If Venice, in Italy, is known for its architecture, gondolas and lagoons, Venice in South Goa is a restaurant that has maintained the taste of Goa in an environment fast losing its essence.
Started by a lady in 1968, the restaurant has passed hands through three generations – mother, son, grandson – and through the passage of time, Venice Bar and Restaurant is the one place that has retained its toehold on Goan cuisine.
Located right in the midst of Margao's hustle and bustle, next to Lohia Maidan, Venice is the only restaurant in the city that serves its guests tasty meals in a garden ambience giving the guest a feel of being distanced from the urban chaos, despite being in the midst of it!
Frequented by foreigners in the morning during the season, and locals during the day and night, a visit to the restaurant would be incomplete without slicing through a beef steak – the signature dish of the restaurant.
“Times have changed after the Pandemic, but I believe things are getting back to normal. And, with the exposition of St Francis Xavier taking place this year, we are surely there,” says the owner, Clifford Fernandes.
The kitchen at Venice is managed by three Goan chefs and a lad from North India, who handles the Chinese taste.
“My mom (Anastasia Fernandes), who passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic, had a good hand, and I was fortunate enough to learn from her,” recollects Fernandes who believes Goan food cannot be replicated by any immigrant.
“Cooking is an emotion that flows from the heart to the hands, and this emotion cannot be stereotyped by others. We have customers who have been coming here from generations past, not just for the food, but for the feeling of home,” says Fernandes.
Beef, pork, chicken and fish, curry and rice (not fish thali) are worth trying at Venice, with prices ranging from Rs 120 to a maximum of Rs 300.
“This restaurant was started to cater to the needs of the working class and celebrate civil unions in the early days. With most offices having shifted to the Matanhy Saldanha Administrative Complex, a pinch has been felt, but it is not hurting much,” admits Fernandes, who feels that the repeat customers keep the bloodline running.
Violet, from Europe, and her husband come to Goa every year and live in an apartment that brings them to Margao for shopping every alternate day.
“We finish our shopping with an English breakfast before we return home,” she explains as she sits at Venice.
“This garden restaurant is so unique. We do not get such a setting abroad. And, apart from the food, it is the setting that draws us to this place,” confesses Jerome. “We like it natural.”
Sausage Pulau is another dish that sets Venice apart from many other restaurants in South Goa. There is no overload of rice or sausage, and the rice is neither too soft nor hard. The dish leaves a seamless taste behind.
The story of a restaurant in Goa is incomplete without a sampling of fish, and despite the wholesale fish market being shifted – it was close to the restaurant many years back – fresh fish is another mark of Venice.
The Beef Steak is a blend of Portuguese and English cuisine with the undercut marinated with lemon, garlic and pepper, and Fernandes adds, “a few sauces” to make the taste wholesome.
Caramel Pudding, another dessert enjoyed by Goans, is another must during a visit to Venice. The sugar is aptly burnt, and the sweetness just enough to tempt another mouthful.
Despite losing his mother to Covid-19 and also feeling the loss in business, Fernandes is optimistic that good days are ahead.
“I believe that as long as I keep the taste of the food Goan, there is little to worry about. Covid-19 is the past. Now is the time to look forward,” he firmly believes.