North East on the coast: Soul Chef’s flavourful voyage

When Saurav Parashar and Monalisa Baruah left Mumbai in July 2015, they had only one goal in mind: to slow down. Two wild souls from the banks of the Brahmaputra, they came to Goa seeking peace, not a plan. “We were quite fed up with city life and wanted a change of scenery,” Monalisa recalls. “Goa offered just that, a slower pace and a lifestyle that felt similar to what we had back home in the Northeast.”

Little did they know that the search for quiet would lead them to build one of Panaji’s most loved culinary spaces, Soul Chef, Feasts From The North East in Caranzalem.

New beginnings

By October that year, the couple stumbled upon an opportunity to run a small restaurant in Goa. Neither had a background in cooking or hospitality; Monalisa was a graphic designer who had worked in New Zealand and Mumbai, while Saurav was an MBA graduate with a career in marketing and radio. But both shared a deep love for food and the joy of feeding people. “Every time our friends visited, we’d cook a feast. They’d always tell us, ‘You guys should open a restaurant!’” laughs Saurav. “Eventually, we just decided to take the leap.”

And so, Soul Chef was born, not out of business plans or culinary degrees, but out of curiosity, courage, and a longing to bring a slice of their homeland to Goa.

Early days

Their first outlet opened in Candolim in 2015. But being in a tourist-heavy area meant that many diners weren’t familiar with North-eastern flavours. “People didn’t know what to expect,” says Saurav. “We realised we needed a space with a more curious audience.”

Big break

That shift came in 2018, when they were invited to participate in the Serendipity Arts Festival in Panaji. Monalisa conducted a workshop called ‘The Assamese Pickling Affair’, where we showcased different methods of making pickles. The response was overwhelming. “People began asking if we had a restaurant in Panaji,” she says. “That’s when we knew we had found the right home for Soul Chef.”

Finding home

In 2019, they opened their first space in Fontainhas, a tiny kitchen run by just three people, with their infant daughter Gia’s cradle set up in the corner. “She’s literally grown up in the restaurant,” Monalisa smiles. “Our team would cook, serve, clean, and take turns rocking her to sleep. She’s our little restaurant kid.”

Family affair

Today, Gia is seven. Soul Chef has grown too, with a cloud kitchen and Barzinho, their warm, neighbourhood bar in Miramar. But at its heart, it remains a family-run labour of love.

Signature flavours

The menu reflects the couple’s roots, from Masor Tenga, a tangy Assamese fish curry that comforts like home, to Smoked Pork with Dry Bamboo Shoot, whose deep, earthy aroma has its own loyal following. “One of our guests once ordered it online more than 20 times in a month,” Saurav laughs. “Almost every day!”

They’ve also embraced Goa’s flavours along the way, most notably with their iconic Chorizo Momos, a fusion dish that marries smoky Goan sausage with delicate North-eastern dumplings. “Back in 2015, we checked online to see if anyone else had done it, and no one had. So, we call it the world’s first!”

And then there’s their Black Sesame Gelato, nutty, smoky, and just the right amount of savoury, a creation that’s become a sweet signature since 2018.

Authentic ingredients

Sourcing ingredients, once their biggest challenge, has become easier with time. “In the early days, our families would send us bamboo shoots and ghost peppers from Assam or Nagaland by courier,” says Monalisa. “Now, there are vendors in Goa who get them for us. But some things we still prefer to bring back ourselves when we visit home.”

Staying true

At Soul Chef, authenticity isn’t a buzzword; it’s a practice. Monalisa still spends her days at the restaurant, working closely with her small team, explaining each dish to customers unfamiliar with North-eastern flavours. “It’s very important to us that people not only enjoy the food but understand where it comes from,” she says.

Ten years on

Ten years since they first arrived in Goa, Soul Chef stands as a celebration of two cultures, North-eastern warmth meeting Goan susegad. It’s a story of courage, creativity, and community, built by two dreamers and their daughter, who turned a leap of faith into a lasting legacy.

Monalisa reflects, “Ten years have flown by, and I hope we can keep this going for another ten. We’ve learned to never give up, and I believe that’s the key to our success.”

And sometimes, that’s exactly how the best feasts, and the best stories, are made.