Enjoy home-style Goan food at this Juhu eatery

Goa Bhavan CanteenFood GoodServiceQuickAmbianceWarmWalking into Goa Bhavan Canteen is like walking into a friendrsquos apartment albeit one who isnrsquot anywhere close to being a neatnessfreak and one who often breaks the rules of decorum As we stepped into the canteen despite turning up 15 minutes before opening time 745 pm instead of the opening hour of 8 pm we were welcomed with a warm smile and ushered into the crammed spaceAn assortment of fish and prawns ready to be prepared in the Goa Bhavan CanteenMiraculously 22 seats mdash many of which are welded together mdash fit into this room The best table in the house room actually was already taken by what appeared to be regular customers Beaten to the chase we had to settle for the nextbest seats that were blocking other tables and were surrounded by sealed packs of bottled water inches from the receptioncashier this also meant having to crane onersquos neck to watch TVThe Fish Thali is the star on the frugal menu and is pocketfriendly too PicsPradeep DhivarHomely and howHaving turned up before opening time we waited patiently as our uninhibited hosts the staff began to waltz in They placed their backpacks behind the reception pulled out clothes from said backpacks thankfully disappeared into a private corner and reappeared to place clothes behind the defunct reception Next a senior staff member walked out of the kitchen agarbatti in hand and prayed before a shrine that housed Christian and Hindu deities When he was done it was 8 pm and time to takeour orderWe asked him for a menu card and were told there was none But at the speed of light the menu rolled off his tongue Having only caught a key word lsquoThalirsquo we requested him to repeat the menu slowly Itrsquos then that we learned that the canteen serves Fish Thali Prawns Thali Chicken Thali Vegetable Thali and a variety of fried fishEat like a GoanWe asked for our starter Surmai Fry to be brought together with our mains a Chicken Thali and a Prawns Thali The Surmai dish consisted of two pieces glazed with semolina It was crispy mildly spiced yet flavourful Each thali was plentiful and came with rice and chapatti or you can choose one or the other chickenprawns curry a humble portion of vegetables two pieces of small fried fish a bowl yes bowl not glass of Sol Kadi salad and pickleThe chicken pieces were tender and cooked in tangy spicy coconut gravy the prawns too were succulent and cooked in coconut gravy While both dishes had a coconut base the curries remained distinctly different While the meat and fish are limited the curry is unlimitedThe pieces of fried fish in the thali too had the same texture as the Surmai Fry due to the semolina The salad added a touch of the raw while the Sol Kadi was the perfect way to wipe off this hearty homecooked mealBudget happyWe took away the Paplet Pomfret Fry mdash which even a day later despite the semolina coating hadnrsquot gone soggy At the end of the meal with no menu we had no idea about the prices We soon found out that the Chicken Thali and Prawns Thali are more than reasonable at Rs 170 and Rs 160 respectively But we find the Surmai Fry a tad steep at Rs 260 and the same goes for the Paplet Pomfret Fry at Rs 350 All in all a great valueformoney find that deserves a visit for its authentic Goan food especially if yoursquore willing to overlook the ambiance or the lack of it rather