State Bhavan Canteen Review - Viva O Viva, restaurant at Goa Niwas

Viva O Viva is the restaurant / canteen at Goa Niwas, the State house of Goa. In Delhi, every state has a State house or bhawan for the use of its members and officers of the government. Most of these State houses or bhawans have a canteen or restaurant to cater to the needs of its guests and some of them are open to the general public as well. These canteens and restaurants usually provide a cheap eating option though not always authentic. Most of these canteens have Delhified their food and the usual paneer and stuff gets served to cater to the northie tastes. But sometimes you do find dishes which sticks to the original recipe and our undying hope to get some fresh, authentic and tasty Goan food led us to this restaurant.

  

Many a times we planned to visit Viva O Viva at the Goa Niwas but every time we decided to stick with the familiar and went to our usual haunts. Then we went there one Sunday afternoon and couldn't resist going there again last night for dinner. The Goa Niwas building is relatively new and was inaugurated in 2010 by Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. The building, the lobby and reception is well maintained and minimally and tastefully done up.

Viva O Viva is more like a canteen than a restaurant with genuine effort made to lift the utilitarian looks. The chairs are a pleasant lime color and the tables have plastic table mats with Mario's cartoons. The canteen has a huge plasma TV, a mini teeing mat and a Foosball table and right now the Christmas decorations are up. Two hand written white boards are kept leaning against a pillar - one with the day's menu and the other with the specials. The canteen is currently being operated by a couple from Goa who also have a catering business.

Till date we have had their Prawn Curry, Mackerel Curry, Prawn Peri Peri, King Fish Masala Fry, Mackerel Ambotik and Rice. The Prawn Curry and Mackerel Curry was "the" best dish for us, it was a coconut based curry with kokum in it. The fish was fresh and its flavor intermingled with the coconutty gravy which we enjoyed by eating with our fingers and licking it! The King fish masala fry was fried just right in a typical Goan red masala and was served with a little salad on the side. The Prawn Peri Peri is a signature dish of Viva O Viva and is again a typical Goan dish with a vinegary red masala. The Mackerel Ambotik is another great fish curry and is sour like the name suggests. Viva O Viva serves the usual white rice and pav to go with their curries. The pav is nothing great to write about - it is the usual huge pav found here in Delhi. The seafood is fresh and comes in three times a week from their suppliers from - Kochi or Gujarat or Andhra Pradesh.
They serve the Goan delicacies bebinca and dodol for dessert along with a couple of puddings. Currently, they have a Christmas special going and have included Christmas sweets and puddings in their menu.

 Mackerel Ambotik

 Prawns Curry

King Fish Masala Fry

 

 

Pricewise it is not cheap like the other canteens but we thought the food was really good and did not mind paying for it. All in all Viva O Viva serves some serious fresh and authentic Goan food.

Our Verdict: Definitely go there if you are a Goan food lover who loves to eat seriously yummy food. If ambiance and decor matter more than the food, then stay away. Viva O Viva could be the answer to your seafood cravings without burning a huge hole in your wallet.

Gyani Dhaba, Dharampur - a review

Almost every review you read about eating places around Kasauli will mention Gyani Dhaba at Dharampur. Most will suggest that you eat there at least once en route to or from Kasauli. So we did give it a try on our way to Kasauli. Gyani Dhaba is not a typical dhaba and you will be disappointed if you expect khaats spread outside and trucks parked around. Instead you will find scores of cars some of them luxury ones  parked in the front. It is an indication of the kind of clientele that frequents Gyani Dhaba.

 

As you drive from Kalka to Kasauli the scenery and vistas just gets more serene and beautiful. But as you near small junctions where there are shops and small eateries the noise level increases phenomenally. Gyani Dhaba is on a stretch of road which has small eateries, shops and cafés on both sides for about a kilometer or so. There is nothing unique about the dhaba's décor just the usual tables and chairs with a counter selling produce of the surrounding area - fruit preserves, honey and tea and another selling a few daily need products. The best tables are the ones lined up by the windows because it is better lit and gives a view of life outside.

 

We reached there around noon and ordered parathas - aloo and paneer, omelets and tea. Curd and pickles were provided on the side with the parathas and butter cubes was provided for a charge. Both the parathas were excellent especially after adding some on it and a dip in the pickle. The omelet though a little oily was fluffy and tasty. And the tea was good and freshly made with just the right amount of milk and sugar, a perfect "paani jyada, doodh kam, shakar kam, kind".  

On our way back to Kalka, we went to Gyani's again. It was lunch time and we ordered a chicken tikka, a vegetarian and a non vegetarian thali and chhaas. The thali comes with 3 rotis, a bowl each of rice, a choice of black or yellow dal, salad and boondi raita with paneer muttar in the vegetarian thali and chicken curry in the non-vegetarian thali. The thali overall, was nothing spectacular - the yellow dal was simple, but there was nothing much to write about the paneer muttar and chicken curry. Another thing that surprised me was that they did not have chicken tikka and the chhaas they served was Amul's Masti chhaas. For me a dhaba not serving chicken tikka and chhaas was an oddity. They had ice creams and gulab jamun for dessert and we ordered the gulab jamun. We enjoyed the gulab jamuns, they were nice and soft without being too oily in a thin and light sugar syrup. And the best thing is the bill at the end of the meal does not hurt.

 

Our verdict - enjoy their parathas, the tea and the gulab jamuns. And do check their counter selling the preserves, pickles, honey and tea leaves. 

Little Italy, Bund Garden Road, Pune

I went to Little Italy La Pizzeria for lunch on a weekday expecting the restaurant to be near empty, instead there was only one table free. The crowd was a mix of office goers, friends and a group of ladies on a kitty party and no one seemed to be in any hurry to finish and leave!

This restaurant is in the ground floor of Hotel Shriman just at the beginning of a lane, off Bund Garden Road. My rickshaw driver did not know this hotel so you want to keep an eye out for it yourself when you do go there.

 

On entering Little Italy, the captain was immediately there to seat me and was a tad surprised to learn that I was eating alone. Anyway, I was seated immediately and the menus were brought over. The restaurant interiors were done well although the seating is a little too close to have a private conversation. Since I was alone the conversations around kept me entertained.

 

The menus brought over quickly, the additional one for their wine selection. I ordered the Cannelloni Florentine and it came piping hot straight from the oven. There were 3 cannelloni pieces with the cheese topping in golden hues. There was a good amount of sauce covering the cannelloni and around it. The spinach and ricotta cheese filling was nice and moist and spoonful of the sauce, cheese and cannelloni was Yum. For dessert, I ordered the Panna cotta and it came topped with a green syrup and a slice of kiwi. It was the first time I had a Panna cotta so I cannot compare it with any place else. The Panna cotta was soft and firm with a pudding like consistency. It was mildly sweet and when combined with a little of the syrup it tasted good. I completed the meal with a black tea although maybe a coffee was the right pairing for an Italian meal!

Overall, a very good lunch.

My only grouse was the proximity of the other tables. I could hear complete conversations and know the per head contribution of that ladies kitty group!