Celebrations @ House of Lloyds, Goa (Goa Series #2)

The occasion was special and therefore the location had to be too.  So Goa it was and the "House of Lloyds” in Saipem was the perfect choice. 

House of Lloyd

Private Residence -
The House of Lloyds

Nested in the garden of a spacious 100 year-old Portuguese-Goan home, House of Lloyds serves the local Goan fare as well as some scrumptious steaks and starters from its continental kitchen.

The candles on the tables add to the ambiance and bring out the romantic side of the restaurant. The live band in attendance rendering retro music of the 80's elevates the entire experience. Also on display are bikes and scooters from the past like the Vijay Super,Rajdoot bike, Jawa etc. Don't miss the  humorous side of the restaurant, demonstrated by it s unique and interesting posters on the pillars.   

I would worry about the
unsupervised kids here.

 

The Bar

The bar is housed at the far end of the restaurant and is very well stocked with the mixologists very enthusiastic to demonstrate their skills and impress customers at the counter. Apart from the straight drinks, we decided to take on their offer of trying out three different types of Margaritas.

Lemon Margarita

A good margarita is undoubtedly the king of tequila cocktails. While there is no clear clarity on the origin of this cocktail, it is widely believed that the cocktail started as a version of the Brandy Daisy in the 1800's. In this version the tequila is replaced with brandy. Interestingly, margarita is the Spanish translation for Daisy. 

                                                                                       

Tamarind Margarita

Jalapeno Margarita

We started with the traditional lemon Margarita. The cocktail was refreshing, as always with the lemon giving it a flavourful twist. This was followed by the tamarind margarita. The drink was interesting but a little too tangy for my liking. The Jalapeno margarita was my choice of the three. I enjoyed the spice on the palate immediately after taking a sip.

Would definitely recommend you give this version a try. 

Bacon wrapped prawn

The refreshing  cocktails were accompanied by appetizers. I really enjoyed the prawns wrapped in bacon. The bacon was cooked just right that it did not overpower the flavour of the prawns.

The chicken peri peri was served on a stick along with onions and capsicum enhancing the flavor of the chicken. The prawn recheado was also a local speciality relished by us.

The cheese quesadillas were served with a salsa which was enjoyed by both the vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

Chicken Peri Peri

Prawn recheado

Fried Fish with Tarter sauce

Cheese Quesadillas

The main course had a nice compact buffet laid out and I would like to call out the pork vindaloo, a traditional Goan pork dish which is flavoured with chillies, garlic and vinegar. It is both spicy and tangy best eaten with Gaon pao.

 

Fiery Pork Vindaloo 

Serradura

Interestingly, for the first time I ate a dessert that was not too sweet not too heavy and I went back for a second helping and a third. It is the Serradura, a Portuguese sawdust pudding. Serradura translated in English means sawdust and the powdered biscuits give the sawdust texture to the no-cook dessert. 

This dessert is from Portugal however it became famous in Macau and is now a very common dessert there. The Portugal influence in Goa probably brought this dessert to Goa.

The crushed Marie biscuits used in the dessert provide a change in the texture and cut the sweetness of the creamy layer made with thick cream, condensed milk and vanilla extract. This is a must try on your next visit to Goa.

We had a fantastic evening with great friends, food, drinks and ambiance. What more can one ask for? Special thanks to dosts and hosts Gunit & Sam, celebrating Sam's 50th.

दोस्त & Hosts 

With Lloyd

Speaking with Lyod, he will tell you with pride on how popular their place has been over the last decade that they have been in operations and the special meats they import from places like New Zealand for their steaks. So the next time, it's going to be steaks for me here. 

The reason for their success is probably because the family is involved in the kitchen. The local Goanese food was cooked by Lloyds mother and the very special dessert by his wife. 

I must also compliment them for their physical presence during the evening.  This makes the whole experience special. 

#diningtales

#unclesamskitchen