An iconic eating joint in the capital city, running since 1945 and catering to the fish-curry-rice loving clientele, Anandashram has come a long way. The Goan peeps in the history of this authentic Goan restaurant
It’s an eatery which has carved a name for itself amongstthe locals and tourists, the young and the old.
For decades Anandashram has been the darling of the officegoers, who have faithfully remained its clientele till today. Now the touristsmake a beeline to the restaurant.
Tucked in a corner on one of the by lanes of the capitalcity the restaurant has seen a change in its look. The menu too has changedwith Chinese and other non-veg items added to it.
But the typical Goan flavor remains the same.
“We have decided to keep Anandashram open even on Sundays tofulfill the demands of the tourists,” said Subhash Haldankar, the eldest of thefour brothers who now run the show.
Subhash along with brothers Vallabh and Jitendra look afterthe day to day affairs of the restaurant that caters to 400 plus customersdaily.
“Out of these 250 plus are regulars,” states Subhash whotook charge of the restaurant since 1973 and revised the menu to serve Chineseand other non-veg Indian delicacies since 2007.
“In the good old days I helped my father Chandrakant anduncle Babu after school hours when I was 15. But it was my grandfather DattaHaldankar who conceptualised this restaurant and converted a part of his hometo Anandashram 67 years ago,” Subhash elaborates.
In those days there were only three restaurants in Panjim –Madhavashram, Anandashram and Timappachi Khanaval. Anandashram was then nearthe old bus-stand, which was opposite the Post Office.
In 1961 around 50-60 people visited Anandashram on a dailybasis. A rice plate would cost 12 paisa in those days. It offered rice, fishcurry, vegetable and fried fish. The business community, office goers andvisitors in the Court, Fajent and PWD would be its customers then.
“In the later years I remember serving a rice plate for Rs1.75 during my childhood,” recalls Subhash who joined the ancestral businessafter he passed out std 12 exam.
It’s been a long journey since then for Anandashram thatgained popularity over the years for its pure Goan taste.
