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| The inviting setting of Gharan. |
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| Kingfish thali at Gharan |
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| All smiles after lunch. |
- Brian Mendonca
We have just returned from Gharan - our new find. Gharan is a family restaurant off NH 66, at what is called Penha de Franca on the menu. ( It was spelt 'France.')
We would often see it on our left as we headed home to Porvorim from Panjim just after we came over the Mandovi bridge. You would almost miss it, as it sits in the back waiting to woo its customers.
The USP of the place is that it does not close at 3 p.m. - with waiters getting fidgety - but welcomes customers till 1.30 a.m. (Yes, you read that right.)
There were so many cars that I had to search for a place to park in the makeshift clearing in the woods, so to speak. The interiors are spacious with a unique structure made of cane screens which keep the place cool. Light fixtures peek out from beneath palm arrangements, making you want to see what it looks like at night.
The food was tasty and the prices were reasonable. I chose a pomfret thali (₹350). I was served a nicely-done full black pomfret. Queenie observed how the slices of fish were generous, unlike in some popular restaurants in Porvorim.
Before we came, Queenie had watched an Instagram reel in Konkani by a mother and son influencer duo extolling the fish preparations here.
Dwayne pointed out the peculiarity of the name of the restaurant. Part of it was in English, and part in Devnagari Konkani. Konkani names are always a crowd puller in Goa. It reminded me of Ranche Ghar in Margao.
'Ghar-an' in Konkani means 'In the house.' The restaurant is advertised as serving food as tasty as home food. It taps in on a simulacrum of happy memories associated with food at home with the family.
This eclectic choice of the script marked the music as well which was a mix of contemporary Hindi romantic songs and English oldies.
As the afternoon wore on and the crowd thinned out by 3.30 p.m. we had to ask for a fan to be turned in our direction. I flinched at the plastic glasses used to serve filtered drinking water. The waiters are amiable and eager to please.
We left satiated. Even the fennel seeds (saunf) to aid digestion, with the bill, was fresh, not stale. One thing which helped our family bonding over the food was the 'No phones' policy which we try to implement, right from the time we sit in the car.
Exploring eating joints in Goa on a holiday like today is what we are wont to do - specially in April - which beckons you to try something new.
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Pics of Gharan and thali taken by Brian Mendonca. Pic of us by Dwayne Mendonca. All on 17 April 2024.
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