Goa In the Rains 2024: Part 1 : Hosa & Purple Martini

So recently I had a chance to visit Goa in the Rains again and it is my firm belief that Goa looks more beautiful in the rainy season than at any other time of the year. While I had many nice experience on my trip, let me first talk about 2 excellent restaurants I went to.

So while researching online for nice places to eat in goa, I had come across Hosa in Siolim. It is a venture by the same people who own Indian Accent and Comorin so I knew the place had good pedigree. Since we were staying in candolim the restaurant was a 45 minute drive away and the poorly lit roads towards anjuna / siolim coupled with heavy rains made the drive a bit hairy but I guess that’s just me, used to the relatively well lighted roads of our Gaon, touchwood.

Hosa is situated in a narrow lane but as we entered the building I was impressed by the facade and the ambience. It’s really well done up and you feel the exclusivity and refinement as you step into the place. After crossing the bar, we were escorted to our table and like many fancy restaurants in Goa, the dining area was spread across multiple rooms. The place looked very fancy as you can probably make out from the pics. The cuisine is Modern South Indian and we ordered Young Jackfruit Thokku, Vada Kari, Edamame Paniyaram, Gowda Fried Chicken, Ghee podi dosa, some mocktails like Mohabbat ka Sharbat, Rasam Mary, Kokum cola and a few others.Long story short, I was simply blown away by the quality of every food item and also the drinks. I have seldom had such innovative food anywhere at all. The food and drinks were innovative and a riff on the original without losing their authenticity. Mohabbat ka Sharbat was infused with paan ( betel) flavour and was simply amazing. The Rasam Mary was a cold rasam kind of thing but was very very refreshing and tasty. The Kokum cola was very good too. The ghee podi dosa was amongst the best I have had and my daughter was very impressed with the Gowda Chicken. I could write pages on the virtues of each of the dish but suffice it is to say everything was innovative , different yet authentic. The attentiveness of the service would put any top restaurant in Gurgaon to shame. They also have a Thai restaurant, Fireback attached to their main restaurants and some of the pics are of Fireback

If you venture out to only one place to eat in Goa, let it be at Hosa.

Purple Martini

So I had heard  a lot about Purple Martini in Goa but somehow never got around to going to the place but this time I was determined to cross this tick and made enquiries over the phone for reservation. The cover charges they mentioned which I don’t remember exactly now but were quite steep and  since  out of 3 none of us are big  alcohol imbibers and 2 of us are vegetarians and we don’t smoke Sheesha we thought it would be tough to redeem the cover charges and we decided to go there during lunch time. Even at 2 in the daytime with the hot sun beating outside the place seemed like a party in full swing . I have hardly seen anyplace I goa I such a Party and Vacay mode like the sight and sounds I experienced at Purple Martini  that day. I can’t even imagine how busy and buzzing the place must be during evenings. The place was full and there was a queue forming for people wanting to get in and be seated.

We were lucky to get a good table and I must say the menu was very very extensive and had something from virtually every cuisine under the sun.

We called for Corn and Water Chestnut Dimsums, Onion rings, Palak Chip and Dip ( Their version of palak patta chaat ) , Paneer Tikka, and some Mocktails.

Despite the place being totally full, there was no dearth of table waiters, cleaners and supervisors. The Service was attentive and efficient at all times. Mr. Praveen Kumar , one of the supervisors, came and told us that “ please don’t go back with a complaint in your heart, if you have any problems, tell us here and we will rectify it”.

He food and the drinks didn’t take too long to come and long story short it was a case of a hyped place totally living up to the hype. Each drink and each food item was superb and the onion rings was about the best I have ever had . My wife and daughter were as impressed by the food and the vibe as I was. Highly recommended place but do be mindful of the cover charges.

In the next part I will tell you about a few more wonderful restaurants and the wonderful and unique cruising and kayaking experience that I had. Ciao until then.