I moved back to Goa last year in January because I hadn’t lived at home in 10 years and I figured it was time to shake things up and try something new. So, with a heavy heart I said Auf Wiedersehen to the city knowing that I would be back soon. I was not entirely ready for how much the landscape changed though, when I came back a year later. And when I say landscape, I mean the food landscape, and the amount of new restaurants that have opened. I feel like I’m still playing catch up, but yesterday I had the chance to get a sneak preview into Poetry by Love & Cheesecake, a new cafe which opens its doors today. Love & Cheesecake has garnered quite the fan following over the years thanks to their commitment to baking fresh, so the fact that they were opening a cute lil’ cafe was very exciting news, indeed!
It started with drinks…(sorry folks, not the alcoholic kind)
Variety is most certainly the spice of life and that statement never holds more truth as when it is applied to a food menu. So, after a cursory run through of the curated tasting menu, we decided to just do one of each. OF EVERYTHING. Oh, the joy of different tastes and textures and flavours. We started off a delicious smoothie, watermelon and basil iced tea and this blend of papaya, pineapple and coconut water, which was a party in my mouth.
And soup..
Picture this: You duck into the restaurant and just miss a big cloud burst. And while it’s pelting outside you’re served a hot bowl of the heartiest, creamiest mushroom and chicken soup ever. Heaven.
Then there was salad…
Their Caesar salad swapped out the croutons for actual pieces of bread (carbs FTW), but had chicken and romaine lettuce that was perfectly coated with dressing. It was just hearty enough for the second course. There was also a kale salad with anchovy dressing and bits of Gouda, but cheese aside, a bit too healthy for my taste, haha.
Make way for the winner…
They quite literally put 3 of my favourite things together, so obviously this was the winner of the night. A freshly baked croissant, slathered with avocado and topped off with 2 poached eggs! I mean, the only thing that could possibly make it better is bacon. But you knew that already, didn’t you?
But wait.. there was dessert too!
The Diplomat
Devil’s Desire
They actually looked that glossy IRL guys, no jokes! Aside from the Crème Brûlée that I inhaled too quickly to even get a photograph of (yeah, let’s not talk about my fat kid behaviour) there was the very Magnum-looking dessert, but you know, elevated to the next level. It is basically a marquise which is kinda like a mousse filled in with coffee, caramel and brownie in the centre and also little crunchy bits for texture. The Diplomat consists of a caramel mousse, cake and toffee.. mmmm!
Ok, it’s time for my evening snack so I’m primed for round 2. You should make a beeline to Bandra and come too, before I eat everything (hah!) They open their doors today, so yay!
P.S: They’re open for breakfast too AND they bake their own bread. This place might just be what Bandra’s been missing.