Have time constraints prevented you from cooking up a proper Goan meal at home? Been ordering in a little too often? Chances are if you do order in regularly you could get a little fed up of the offerings and yearn for an actual home cooked meal. Well, no worries. Picante, the new takeaway joint in the city has you covered.
Located in Campal along the busy D B Bandolkar Road, Picante, the cute little place which will open shortly is spearheaded by Chef Sunita Rodrigues, who along with her husband, has been in the hotel and entertainment industry for over a decade. “What we have noticed is that while the pride about Goa is certainly rising, the food however is fading away. There are a lot of places which do serve Goan food but very few which serve the food correctly,” says Rodrigues, who was buoyed by her passion for Goan cuisine and decided to change things. “A lot of youth today are more into eating pastas and pizzas. I have also noticed that the most common items that people visiting Goa order are cafreal, vindaloo or xacuti. They don’t usually experiment beyond that. This could be because we use a lot coconut and vinegar in our food and this does not appeal to everyone. Hence, the aim is to cater to all generations so that they can get a taste of Goan food with a global feel,” she explains.
And there’s plenty on the menu that is certainly unique. “We have a range of sandwiches where we have used poies as the bread option. Also, instead of having the sandwiches dry we have also provided a side gravy option. Other items include the kokum mayonnaise and an onion sauce which, while normally is made with balsamic vinegar, we have made using only local ingredients. There is also a mint and coriander sauce that you can try out along with the cutlet pao,” states Rodrigues. The kitchen also has a special chicken section with options like roast chicken, cafreal and peri peri. The roast chicken comes with a variety of flavours too.
And while with eating joints springing up by the dozen on a regular basis all around the state, Rodrigues states that she doesn’t mind the competitions as it certainly keeps one of their toes. “There are a lot of good restaurants around but I think the takeaway space has not been fully explored in Goa as yet,” she says. “Life is fast today and people don’t have the time to sit and make food but they still want to taste homemade food. Also, being based in Panaji helps, as people here tend to order in food a lot more.”
While the restaurant had a soft opening around Christmas, it will be formally launched along with a tavern attached to it shortly. “We don’t just give people food, but the whole experience so that they won’t think twice about ordering takeout even twice a week,” says Sunita Rodrigues.
