Find the taste of Goa in this restaurant in Curtorim

Taste is subjective, but the Pork Chilly Fry at Cassiana Restaurant is one of the best in Goa, and is the closest one can get to test the truth at a village called Curtorim, just a few kilometres from Margao.

Tender pork meat is fried with white onions, kokum, a bit of pepper, some green chilies, turmeric and capsicum, and the experience takes guests through a journey of what kitchens in the past served.

The kokum, fried with the meat, leaves a tangy taste that hastens the process of finishing what one has started, and at Rs 300 a plate, it is a steal. The fat is just enough to leave the taste lingering a little longer.

Despite having done a course in Hotel Management, proprietor Edward Mascarenhas, better known as Eddie, credits his skills to the late Chef Fernando, owner of the once-famous Fernando’s Nostalgia in Raia.

CULINARY MAGIC: Eddie Mascarenhas and his wife, Thereza, keep the flames of flavour burning.

“Chef Fernando taught me cooking, and through him, I realised that hygiene is the ingredient that keeps all dishes ticking. Cooking has to be kept simple,” smiles Eddie.

Started in 1964 by his father, Jose Mascarenhas, who was previously the Master Chef at the Sanatorium at Monte Hill in , the place that started out feeding the locals has, through time, managed to attract clients from all around.

The kokum, fried with the meat, leaves a tangy taste that hastens the process of finishing what one has started, and at Rs 300 a plate, it is a steal.

“There has been a tremendous shift to takeaways after the Pandemic. Though we serve beef, and chicken, the favourite of most clients are dishes made of beef and chicken,” says Eddie.

If Pork Chilly Fry stands out, the Beef Chilly Fry attempts to nudge it. Beef tenderloin is fried with garlic, pepper, green chilies and white onions leaving a mellow taste, ruffled by the aroma of the masala.

Priced at Rs 350, the taste of red masala, sparingly used along with and lime, leaves a taste of the sublimed wild. Unlike many restaurants, the Beef Chilly Fry here is neither too saucy nor dry.

Chicken Chilly Fry, consisting of leg pieces, is fried sans oil, but with a reasonable dash of salt and pepper, and is sold for Rs 280 , while Pork Admas is cooked occasionally and sold for Rs 180.

Unlike many restaurants, the Beef Chilly Fry here is neither too saucy nor dry.

Situated in the tinto of the village, the nondescript looking place draws girls, couples and families, and provides a friendly ambience wherein taste preferences are sometimes shared.

“Try the soup,” advises Celine, a customer, as she orders one for herself.

“We make our with stock. No cubes are added,” interjects Eddie as he picks up his phone to take another order.

“The beef chops make a good starter,” suggests Celine.

The restaurant that started with four tables and ten chairs, now accommodates 30 covers, and despite no music or electronic gadgets to grab attention, conversation is mild and various accents of the local language can be heard.

“My father used to serve local liquor like caju and other variants. I have now stopped it as it becomes too cumbersome. It depends on how much one wants to earn and I am happy just making a few customers happy with my food,” says Eddie for whom living simple is the essence of life.

“Last orders are at 10 pm, and we are open with shutters half down after that, if customers are around. I do not like to shoo away my clients because many come from far,” concludes Eddie who marinates the food for his wife, Thereza, to cook.

Cassiana Restaurant in Curtorim, South Goa, is open from midday till 2.30 pm and from 7.30 pm to 10 pm. Takeaway orders can be placed through +91 9850873523.