Coco Shambhala
north Goa
Although Coco Shambhala has a kitchen and dedicated chefs, they don’t have a restaurant or menu as such. Instead you’re encouraged to discuss your meal prefences and desires with kitchen manager Suhas and each day decide (market and chefs permitting) what you want to eat. With the chefs’ wide repertoire it’s a system that works.
You can also easily cook for yourself. The kitchen has everything you need and if you give the drivers a shopping list they’re happy to go out (or take you) to get your ingredients and supplies.
Breakfast is complimentary and includes a platter of fresh tropical fruits, assorted breads including the lovely Goan poie, cereals, muesli and eggs cooked to order, hash browns, sausages and much more. There is also an Indian breakfast (which requires prior notice) that includes the local spicy pea and potato curry with fresh poie, poha, idli-sambhar and paranthas. Breakfast is served between 8am and 4pm, taking into account the late nights and lazy mornings Goa inspires.
Lunch and dinner are both available, although with the late breakfasts, guests usually restrict themselves to snacks and salads in the day. To test the chefs’ skills anyway, we ordered herb-marinated grilled snapper with veg, prawns in basil and garlic, a spicy corn salad and a snack of pakodas: all were excellent, especially the prawns and snapper, which were cooked perfectly.
Dinner options carry a levy of Rs 1500 on top of the individual food charges as the chefs stay back outside usual hours.
To eat out you must consult Coco’s amazingly extensive and knowledgeable restaurant guide. Both the owner Giles and manager Savio are foodies and their recommendations are to be trusted.
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Menu
There’s no menu but there is a “culinary guide”, which gives you an outline of the chefs’ talents and abilities. As would be expected in a location such as this, seafood is at the fore, whether cooked in an Indian, Goan or European style, but many other bases are covered. Regardless of choice, all ingredients are bought as fresh as possible and sourced from the best vendors and markets.
Dining nearby
Coco Shambhala’s restaurant guide is everything you need. But our own picks close by would be the local, very authentic Goan Catholic restaurant Bhatti Village, on the other side of the main Nerul road.
Check out stylish bar Cantare in Saligao, which also does food, Florentine’s, also in Saligao, for chicken cafreal, Wok ‘n’ Roll in Sinquerim for Oriental food and Mia Cuccina at The Sofala, also in Nerul, for Italian. Coco has menus for the last two (and others not mentioned) so you can order in and get your driver to pick up.
Also check out our guide to eating in Goa.