when I saw it was homemade, and OMG did I make the
right choice. It was buttery, light and fluffy once again, the flavours exploded
in my mouth, it was almost, no… it was sexy.
Verdict
The combination of flavours, the quality along
with ambiance, I have to say this has to be the best restaurant I have been in
this year.
No
question if I will be back, MR R and I are already planning our next visit.
In
addition, to top off my evening I had a perfect Irish coffee.
I give
this wonderful little restaurant 5/5 Red Chillies.
