This is a road whose charms are somewhat fading. It plays second fiddle to the swank Chogam connector that takes hordes, arriving
for the pleasure of North Goan weekend, from the airport via Panjim through this road to deposit the multitudes in the vortex of the mess Baga, Calangute, Candolim have become. The old road which moves
around the bend of the Mandovi and travels through
Betim, Verem and then through to Nerul or further up
through Saipem, with another bend going to Reis Magos,
gets far less attention. But if you chose to make this road
your journey and your destination, there are some little
gems of eating places, which pass you by. It’s time to
make those pit stops.
First up the newish and popular Terry’s which for ferry
crossers from Panjim is right where the ferry drops you
off on the Betim side. Last week, the “family” hopped on
to a ferry, with the rain coming in and crossed the river
to land on the shores of Terry’s. Of course all previous
trips have been via the normal road route, crossing the
Mandovi bridge, the ferry ride to Terry’s was a change.
Thankfully the back entrance to the restaurant, meant for
the supplies to move in to the kitchen was opened. Yes
there is the muck of the Mnadovi washed ashore on the
banks of Terry’s and the waters of the river are a mirror
to the filth, but still an evening snack on the verandah of
Terry’s, watching the sun go down on the confluence of
the river and the sea, has its magic.
Right opposite Terry’s though is the Curry House, which
we almost always miss. It’s right at the corner near the
bus stand. While it does its normal Goan curries, the
standout here is the biriyani. Unlike other places they do
a slightly “wet” version where the curry/masala flavour
soaks into the rice and dominates the flavour. This actually
works because the truly authentic biriyanis from
awadh, use saffron as their piece de resistance. However,
with genuine saffron expensive, the curry route to enhance
biriyanis works very well with yours truly. Let’s
look at this as a new entrant to the top of the line biriyani
flavours lining up against the dum biriyani of Andhra or
the potato filled ones with a dash of mutton and chicken
curry from good old Calcutta, where the traditional mughlai
style meets the tasteful Bengali style.
Moving on down the river towards Verem is Jabberwocky’s
which is a serene resto bar on the waterfront.
Jabberwocky’s, to the uninitiated, is a nonsense poem
in Lewis Carol’s “Through the Looking glass”. So when
Chandan Jog and Hrishikesh Adwalpalkar, set making
this restaurant with big glass windows all around, what
did they think of? “Through the looking glass”. And anyone
who’s read “Through the looking glass” will know
Jabberwocky’s. And that’s what it is. A beautiful setting
with the expanse of the Mandovi, great cocktails, and
tandoori, Goan and international food.
The beauty of this Betim Nerul road however, are the
countless taverns some of which serve the staple curry
rice. But for old time’s sake, for its consistency, and for
the fact that 2015 is as good or even better than 2000,
Amigos under the Nerul bridge is a must pit stop. Sabita
is still the same, giving crabs a taste with her masala, that
makes her husband’s fishing trips for the crabs totally
worth it. Hubby Joe catches crabs and Sabita cooks. She
also does her fish fries, curries and goes the whole hog if
your order the ‘Full Goan’ (inspired by the Full English
breakfast, but beats it for its expanse, taste and variety).
The next and the final pick for this week is Babazin’s
Shack on the foothills of the Reis Margos Fort. With the
Fort as the backdrop and the Church around you and the
best part of the River Mandovi, away from the casinos
and heading to the sea, in front, Babazin’s Shack tops for
location food and the quiet. This is a getaway of getaways.
So do take this road, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t
make it to Calangute and Baga, where the lingo is anything
but Goan, the music is ‘Bollywood’ and the locals
are described as “Goanese” by tourists.
