When in Goa, especially in Panjim, many restaurants and tots will display boards of serving authentic goan cuisine. Of course everyone does serve, Vindaloo, Xacuti and Cafreal but that's not the only food that falls in the Goan category. Goa the coastal city which has heavy traffic and a few traffic signals have been installed is over populated says locals. In this begining of chaos a visit to Mum's kitchen is a must do.
Located on the road parallel to Madovi river, near the Miramar beach, this bungalow type resto is not easily to be found. I used hummit to search, but Goggle Maps helped. The reason its a bit difficult to find is because there are no big banners or signage put up to indicate the name, the concrete name block is not well light. But once you find it, walk up the aisle with water flowing along and surrounded by bamboo trees. The ground plus one eatery welcomes you to the old tandoor kitchen looking bar with artefact's and a pleasant staff.
As we sat inside, our curiosity overtook us, though having read several post on line about it, I requested the manager to run us down with the history of the place. Mum's Kitchen, is 17-year-old, it sources recipes from Mothers in Goan villages. This their menu card says is to retain the authenticity of the goan food and to bring to the table some old forgotten dishes.
As we sat for the dinner after a long day of visiting Dona Paula, fort aguada, the pleasant staff suggested us to have the coconut Fanny, with the Komdi Sukhem as starters. The chunks of chicken, marinated in tangy gravy once put in the mouth tastes a bit dud. But chew on and the real flavors of the masala make the chewing delightful. My wife prachi ordered prawns with mustard, she tells me, they were fresh and tasteful. For the main course we placed an order for egg curry rice. If at another place the staff may not have said that one would be enough for both of us. This we felt was a good gesture.
The attendant told us the place receives a lot of foodies from cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Pune. While we waited for our food to be served two middle age person walked in. The manger who had received them during lunch hour was surprised and happy to received them again. The duo announced they were from Managlore and the taste of lunch remained with us all day thus bringing us back for dinner.
My conclusion is the same, once eaten at Mum's kitchen the taste tends to linger on. As for the cost a meal for two with alcohol will damage you by Rs 2,000 without alcohol will be around Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,300. As for the ambiance, the coloured table tops and pleasant lighting brings in positive energy to the place.
