Chicken Xacuti

If you couldn’t make it to Goa for Christmas, head for Cafe The (at ICCR), which is hosting a Goan food festival till January 3.

Begin your epicurean indulgence with a chunky bite of Shrimp Cake (deep-fried patties of potatoes and chopped shrimp coated in semolina). “In Goa almost anything fried comes coated with rawa or semolina, like deep-fried surmai (kingfish) coated with semolina,” says head chef Avik Mitra who trained in hotel management in the land of surf and sand for three years. Chicken Cafreal is the other starter and it comes loaded with coriander and chillies.

Chicken Cafreal

For the main course, dig into the usual Goan fare of Chicken Xacuti with its thick coconut rich gravy and Mutton Vindaloo in spicy hot curry. No Goan food experience is complete without seafood and so the popular Fish or Prawn Curry.

For desserts there are the touristy speciality Bebinca (sticky layered pudding made with coconut milk, egg yolk, sugar and flour) and Custard over Plum Cake.

A meal for two costs around Rs 1,000 (plus taxes).