Lava Lounge (Goa)

Our friend, Abhineet, offered to treat us today so the ‘Usual Four’ decided to skip cheap shots at John’s Seagull and instead set out to Lava Lounge (This ridiculously expensive place with mega-famed food and a “very classy ambiance”- to quote A certain spoilt sport who might just sue me if I name her--Il call her 'Emily'). None of us knew where it was located so we were all at the mercy of the cab guy.

When we reached the place, I thought the driver had gotten confused between ‘Lava Lounge’ and ‘Lava da dhaba’. The place was atop a petrol station in Chikalem (a crossing near Vasco, Goa) with a shoddy ambiance, in the name of sophistication. I don’t mean to be brutal, but the place was nothing as spectacular as the reputation that preceded it suggested. It was primarily RED with black and white (retro style)photos of filmstars adorning most of the walls. Our chairs were VERY low--which I honestly feel CANNOT be good for digestion! The blue pool table was an eyesore--it just sat there, looking WAY out of place! It was a very confusing ambiance to be honest.. I consoled my self with the thought of delicious drippy food and good drinks to go with it.

On came the Drinks Menu. I almost fell off my chair-y thing( it was minimalistic yet found enough ground to be highly uncomfortable), making a farting sound against the leather in the process-NOT my bad; A 30ml vodka shot for 80Rs. is exorbitantly pricey for someone living in Goa. I still ordered 2 shots at Abhineet’s reassurances of it DEFINITELY being a treat. We then went on to play pool at the polite coaxing of the waiters (hell bent on making us feel comfortable with the price- I think they empathized with us on the price issue)… The drinks arrived and everyone had their obligatory amount before going on to the main course. My friend 'Emily' had been there before so she suggested the ‘Non-Veg Platter’. Now according to her, this is a concoction of various meats and sauces with fries and sesame toast on the side. What came on the table (per plate-We ordered 2) were dull (and a little cold) golden fried prawns and something that looked like long chicken tikka held together by toothpicks. To be honest, it looked a lot less glamorous than I had expected it to be (priced at 460 bucks)! Now, the prawns were average (A ‘gavar’ foodie like me was busy ODing on the mayo :P) but the chicken tasted heavenly! The first time I bit into it, it just melted in my mouth. I felt warm and happy…This was happy food!! After a few bites I realized WHAAY Exactly was it happy food! It was FLOODED with butter….Just halfway through my second piece I realized that the taste was annoyingly monotonous and that there was no way I could put anymore in my mouth (A first for me). I had to munch on a garden full of salad to get the buttery residue off of my mouth (What Veterans call-Cleansing the palate!).

Next came something called Chicken Cafereal (I think). It was basically Roti stuffed with minced chicken, basic vegetables and BUTTER. The roti here helped absorb some of the oily asphyxiating residue so I enjoyed it a little. Again, It was not the hot delectable soft crust kulcha with steaming spiced vegetables, with a hint of the tangy hollowness that pudina or lemon bring to it. It was just the regular, stuffy butter that did not allow me to go beyond my second piece! I was ‘dissatisfied’ at my palate not being invigorated enough before being ‘satisfied’ with the warm and filling comfort of a buttery ‘last bite’.

The best part of the evening was definitely the desserts. We shared ‘Death by chocolate’ and something called Sera Dura--which was ALSO suggested by 'Emily', so again, we were entirely at her mercy! While the death by chocolate was only like getting my ears pierced, the SD ‘stole the show’ AND ‘banged the chick’. It was brilliant. There were finely powdered crusty biscuit crumbs at the bottom, followed by this secret kulfi like middle with chocolate wafers on the top. It was the most delicious thing I have ever put into my mouth! When you first took a bite, it seemed heavy and rich..but as you chewed on, it just dissolved and disappeared, leaving you fork fighting for more!

All in all, the total bill for 5 people was 3000Rs. Owing to the treat, I came back a happy woman :) BUT the outing was not worth the money spent- something even SD couldn’t save… :|
As some one rightly suggested, we should just stick to cheap shots at John's.. At least the food there exceeds expectations!