“My dad owned a business in Goa and I spent every school holiday there. I remember dad allowing me to taste Feni- a local cashew liquor and my mom going nuts at him! I loved swimming on the then-quiet beaches and looking for starfish. Dona Paula was a special place where you could take in the views and ponder the tragedy of Dona Paula de Menezes, the daughter of a former viceroy who according to folklore leapt to her death from the cliffs after being denied permission to marry a local fisherman.

“Later on, my school graduation trip was to Goa with a cousin; we rented a bike and explored the place on our own terms, stopping at beach shacks for a bite and a cold drink, lying on beach loungers and then jumping into the warm water. I loved the taste of independence and fun.”

Chandni has most recently visited Goa as host of a Good Food Journeys luxury Diwali tour with Good Food Journeys.

The feeling of arriving in Goa

It’s that same feeling you get in sleepy beach towns. Nothing needs to be done, its time to relax and chill. I get that feeling in Bali and in Fiji as well. Unlike cities like Mumbai, there is no hustle in Goa, no rush. The pace is slow but the hospitality is top-notch.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Breakfast is at whatever hotel I am staying at; Indian buffet breakfasts are an experience. Nobody eats croissants or toast when there are dosa counters, idli stations with six types of fluffly idlis served with coconut chutneys, parathas with different stuffings, dhoklas from Gujarat, poha (savoury rice flakes) from Maharashtra, potato curry with puris (fried bread). The buffet caters to guests from every state of the country, so the choice is exceptional.

For lunch I would head to North Goa and find a local beach restaurant serving fresh lobster and crab. Fishermans Wharf in Calangute is exceptional; they prepare the seafood Goan style with recheado, xacuti or xec xec spice.

So many options for dinner and many new restaurants to explore but I believe the best places stand the test of time. Brittos on Baga beach is a shack that I have been coming to since I was a kid – I’d get pork vindaloo with poie bread and a nice cold beer then watch the sunset with a cocktail in hand.

Goa’s cuisine is unique in India

It’s influenced by the Portuguese, and is unlike any other cuisine in India. It features a lot of seafood, pork, vinegar and chillies. Some classic dishes are prawn balchao – a pickled prawn dish, pork vindaloo, chicken xacuti, pork sorpotel and chicken cafreal. North Indian cuisine is not seafood focussed as it is so far from the coastline, and South Indian cuisine has seafood but often uses coconut as a base so is quite mild. You can find Indian food from the regions in Goa, but you will be hard pressed to find Goan food in any other region of India.

Three things that might surprise

Goan cuisine not what you expect from Indian food – it’s a world apart from the butter chicken and naan image many have of Indian cuisine. It’s bold, spicy, tangy, and deeply influenced by local ingredients, think coconut, vinegar, tamarind, and lots of seafood.

The Portuguese influence is strong – Goa was under Portuguese rule until 1962, and it shows on the plate. Dishes like vindaloo, xacuti, and bebinca (a layered dessert) have distinct colonial roots, blending Indian spices with European techniques.

Seafood and meat take centre stage, unlike many Indian regions where vegetarian food dominates. Prawn curry, fish thalis, chorizo (Goan sausage), and pork sorpotel are staples you’ll find everywhere in Goa.

Dessert island dish

It has to be choris pao – Goan chorizo minced with Portuguese spices in a warm ciabatta-like bun. I have it in the breakfast buffet and then as a snack from street vendors. It’s the first thing I have when I get there. We tried recreating it with our Cassia at Home vindaloo sauce recently and it was a close copy!

We’re getting tipsy, so what are we drinking?

Feni based cocktails of course! I definitely find feni strong; you have to try it once like a local, straight up, but after that try it in cocktails for a more palatable and nuanced experience – think feni mojito or mule. For something less alcoholic try urak the; the predecessor of feni clocks in at 10-15% ABV versus feni’s 40-45…

Check out this list of trusted feni brands if you’re keen to give it a try.

And where are we drinking?

Tesouro in Colva beach is the only bar to have a feni based cocktail menu page. It’s also at number 4 on the Top 50 Bars in Asia. Ex-Masterchef Australia Sarah Todd curates the menu at Antares Beach Resort in Vagator Beach, and the cocktails there are as good as the food.

Summarise Goa in three words

Party, poie, peace.

Get Tipsy with Chandni Sahrawat in Goa