BY Odette and Joe Mascarenhas

 Sip and Dine, that is what Nancy Fernandes has called her small eatery…Lourencos Sip and Dine. One can see Omar Khayyam seated with his glass of wine -

‘a glass of wine and thou art mine…’ Fanciful musings when one thinks of the fresh stock of urrack available during season or the authentic distilled feni served here.

We sat under the bamboo canopy. A fan was whirring overhead and fairy lights were strung like a necklace along the wall. So while Joe sipped on his urrack…perhaps a la Omar Khayyam, yours truly decided to feast on local fare prepared by the mistress of the house.

Within a jiffy - yes, she prepares the dishes from the moment the order is placed, no ready made variety here - the yellow checked tablecloths were adorned with plates. Fish custard in cornets, pan rolls, beef roast with pao. Well I was tempted to start singing… ‘Those were the days my friend…’ When did I have these delicacies last? Ages ago, perhaps at a house of a friend…establishments serving authentic Goan food have stopped serving preparations like this. I bit into the cornet…ooo…la…la. The fish custard was finger-licking good. And the pan rolls… ‘Roll me over’…it seemed as though my musical talent had come to the fore. And I realised that while my focus was on these dishes Joe had quietly polished off the beef roast leaving a few dribblings of gravy for me to base this article on. It must have been good. ‘Like mother makes it,’ he murmured.

And then came the tendli and carrot pickle. I am listing it separately although it is served as an accompaniment because it was so crunchy, spicy and delicious that I could have had it as the main course. But then Nancy had the fish cutlets and prawn curry with rice brought onto the table. Now this lady knows her fundas. Remember those cutlets of yore. Fish minced with onion, spices coriander and some magic ingredients. The plates were bare within seconds. Good old home-cooked fare. And we wound up the meal with the traditional prawn curry…the rogdo had worked wonders with its consistency….slurpy smooth.

Nancywas all smiles as we heaped compliments galore. She has taken her grandfathers place and converted the lower part into this small homely place to dine. Come Sundays specialties like roast tongue and pork chops come sizzling out of her kitchen. I am sure the neighbours must be enjoying the aromas. Old favourites listed on her menu are sorpotel, vindaloo, sausages, amotik…we were too full to taste those preparations but going by what we had just had…need we say more. ‘Many Goan settled abroad come to eat here when they are on holiday,’ she bubbled excitedly. Her joie de vie is infectious…perhaps even being absorbed into the dishes she prepares.

So if you are passing by and are in a mood to sip and dine remember there is a place called Lourencos Sip and Dine just off the road. It is genuinely a homely place for a taste of Goa.