Food for the fierce!

Delectables definitely for the strong hearted, LioLoco brings to you the finest burgers, fries, other food items and drinks. The cafe is located near Dr. Mopkar’s Clinic (St. Xavier’s College), Mapusa and with its newest branch recently opened in Siolim, opposite Dominos, LioLoco has definitely set its mark. The whole vibe of the cafe is quite casual, vibrant and good for hang out purposes.

With great taste comes great music, and they have their speakers blasted with the latest music that will keep you grooving while you dig into the food. It’s air-conditioned hence you need not worry about humidity and rains once you’re in.

The most eye-catchy artwork is the roaring Lion painted in beautiful vibrant and bold colours which sets the mood. With such a friendly atmosphere, the serving staff too has to be friendly right? Well they definitely are! Their menu is up on a black board which can be read out from wherever you sit in the cafe. The prices are quite pocket friendly and the quantity they give is worth every bite.

Chilli cheese French fries

What can I say about the Chilli Cheese Fries!!! They are freaking awesome and one of the best sellers of the place. A mixture of cheesy sauce, chilli flakes to add a spicy touch, some cilantro and sprinkled cheese for garnishing, makes the dish complete and absolutely divine! A must try!

Black Currant Soda

Black Currant Soda- This a refreshing drink after having a really long tiring day, it’s one sip can make you feel relaxed and refreshed.

BBQ Chicken Burger with Fries

Burgers! Their burgers are huge and very stomach filling, that’s not all, you get options so you can choose the best one for yourself. My favourite is the BBQ chicken burger, sided by a good amount fries. You got to make a choice and inform the person prior if you wish to have tomato slices or not. The BBQ burger can get a little messy as the bread they use is very soft and hence the sauce and cheese gets soaked up, but it tastes absolutely delicious.

BBQ Chicken Burger

Brownie with Ice cream and a Virgin Mojito

Virgin Mojito is another drink that we tried and it was absolutely thirst quenching and quite refreshing.

Chocolate Brownie with ice cream is quite good as well. The brownie is a bit too dry though but that’s covered up by the huge amount of ice cream placed on its head. I love the placement and the way it is decorated in an angled plate which just makes it look even more tempting.

A BIG BIG issue at LioLoco is that there’s no wash basin hence you just got to eat without making any mess (which is impossible). So that’s it guys for now! Hope you guys loved my review and will check the place out if it checks out for you.

Ratings: 4.5/5

With Coronavirus and Quarantine, none of us are able to move out hence you guys must be thinking why I posted this to tempt y’ll, right? Well, there’s always a tomorrow to try out these places and we got to stay positive and act right today for a safer tomorrow. Be safe guys!

Savouring Pompa’s Poffertjes🥞

Out of all the places I’ve been to, this one was my favourite. And I don’t mean just because of the yummy tummy filling dessert but because of the amazing service and friendliness filled human Francis Pompadour, lovingly called ‘Pompa’. Yes! He is the 25-year-old human who had big dreams of bringing the Dutch mini pancakes to Candolim, Goa.

Posing in-front of Pompa’s mini cart

Now, how the cart got that weird funny name is not a real mystery. The word ‘Poffertjes’ which can be quite a tongue twister, basically means Dutch mini pancakes. And yeah, we already know who our Pompa is, the man himself. Hence, the mini cart that is very close to the Candolim beach, is called Pompa’s Poffertjes.

My team and I struggled to find the pancake cart near Minx as we looked left and right as the cars honked continuously from all sides. If you have been to Candolim, you know how chaotic it is! Suddenly my friend, Rifa, spotted a young guy coming out of his car parked in front of us and she goes like, “Isn’t this THE GUY?”. He was caught off guard as he looked at us, shocked and almost afraid of being attacked. “Are you’ll here for the pancakes?”, he asks in a soft tone. We nod, guessing he wasn’t quite ready for us. Well, Candolim is a place full of life with many places to visit and click pictures of, so we did, giving Pompa enough time to set up.

By 3 o’clock, Pompa was ready to make his hands work. While we were busy deciding our order, he points out that “Go Dutch” which is a mixture of Sugar and Butter, is a special one there. What we ordered was quite different though, here’s a sneak peek of how Pompa entertained us.

Pompa working his magic

Pompa is not much of a talker when he works as he concentrates on the perfection of each Dutch mini pancake. He squeezed the bottle of the pancake batter as it comfortably sat taking its shape into the heated moulding pan.

Blob blob goes the pancake batter

Non-stop Pompa squeezed the batter out as we looked, as continued maintaining his focus while we breathed down his neck. Our hungry stomach growled at the wafting aroma of the fresh, warm, rising poffertjes.

Pompa flipped them all!

As we observed the method Pompa used, he took a clean, long, not too thin or not too thick, stick and flipped the pancakes one by one. Our eyes caught the mesmerising effect of the fluffy pancakes dancing upside down. The warm essence of Vanilla filled the air around the cart as passers-by stopped to see what it was.

Pompa’s final touches

And finally, the pancakes were out and on our plates, while Pompa readied them to perfection. The main ingredient being, the powdered sugar which he perfectly sprinkled all over each poffertjes. Finally, we could differentiate our plates from one and other as Pompa added the fruits, butter, chocolate chips and sauces.

Chocolate Overload!

Chocolate Overload melted into my mouth as I took a whole pancake and stuffed it in. The chocolate sauce merged with the chocolate sprinkles as the pancakes soft fluffy sponge blended it all together onto the taste buds.

Peanut Butter Love!

Peanut Butter Love is especially meant for all those who have a sweet tooth but sometimes don’t prefer it to be too sweet. Yes, Pompa’s got you covered. With the love of Peanut butter, bananas and chocolate chips, the poffertjes are a divine intervention hitting directly your heart.

Nutella Madness!

Nutella Madness is personally my favourite one. I mean, it’s chocolates and strawberries 🍓 right? And what’s even better is the soft, fun-filled fluffiness of the silly pancakes! You can literally feel your taste buds being tested with every bite of the Nutella madness. The bitter-sweet flavour of the strawberries blend not just with the neutral warm pancakes but the hazelnut topping of the Nutella. It speaks craziness with each bite!

Blueberry Rush!

Blueberry Rush as the name itself says, sends a rush down your spine as you savour it in. This is a packet of sweetness! It comprises of chocolate chips, chopped blueberries all the way from Netherlands to the Panjim market (where Pompa secretly buys it all) and the divine caramel sauce. I would blame the blueberries for taking away the show when honestly caramel sauce is the idea reason why the poffertjes flaunt.

Pompa prepared us our goodies

You can’t ever be done with pancakes right? So why not take a visit back to Pompa’s Poffertjes! ‘Cuz I know that I’ll be visiting it soon enough to try out the different options of the Dutch minis.

What are you waiting for? Head over to Candolim to meet Pompa and savour the good stuff he has to offer from the Dutch.

P.S. You get Pompa’s friendship for FREE!!

Ratings: 4.5/5

Location: Near Dr. Dukle’s Hospital, Opposite Zense Resort, hiding behind a huge banyan tree!

The Goddess of Fontainhas

Mocktails

Amongst the vibrant and Portuguese influenced structures, she stands tall hidden in the narrow lanes of the Fontainhas. At first I found it very difficult to locate Viva Panjim but when I finally did, it was a tremendous amount of bliss. I entered into the slender lane as I saw the big red Portuguese home with people lined up to have a seat. ‘Thursday closed’ read the banner at the entrance. “I’m hungry”, my friend said to me as the waiter came up to us immediately asking us to follow him to the table.

PC: Lester Barnes

PC: Rahul Basu

As I looked around, I noticed that they had an outdoor setting which was like a balcony. When we entered, it was a non-AC room which looked like the hall of a home and I and my friend immediately felt comfortable. The waiter then lead us into another room after opening the shut door and the AC immediately hit the coolness on us. “Where is he taking us?”, I muttered to my friend as I continued following the waiter, climbing steps. He showed us the table on the first floor and gave us a menu card each.

PC: Viva Panjim

It wasn’t my first time at Viva Panjim yet the Portuguese heritage house didn’t fail to impress me. The structure of the rooms, the interior decor and the vintage feel of a Portuguese house can be felt at the family restaurant and bar. It does feel a little congested inside as tables and chairs are closely set up. In the interiors of the ground floor, I would say the lighting is a little bad as it gives the room a dull look when it’s not, with the new beautiful paintings. In the pictures, it does look like the place is well lit but during the day it isn’t.

PC: Viva Panjim

So here’s what we tried,

Paneer 65

I love Paneer, I mean who doesn’t? Right? Paneer 65 at Viva Panjim is delicious. It has huge cubes of paneer which is coated in a semi- spicy garlicky gravy with contents of capsicum and onion found. The chilli flavour isn’t too much hence it is a very good dish. As I took a bite of the paneer, the flavours all hit me directly and I just enjoyed it with my eyes closed.

Fish Lollipops (Viva Special Boneless)

Moving on, we’ve all heard of Chicken Lollipops so much that we try to compare the Chinese food item from one place to another. Viva Panjim gamed up their uniqueness with their new and special fish lollipops. My first impression when I saw the starter wasn’t that impressive as the sauce was entirely drowned in oil. The outer coating was perfectly crispy as I took a bite and it crunches into my mouth. The tender fish melted in the crunchiness of the outer layer. My friend loved it extremely but I found it okay, nothing too special but definitely something different.

Squids Recheado Masala Fry

Every Goan needs some seafood in their daily life, so here’s what we tried to please our Goan taste buds. Squids Recheado Masala Fry is one of my favourite Goan food item at the heritage house. The masala is spicy yet the most popular and very very appetising. The quantity of this particular product is quite good and is enough for 2-3 people. The squids are cooked well and have a very spicy and flavourful touch. Believe me, at the end of it, I was gobbling down some cold water to get rid of the spicy taste.

Prawns Biryani

For our main course, we ordered my favourite prawns biryani. I’ve never had prawns biryani anywhere else since I fell in love with this one, the moment I took a spoonful of it in my mouth. The onions in the biryani aren’t caramelised but instead are made crispy by deep frying in oil. The rice was perfectly cooked with a pop of yellow and orange colours which gives a visual appeal to the food item. As the waiter got the steel bowl towards us, we could get the divine smell from a distance. The gravy along with the tiger prawns are at the bottom of the bowl and layered with a huge amount of rice. Once you mix the gravy with the rice, I must say, every spoonful of it which I took in my mouth was heaven.

Well, Viva Panjim is a home to someone and the owner has shared it with customers like you and me. It’s a must go-to restaurant to get the feel of a Portuguese Influenced Goan home with extremely delicious food and cuisines that will meet your needs while being pocket friendly.

Ratings: 4.5/5

Location: Fountainhas, Panjim- Goa

The Dungeon Magic

Every student of St. Xavier’s College Mapusa, Goa will surely be fond of the food served in my the Dungeon Canteen. Well for the freshers it might take time to actually find out where the place is, once you do I’m pretty sure you’re gonna love it. In the shadows of the Xavier’s campus lies a place of delicious food and a great chill out spot in case you’re bunking or so. My suggestion, be careful cuz’ the teachers too cannot get enough of this place.

Known for the cheap prices and quality food, the dungeon canteen offers variety of food items like the different types of bhaji and pao, batatawada, fish cutler bread, beef bread, salami bread, egg chops and so on. I personally am a sucker for their chai which they serve in small cute glasses while their seating arrangements are wooden tables and stools which gives the entire place a dabba vibe. Their Salami bread is to die for while the bhaji is the one thing you can depend upon if you’re gonna skip lunch. A good breakfast/ brunch place for you at Xavier’s? Dungeon canteen it is, just make sure you’re able to find it though.