It’s amazing how almost everyone in Goa knows atleast one
relative, friend or neighbour who works/lives in the middle east. With so many
direct flights to Dubai and Kuwait, it was only a matter of time before the
Arabian food scene landed in Amche Goa. Kasbaa is situated on the CHOGM road,
where once was housed another popular eatery.
Ambience: the glass fronted façade is still the same as
before. They have a shawarma stall outside the premises allowing for take aways
without having to enter the main restaurant. They even have a ‘smoking section’
they hope to convert into a sheesha/ hookah bar, a concept yet to make it’s
entry to Goa. Large glitzy chandeliers and framed pictures showcasing Dubai and
the middle east make up the décor. They have placemats with crossword puxzzles
and some such, which do not blend with the theme but are child friendly.
Food: when we went to Kasbaa these guys were still trying to
phase out their initial stance as a multi cuisine eatery. Their main emphasis
still lies on the Arabic cuisine and that is what we tried. A fairly good mezze
platter with falafel (deep fried, balanced spices) , pita bread, hummus (good
do with more olive oil), lamb hummus. They have kebab skewers and a lot of
wraps. Shawarmas make up a large part of their itiniery and they have a fairly
large number of vegetarian, and meat preparations for the same.
What you must however try here is tha Mandi and the kapsa,
the two varieties of rice preparations which the hosts vouch for are prepared
the traditional way. Mandi is a Yemeni dish quite popular with the Dubai food
scene. It is a rice and meat (chicken or lamb) preparation, the important
difference is that the meat is cooked ina tandoor, mostly in a underground,
hole in the ground kinds that you see on national geography.Thus the meat and
and the rice have a smoky flavour. The meat is allowed to sit on the rice
allowing for the flavours to seep in. here in Kasbaa, I could not dtect the
smokiness but the rice was delicately spiced, and the chicken succulent enough
to fall of the bone. The word Mandi comes from the Arabic word meaning ‘Dew’
and reflects the dewy moist texture of the meat.
The kabsa is more akin to our Biryani with long grained
rice, a large amount of spices like the saffron , cinnamon and cardamom, bay
leaves and black pepper.there are three ways of cooking the meat for Kabsa :
the Mnadi as descroibed above, the mathbi (grilling on flat stones)madghut
(cooking in a pressure cooker). It was served with a tomato sauce called daqqus
which is a fiery hot chilli and tomato sauce, and quite addictive aswell.
The desserts in this desert inspired restaurant are another
favourite with customers. A tall glass of falooda with the every assortment of
dry fruits and nuts piled high over icecream and vermicelli is a great choice.
So is the kasbaa delight an indigenious invention of the chefs. Chocolate
icecream, with the fruits and nuts, pomegranates, and a toffe caramelised bit
of sticky chocolate. What I missed in the desserts were dry dates, synonymous
with the desert lands of the middle east.
Nevertheless it is heartening to note that we have a few
niche eateries catering to a different kind of cuisine, and bringing the world
to Goa, on a plate.
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