Great Goan food @Vasco's Beloved Hotel Anantashram, November 2023

Today we're trying the award-winning Goan thalis at the venerable Hotel Anantashram in Goa’s largest city, Vasco-da-Gama

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Hotel Anantashram
Near GTDC Vasco Residency, Vasco-da-Gama
Google Maps location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pi7yKPXUBDXHc...
Tel: +919822128790

Anantashram is located on a corner of San Joseph Vaz Road, behind Vasco’s Municipal Park in Vaddem. From St Andrews Church Junction, take the second left onto FI Gomes Road. Continue for 400 metres, taking the six left turn to Anantashram. If you're coming from Swatantra Path, take the turn between The HQ hotel and Vasco’s Municipal Garden. Hotel Anantashram is diagonally opposite Goa Tourism’s Vasco Residency

Anantashram’s story began nearly 70 years ago, as Aichi’s Khanaval, or mum’s kitchen, where office-going Vascocars would stream in at lunchtime for their fish curry rice plate. They still arrive in hordes today to this restaurant, which is being managed by the Shetye brothers Shripad and Sanjay since the 1980s.

The decor at Anantashram makes it clear what you should order: Goan-style fish or chicken thalis, and that’s exactly what we’ll have.

Up front on Anantashram’s menu are Delhi-style banta sodas, which need to be popped before drinking it. Viola tried the green apple and mint khus banta soda (Rs 150) and I had a mango kokum banta soda (Rs 100). Together with Maria's fresh lime soda, our drinks made up the colours of the India flag!

While we were still studying the menu, our thalis arrived.

Viola’s chicken thali (Rs 400) had tambdi bhaji, salad, Goan chilli chicken, raita, mangannem, chicken xacuti, roti, rice and a boiled egg

Maria’s veg thali (Rs 220) had dal, batata bhaji, mangannem, (white peas) patal bhaji, sol kari, tambdi bhaji, pickle, curd, roti, papor and a crispy batata fodi!

My Anantashram special fish thali comes in special plates and has teesrio (shellfish), dry prawns kismur (salad), bangdyachi uddamethi (mackerel curry with flavours of udid dal and fenugreek (methi) seeds), crab xacuti, buttermilk, tambdi bhaji, mangannem, salad, a beautiful kingfish fry and rice. There is no need to test Anantashram’s fish curry. As all Goans know, it is very delicious! Today, the thali has a perfect prawn and radish curry and something very rarely seen: bangdyachi uddamethi.

Anantashram’s fish curry rice tastes like your avoi made it

Also, only at Anantashram did I find in one special fish thali (Rs 330) a prawn curry, bangdyachi uddamethi, teesrio suquem, crab xacuti, and fried kingfish, besides home tasting tambdi bhaji and mangannem. It is no wonder that this special fish thali has won accolades for Anantashram for the last nine consecutive years

The mangannem (a Goan kheer made with sago, channa dal, coconut milk and jaggery) is to die for: lovely soft sabudana, and the chana dal with just the right bite, all floating in beautiful sweet coconut milk

Beyond thalis, Anantashram goes the extra mile to bring diners the taste of Goa. Just look at their ice cream menu: serradura butter cookie, vegan guava chilli, fresh mango and kokum ripple. We have not seen anything like this anywhere in Goa and beyond. This is apart from the rest of the dessert menu which features serradura, bebinca and more

Anantashram also offers matka dum biryanis (Rs 1,100-1,600), Goan, North Indian, tandoori and Chinese dishes. Try the prawn moilee (Rs 480) and the mutton xacuti (Rs 320). And of course, crab, kalva, mori, teesrio, tamso, visvon, xinaneo, chonak, muddoshi, you name it, in any style you like

Among all of us on this channel, Viola is the champion eater, loathe to waste even a morsel. Yet even she could not finish her thali. So that should tell you how generous the thali is at Anantashram

It was lovely to see you, dearest Vasco. We’ll be back again very soon

#goa #4k #southgoa #goanfood #fishcurry #fishthali #vasco #vascodagama