Dona Sylvia, Goa

[Rating:4.5/5]
Work has been more busy than I’ve ever seen it to be. A good example would be the day before yesterday, when I finally pulled my face out of the keyboard, stretched and exclaimed how good it was that I’d finished earlier than normal that day… and saw the time to be 5:47pm.

A post on my Goa trip has been long pending and I’m happy to say, I’ve finally pulled all my notes out and here they are.

We went to this place called Dona Sylvia, which is a sprawling resort set right beside the sea. On entering the place, the first thing you see is a large lobby where you checked in and are ‘tagged’. That’s a colored band you wear, to alert restaurant staff that you’re entitled to complimentary (included in your package) food and/or booze. I found it rather like those researchers who clip tags on the ears of wild animals to study their feeding and mating habits – should’ve checked for cameras in the rooms.

Beyond the lobby, to the left is a huge dining area – the Seagull Restaurant, to the right (up the stairs) is a bar and straight ahead is a large swimming with facilities for water polo and volleyball. It also has a separate enclosure for the kids. When you’re standing next to the pool, all the rooms are to the right. Built in cottages with two rooms each, they’re quite cosy and well appointed. Service is friendly and the prices are incredible. Would you believe a pint of Fosters costs 50 bucks… and in the evenings it’s buy one get one free! Amazing prices like I said and it’s quite easy to drink yourself silly. I did try, but found I’d rather eat. The sea was 5 minutes walk in the same direction as the rooms. They have live grills, open air bars and just about everything you would expect from a tropical holiday resort. The service is always friendly, accommodating and each one of the staff will do whatever they can do make your stay memorable. The kitchens are clean, well organised and quite efficient, as you’ll see from the list of stuff they served.

Coming to the food. They serve four meals a day – breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner. We missed tea on all 4 days, but definitely did justice to the other three meals.

Day 1 Breakfast:
Cold Buffet: 2 fresh fruit platters, 2 kinds of chutney, 2 preserved juices, 3 types of cerials with cold milk.
Breads: Live toast, 2 types of danish, 3 types of muffins, brown bread, 3 preserves, butter chiplets
Hot Buffet: Chicken sausages, Ham, Live eggs to order, Live Dosas to order, hash brown potatoes, Bakes Beans, Idli, Pav + Watana, Vermicelli Kheer, Sambar, Aloo Parantha, Curd, Sooji Upma and Tea/Coffee/Milk

Day 1: Lunch
Breads: 3 types of breads, 3 types of rolls
Cold Buffet: Simple Salads, 4 compound dressings, 4 simple dressings
Soups: Cream of Vegetable, Prawn Bisque
Non Vegetarian: Chicken Xacuti, Mutton Biryani, Fish Balchao
Vegetarian: Veg Tikki, Aloo Rasila, Baby corn and mushroom Amsol, Cauliflower and Peas Sabzi, Kofta Curry, Vegetable Jalfrezi, Dal Masala, Steamed Rice, Naan/Roti
Desserts: Cut Fruits, Cabinet Pudding, Malpua, Praline Ice Cream

Day 1: Dinner
Breads: 2 types of breads, 2 types of rolls
Salad Counter: Salads, 5 dressings, Curd rice, pickle
Soups: Tomato Soup, Hot and Sour chicken soup
Non Vegetarian: Garlic Chicken (Live), Keema Matar, Goan Fish Curry
Vegetarian: Veg Dragon Roll, Tandoori Aloo, Paneer Matar, Stir Fried Vegetables, Veg Hakka Noodles (Live), Dal Panchratan, Plain Rice, Naan/Roti/Missi Roti/Phulka
Desserts: Date Pancakes, Cherry Cheese Cake, Moti Jamun, Vanilla Ice Cream

Day 2 Breakfast: Same Cold Buffet, Same Breads
Hot Buffet: Chicken Stew, Goan Sausages, Live Eggs to order, Live Dosa to oder, Potato Croquettes, sauted vegetables, Vada, Pav Bhaji, Jalebis, Sambar, Chhole Bhature, Veg Dimsums, Tea/Coffee/Milk

Day 2: Lunch: Same Breads, Same Cold Buffet
Soups: Cream of Carrot, Coriander Chicken Soup
Non Vegetarian: Nargesi Kofta Curry, Chicken Biryani, Fish Peri Peri (live)
Vegetarian: Sesame Toast, Aloo Balti Fry (Live), Vegetable Pie, Pudina Paneer, Lauki Banana Kootu, Vegetable Caldin, Lobia Dal, Steamed Rice, Naan/Roti
Desserts: Cut Fruits, Kiwi Mousse, Moong Dal Halwa, Strawberry Ice Cream

Day 2 Dinner: Same Breads, Same Salad Counter
Soups: Mexican Hot Pot Vegetarian, Cream of Chicken
Non Vegetarian: Tandoori Chicken, Mutton/Pork Vindaloo, Rawa Fried Fish Cutlets (Live)
Vegetarian: Tangy Vegetable Croquettes, Aloo Palak, Vegetable Xacuti, Boston Bake, Moong Dal Tadka, Plain Rice, Naan/Roti/Missi Roti/Phulka
Desserts: Rasgulla, Apple Bavaroise, Chocolate Rumballs, Pistacchio Ice Cream

Day 3 Breakfast: Same Cold Buffet, Same Breads
Hot Buffet: Chicken Sausages, Live Eggs, Live Dosas, Mini Vegetable Burgers, Baked Beans, Idli, Pav Watana, Seera, Sambar, Gobi Parantha, Curd, Poha, Tea/Coffee/Milk

Day 3 Lunch: Same Breads, Same Cold Buffet
Soups: Mulligatawny, Sweet Corn Chicken Soup
Non Vegetarian: Chicken Cafreal (Live), Sea food biryani, Prawn Curry
Vegetarian: Methi Pakora, Aloo Achari, Penne Ala Arabiata, Paneer Pasanda, Milony Tarkari, Bhindi Peri Peri (Live), Black Dal, Steamed Rice, Naan/Roti
Desserts: Cut Fruits, Mango Flan, Kala Jamun, Mango Ice Cream

Day 3 Dinner: Same Breads, Same Salad Counter
Soups: Tomato and Basil Soup, Lung Fung Chicken
Non Vegetarian: Fried Chicken, Meat Ball Manchurian, Fish Rechado Fry (Live)
Vegetarian: Veg Tempura, Aloo Matar, Triple Treasure, Malai Kofta Curry, Stir Fried Vegetables with Cashewnuts (Live), Rajma Rasila, Fried Rice, Plain Rice, Naan/Roti/Missi Roti/Phulka
Desserts: Onion Kheer, Chocolate Souffle, Butterscotch Tart, Orange Ice Cream

Day 4 Breakfast: Same Cold Buffet, Same Breads
Hot Buffet: Sauteed Chicken Liver, Goan Sausages, Live Eggs, Live Dosas, Potato Cutlets, Grilled Onion and Mushrooms, Pesaruttu, Pav Bhaji, Rice Kheer, Sambar, Poori Bhaji, Tomato Vermicelli, Tea/Coffee/Milk

Day 4 Lunch: Same Breads, Same Cold Buffet
Soups: Cream of Cauliflower, Chicken Dumpling Soup
Non Vegetarian: Mutton Roganjosh, Chicken Saffron Biryani, Grilled Fish (Live)
Vegetarian: Rajma Tikki (Live), Aloo Karela Fry, Tagliatelle Salsa di Fungi, Paneer Taka Tak, Vegetable Kolhapuri, Bharwan Shimla Mirch, Dal Tadka, Steamed Rice, Naan/Roti
Desserts: Cut Fruits, Tiramisu, Shahi Tukra, Chocolate Ice Cream

Day 4 Dinner: Same Breads, Same Salad Counter
Soups: Caldo Verde, Seafood Bisque
Non Vegetarian: Chicken Tava Masala (Live), Mutton Xacuti, Shark Ambotik
Vegetarian: Grilled Vegetable Crepes, Aloo Thill Thill, Gobi Matar, Beans Sambaria, Paneer Makhani, Hara Moong Dal, Plain Rice, Naan/Roti/Missi Roti/Phulka
Desserts: Goan Dessert Platter, Coconut Pancakes, Steam Coco Pudding, Butterscotch Ice Cream

Apart from the above, we also went to this local joint, where apart from what was on the menu, we were shown the catch of the day, picked what we wanted and how we wanted it cooked. Quite good, especially after one had over imbibed the beer.

All in all, as you can see… we ate a lot.

1. Latitude – Sector 18, NOIDA
   
2. Indian Cooking – North Indian Breads
   
3. Kufri or Bust Part I