In the last
half a decade, Moira, thanks to its quaint and quiet character, has caught the fancy of the rich and famous
from across the world, who have chosen this place to make Goa their permanent
abode. As a result, Moira has emerged as an upmarket region that is tucked
away, insulated from all the noise and chaos, yet accessible from the northern
beach belt, where most of the mainstream action unfolds. On the culinary front,
a new restaurant in the area, very interestingly named ‘7 Short 1 Long’, has
been drawing people from far and near.
For those unfamiliar with the marine life, ‘7 Short 1 Long’
refers to the general alarm on the ship that comprises seven short blasts
followed by one long blast of the ships horn/whistle. Belinda Braganza, the
owner of this restaurant, chose this rather fitting name after she decided to
drop anchor and abandon the ship life after spending 10 years working on cruise
liners travelling the world. After returning to Goa last year, Belinda, with
her cousins and mother, converted a portion of her ancestral home into this
nautical-themed restaurant.
From the moment you
step into the restaurant, the scaled down models of the cruise liners that
Belinda has worked on, which now sit prominently in the bar shelf, to the
various nautical themed décor elements, make the story clear. Right from the
stirrers to the coasters, everything has a hint of the marine life that has
consumed most of Belinda’s years.
7 Short 1 Long does a
few things differently. For starters, the restaurant is open only in the
evening, between 7 pm and 11 pm. Then, the usage of straws is discouraged. In
fact, you won’t be served one unless you absolutely need it and ask for it.
The menu is limited
and mostly features Goan delicacies that Belinda says she grew up eating.
Belinda’s mother, Clara involves herself in the curation of the menu that
changes every week and more often than not features her recipes of home-style
Goan preparations. However, a few dishes refuse to disappear from the menu owing
to the demand from the repeat customers that insist on having their favourites
such as the Tongue Chilli, Chicken Liver Chilli Fry and the Beef Meatball
Curry. The restaurant also enjoys patronage from people inhabiting the several
homestays that Moira is home to, who love trying ‘something different’ at this
restaurant.
We tried the
Blackened Shrimp Skewers which was something new. The Cajun Fried Squid with
garlic aoli was next and the seafood affair continued with Teesreo Sukhe making
its way to our table. The sweet tooth was pampered too. We were tempted to try
either the Coconut Caramel Custard or the Salted Caramel Brownie (there was
space left only for one). We opted for the former and absolutely loved it.
Occasionally,
7 Short 1 Long hosts food festivals celebrating cuisine from across the world.
This is made possible largely by the people that Belinda has befriended from
the world over, who may or may not be professional chefs but are more than glad
to flaunt their culinary skills by cooking authentic food from their respective
regions. In the recent past, the restaurant hosted an Italian food festival and
a Chinese food festival and many more are yet to come, with her friends queuing
up for a chance to come to Goa to meet their beloved friend and live the Goan
life for a few weeks until the marine life beckons.