Margao’s new restaurant — Vida — serves Goan food with a welcoming twist.
It is kanji with a difference.
Across cuisines, the humble rice gruel or kanji has had many variations and accompaniments, undergoing a transformation in name, appearance and even flavour. Look at India itself: there’s kanji or pez on the Konkan coast, mandiya pej made from ragi in Bastar region, bore baasi in Chhattisgarh is mixed with buttermilk, pazhankanji in Kerala, ambila in Odisha and more.
Is there anything more comforting than a hot bowl of kanji? When growing up, pez was fed to us when we were sick (and sometimes fasting). I did not care much about it because it was bland and boring, and my attention was usually focussed on the accompaniments. Would it be para (salted and roasted dried fish), a mango pickle, pappad, or kalchi kodi (leftover curry, thickened)?
At Vida, they offer a kanji with the works. A small, deep bowl of kanji made with local rice sits in the centre, surrounded by an impressive set of plates playing starring roles. There is dried shrimp, salty and crisp; crunchy pappad kismur (dry salad with coconut and onion), dried shrimp kismur; tor (raw mango pickle), crisped garlic and mango bits; and a boiled egg.
It is an outstanding version of a comfort dish, and easily the star of Vida.
Vida is a new restaurant in South Goa, occupying space in the heart of Margao on an open stretch of land, with greenery on one side and the road on the other. Vida launched in June and is one of the Dhuri family’s slew of restaurants, after the popular Café Tato chain, Petisco, and Masak.
From the outside, it gives off the vibe of a swanky shiny fine dine with a glass façade all around. Inside, it is warm and welcoming, with soothing shades of blue, patterned tiles, and pops of green from plants. There is a small mezzanine section offering a private dining experience.
An open bar dishes out interesting cocktails like Melificent, a Margarita where the salt factor comes from a parmesan rim, and Eclipse: a whiskey orange and ginger beer medley.
Vida’s food wants to be innovative yet familiar. They manage this balance reasonably well.
Raw banana gets its due in the Bharilli Keli. Here, fat and long Moira bananas are slit, stuffed with a vibrant chutney, coated in rava and fried in ghee. It is a good fried dish, crisp on the outside, with a firm but soft centre that highlights the sweetness of the fruit. The Assortment of Phodi platter will appeal to those who like their vegetables fried and coated with besan. The taste of the vegetables — brinjal, breadfruit, potato — is somewhat masked by its spicy coating, which is a disappointment. Tacos get a predictable spin in the Brinjal Bharth on Chapati, which has small roundels of chapati holding a scoop of mildly spiced smoked brinjal bharta with some tambdi bhaji (red amaranth) crisps for a different kind of bite.
As a break and to aid in digestion and cleanse the palate, out come sol kadhi shots: coconut milk with some zing from chilli and freshness from coriander.
Dessert is another beautiful if filling creation. In Kangachyo Nevryo, sweet potato is allowed to shine. It is stuffed inside a beautifully fried nevryo, redolent with ghee. It is a heavy dish, best shared and ideally ordered only if you have not eaten enough food earlier. It is the kind of dish that has soporific effects.
Vida’s menu does not just focus on Goan food. There are a few non-Goan dishes: biryani, corn cheese balls, kebabs, prawn martini, chicken Patiala and the like. The space allows them to have live music nights, and a big flat screen on the ground floor ensures you keep abreast with current sports.
My visit gave me just a sampling of what Vida has to offer. I intend to return to eat some more Goan food: the prawns dangar (cutlets), tambdi bhaji samosa, tisryanche sukhe, and prawn rissois.
Details: Open from 12 pm to 3.30 pm, 7 pm to 11 pm. Closed on Mondays. Call 9307402992. Instagram
Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Max: 5 stars)
Food: 8/10
Drinks: 6/10
Service: 7/10
Interiors/Décor: 8/10
Vibe: 8/10
One dish we loved: Kanji
One dish that didn’t work for us: Vegetable phodi
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