Films, Graphics, entertainment, engineering. The list ofbusinesses run by the Shetye brothers goes on. Each run by a sharp minds. Butthere’s one business where they, and the whole of Vasco, come home to, theirrestaurant, Anantashram.
The Dum Biryani is to die for. And yes, their various dishesinvolving fish are to put it mildly, quite superb. For people from all over Goahave congregated at Anantashram to enjoy some of the best cooking in the state.For vegetarians it could mean Shahi Sona, Kaju Curry or any of the 50 otherdishes on the menu. For non-vegetarians however it is just heaven. They canchoose from hundred plus mouth-watering delicacies to tickle their taste buds.
“Ek Chicken Dum Biryani and chilled beer” yells someone froma corner table and then chills out for the next 45 minutes. Those who areregulars here know that once ordered this hot and spicy Chicken Dum Biryanitakes a minimum of 45 minutes to be cooked and served. Started by Anant andVishnu Shetye in 1961, they started off by serving fish fry at fifty paisa.Their hard work and honesty paid back rich dividends. And by the time the nextgeneration took the reins in 1982, Anantashram had expanded to being a reputedrestaurant in Vasco.
“Our Chicken Dum Biryani is so famous that tourists fromDelhi, Mumbai and Bangalore visit us to taste this dish. Though we are knownfor authentic Goan delicacies and serve 25 types of fish fries, with 10 typesof rice and rotis, the menu on our platter varies from chicken, fish and muttondishes apart from kebabs, tandoori, soups, balchao, vindaloo and sizzlers,”says Shripad Shetye. Brothers Shripad and Sanjay Shetye look after the affairsof Anantashram together along with other business ventures.
Remembering the initial days, Shripad says “We helped hereafter school hours. With no helpers around we did almost all the tasks, frompurchasing, cooking and then serving. We began operating the businessjointly after our father Vishnu and uncle Anant passed away in the 1980s. Withgrowing competition in the market we gradually added Indian, Chinese, Mughalaiand Continental dishes to our traditional Goan fish-curry rice.”
Celebrities, tourists or the common man off the streets canexpect to be treated with respect when they enter Anantashram. “We do notcompromise on the quality of our food and have regulars who visit us everydayfor over 30-40 years ” boasts Sanjay, the younger brother. It is withouta doubt a constant on the horizon of Vasco.
