Goa has made quite a name for herself as a tourist destination world over, but the state has so much more to offer than beautiful architecture, interesting sites and views, beaches and subsidised alcohol. Goa definitely has a lot of offer when it comes to its food too. With a mix of the teaching from our Portuguese ancestors and the availability of ingredients in and around the nation, Goa created a blend of food that does not match the taste buds of our neighbouring Indian states.

As a Goan, living in Goa, you tend to be neglected while tourists are given a lot more preference. They always have an all fascinated look, and that too by everything they see around them, and Goa is just this dreamy, magical place. And then there is me, not looking at much, since you have seen it all before, just passing through. After dealing with some intense traffic while making my way into the capital, I drove to the closest beach I could find, Miramar.  Although the beach was a little too crowded for my taste, I spent some time there taking in the sunset, breeze, and view and finally decided to get myself some dinner.

After reading a bunch of reviews telling me the best place in the area for a Goan meal was Hogworth, I decided to check it out. I was in for the surprise of a lifetime. The night spent at Hogworth in Miramar was like no other. The entire menu catered to Goan dishes that brought back memories of my childhood. I wasn’t sure where to begin and how to end. After indulging in a bunch of starters I went through what a typical Goan would eat, rice and curry. Not only was their meal exactly like I imagined it would be, but to add the cherry to the top of my cake, I decided to get some fish to go with it, and picked the Shark Ambotik. This is not something I would usually try out, but I thought, since I am a long way from home, I might as well indulge.

The Amotik as the right amount of spicy for my palette, not forgetting to mention that there were more prawns in the curry than I thought there would be out at sea. Overall, the two did make for a great meal. You can’t be Goan, and not have red meat with a meal, and that being the case, I suddenly found some beef chilli fry and sorpotel on my table. I am not sure how either of the two dishes is cooked, but they both tasted exactly like I expected them to. I could even taste the Goan vinegar in the sorpotel which added that not-so-secret something to it.

I ended my meal with everyone’s favourite dessert craving, Serradura. I was not particularly happy with the pace at which I finished my meal but I guess time flies when you are having a good time. I think the most dreaded part of a night out is usually getting the cheque but the pricing at Hogworth was so good that I was sure to be coming back again. If I were to rate the restaurant, I would definitely give it a 6 out of 5, no I did not say that wrong.