Goenchin

Critic´s Review

• Food: 3 / 5
• Service: 3 / 5
• Decor: 2.5 / 5

-By Odette Mascarenhas

Perhaps one of the first Chinese restaurants in Goa started way back in 1982. Goenchin today has created a niche in the Chinese segment. Old favourites as well as new preparations which will keep even the die hard traditionalists happy. A steep climb up a slope and you arrive at a small cosy specifically designed restaurant. Shades of the orient! The menu boasts of authentic Chinese cuisine with a small quotient of Indonesian and Thai preparations. While you can sashay start the meal with Satay BBQ Prawns. Remember that the main course has a wide choice to feast on like the Chinese Emperors of yore. The Chai Ta Ha - you would be pardoned for doing the cha cha cha after this preparation - is a good start. Prawns marinated and cooked in a coriander sauce spiced up with ginger, garlic, scallions and green chillies. Another favourite is the Devil's Lamb - slices of lamb cooked in a chilli garlic sauce. With a prawn and lamb suggestion, lets focus on a chicken. Go sweeter this time to counteract the spice. Order Chicken in honey Hunan sauce and accompany this with fried rice or chef's own Cantonese Noodles. Yellow, red and green - no traffic signals here but the colours in the noodles. Spinach, red and yellow capsicum the whole preparation is tossed in oyster sauce. Coriander sauce, then a chilli garlic sauce and honey and soy sauce mixed with noodles in oyster sauce. Even the Emperor would not be favoured with such a varied combo. For desserts try the Date Pancake or the Pisang Goreng with ice cream. The latter is Indonesian meaning 'banana.' Batter fried bananas tossed in honey and served with ice cream. A smooth interlude one must savour before its time to go back to the routine. So in Goa if you want chin-chin, then its Goenchin.