When I visit a place, I usually make a beeline for the local cuisine as far as possible because each region has its own traditional specialties that I would love to indulge in.
However, India being this vast melting pot of cooking styles, almost every location tends to cross lines and serve multiple cuisines. Goa too falls in this category and despite having a strong and typical food presence of its own, it also offers a diverse possibilities to the tourist and also of course to its residents.
So this time since my visit was in connection with the GITM 2019, Goa International Travel Mart, I was bound by the schedule of the media group and hence landed at The Awadh House, which as the name non ambiguously suggests, is a restaurant that serves Awadhi food from the city of Lucknow, the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh in North India.
And while a true blue Goan restaurant would have been my first choice, I must say that this place did serve excellent food and did manage to mollify my palate, despite hungering for the local đ
Awadhi cuisine can be lightly defined as the cuisine of the Nawabs of yore and characterized by rich ingredients like dry fruits and saffron. Lamb is mainly used, as compared to other meats.
About the Awadh House –
Opened just over a month ago in Aug 2019, this place is the brainchild of Gaurabh N Quenim the Director of GNQ Hospitality, who is a Goan who felt that Goa had no restaurant of the likes of this one and hence decided to open The Awadh House.
A good lot of research, an importing of ‘authentic’ Lucknowi chefs and ingredients and this place has now become a popular go to eatery for locals and also tourists who are looking for such food.
In keeping with the Goan aura, they have also adapted the cuisine to serve seafood cooked in Awadhi style.
The recipes are precious and have wended their way down the ages from the kitchens of Nawabs. Some of the dishes are slow cooked for up to 24 hours over coals, like the Dal Awadh. The kababs are succulent and the gravies are rich.
A bungalow that is over a 100 years old and said to be built in Art Deco style, houses the restaurant. The refurbishing however, has retained the original elements as in the flooring, lighting etc. Its 3 storeys can accommodate around 100 diners and its 9 erstwhile bedrooms can be converted into Private Dining Rooms (PDRs) at any point of time.
The walls are lined with pieces of art that are in keeping with the theme and likewise with the elements of decor and the sparkling, ornate chandeliers.
The serving ware too, has the Nawabi touch that shows in the glittering brass platters, cutlery and goblets. Regal red napkins and turquoise blue plates complete the scene.
Our meal –
Our group was a mix of Indian and International media and we were served an appropriately curated selection consisting of some of their signature items.
AÂ Tomato dhaniya shorba – a light soup, paved the way for the rest of the meal.Â
Starters were a mix of kababs that this cuisine is well known for.
An Angara paneer tikka and Dahi ka kabab were the vegetarian options. And the non vegetarians feasted on Galouti kabab – minced lamb patties that literally dissolve in the mouth , Tangri kulfi – banana leaf wrapped chicken drumsticks coated in a sauce of spiced yogurt, Murgh angara kabab – boneless chicken on skewers, served on smoking coal and Awadhi barrah chops – melt in the mouth lamb chops.Â
Every single one of them was excellent.
The Main Course comprised of the famous Dal Awadh – mixed lentils slow cooked for 24 hours over a coal fire, Murgh musallam – chicken in tomato and minced chicken based gravy, Gosht rogan josh – Lamb in gravy, cooked to fall off the bone consistency.
The vegetarian fare had Sabz Diwani Handi – a mixed vegetable curry.
Gosht Matka Biryani – Lucknowi style lamb biryani and Raitha – seasoned yoghurt and an assorted basket of Indian breads like paratha, naan and lachha paratha made up the rest of the dishes.
Pickles and papads are usually present on the table.
And yes this is Goa, so there is a bar in the house … And glasses of white wine were the consorts to our laden plates and together they pleased us well đ
Desserts are usually rich (like the rest of the cuisine of course :-D) and we had the Shahi Tukda – toasted bread with a thickened and sweetened milk topping. We also had Gulab Jamuns.
The food was excellent though I would have personally preferred a drier version of the biryani, which seemed a bit squishy for my liking.
And apparently they use an authentic version of the Shahi tukda recipe where the bread is fried and then soaked in milk to achieve a silky soft texture before smothering it in rabri, as compared to the modern version where the bread is crisp. I however, would have preferred the crisper one.
My feedback was given and received well too.
A quick recap through my Instagram, so that the memories linger đ
This place is definitely a must visit for those who crave for Awadhi food in Goa (and despite how that sounds, it was not meant as sarcasm :-D).
Contact –
Address –
House No 9/98 Boca de Vaca, Near Talaulikar Hospital
403001 Panjim, Goa, India
Phone –Â 080074 13128
The Facebook page of The Awadh House
Disclosure â
On this trip I was hosted by Goa Tourism as a media invitee and this lunch was hosted by The Awadh House. I thank them for the hospitality. My narration is based on the inputs I received from various sources as well as my personal experiences.
For more pictures see My Facebook â The Awadh House, Panjim, Goa (coming soon). Also catch me on My Twitter and My Instagram
Oct 24th, 2019
