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| Kingfish thali at Ranche Ghar |
-Brian Mendonca
Looking for a place to have lunch today in Margao, we came upon Goan Kitchen. But the steps looked formidable. So we turned the car with the person at the counter peering from his perch through the glass panels, baffled as to why we did that.
GPS led us instead to Ranche Ghar at Borda. In fact we were heading North after cruising past Tatos, snucking into a bylane which seemed like a cul-de-sac, when Google aunty redirected us.
The name sounded good when you rolled it on your tongue. It evoked the expanse of the Rann of Kutch. In Konkani, Queenie opined, it signified cooking space. It was always home.
It was a wise decision. The entrance at Ranche Ghar had just two steps and you could steady yourself using the handle on the glass door. The guard had helpfully pointed that out.
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| Facade of Ranche Ghar. |
Limited parking is available. Since we landed up around 3 p.m. cars were pulling out.
The special Goan thali with Kingfish did not disappoint. The prawn curry was tasty. The papad was crisp. I did send the paratha back because it was cold by then. They provided a heated one.
I found it jarring that the person reeling off the names of the Goan thalis available spoke in impeccable English, rather than Konkani. All of them were wearing masks.
Queenie pointed out that the vatis were small so it was possible to finish all the items. This is unlike other lunch spaces where one sees so much wastage of food.
As we drove back, GPS led us via the route skirting Ravindra Bhavan. I was elated I was on home ground. FabIndia and Ola Snacks were a stone's throw away.
With its clean, spacious interiors, attentive service, its elegant tables set apart, the AC just the right temperature, and the lights turned down low - Ranche Ghar is our latest find.
Longuinhos, Sharda Classic, Anushka - you've got company.
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Pix taken by Brian Mendonca on 17/12/22.
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