A Slice of Goa in Ahmedabad at The Goan Bakery, Bodakdev
Decades of coming-of-age Bollywood slop has ingrained the idea of Goa as being the ultimate destination for Indians in their twenties in our minds. Partying to trance music till dawn, sipping cheap beer by the beaches as the waves splash on your feet, and recreating #that scene from Dil Chahta Hai at the Chapora Fort – there hasn’t been a group of friends that haven’t dreamt of visiting the state at least once. Of course, Goa is much more than booze, beaches and blowouts. The state has one of the most complex and distinct histories of any Indian province, visible in its architecture, demography and cuisine to even the most oblivious tourist. I got to experience this culture first-hand last year on a trip with my best friends (although, I am far from the stereotypical tourist that locals often scoff at). It was hard not to fall in love with the state – riding our two-wheelers through forested villages, exploring the imposing architecture of the old town, and enjoying a quiet moment crossing the Mandovi on ferries in the rain. What stood out to me above all else was the food that we had over the course of the trip, covered previously on my blog in great detail. Goan cuisine is a beautiful lovechild of Konkani and Portuguese fare, two culinary traditions that perhaps could not be more dissimilar but have blended wonderfully over the centuries. I genuinely wish to spend a month in the state some day, just exploring the various fish thalis, curries and desserts that this place has to offer.
A while ago, I was introduced to The Goan Bakery in Amdavad by my dear friend Vipul (who all of you should follow on Twitter and on Instagram). It is a lovely bakery with branches in Bodakdev and South Bopal (this review only covers their Bodakdev branch), with a variety of meat and vegetarian baked dishes available, most being either authentic representations of Goan food or fusions on it. All of their baked products are top-notch, but my favourite of them all has to be the Prawn Puff – a crispy, flaky pastry filled with a spicy filling of Goan-style minced prawn, spicy and slightly sour. Taking a bite of this savoury pastry took me back to the Summer of ‘24. The memories of sitting in a local Goan restaurant with friends, sampling local foods and enjoying feni, while decked out in Hawaiian shirts that got drenched in the morning rain, came rushing back to me. That three-day visit to Goa in the June of last year had me craving Goan food ever since, and I’m grateful to The Goan Bakery for fulfilling my cravings that remained unfulfilled for the better part of a year. It is not just former tourists like me who enjoy the convenience of having Goan fare in the city, but the small Goan Catholic community that stays in Amdavad also enjoys the bakery’s fare, with online testimonials describing how the authenticity and quality of food available here transports them to their days in Goa. The owners, too, are of Goan heritage, and I imagine the dream to bring Goan food to the city they live in would have been a driving factor behind the establishment of this place.
Their Mutton Puff was constructed slightly differently than the Prawn Puff, the latter being a compact, puck-shaped dish that exaggerated the crunchiness of the pastry, and its mutton counterpart being more “open” in its construction and having a slightly muted flavour. I did not enjoy it as much, the mutton being on the drier side, and the flavour of the meat not standing out as much as the flavour of prawn, but it's still a decent dish that is worth trying if it piques your curiosity.
I also enjoyed their Honey Chilli Chicken Poi Sandwich — constructed by filling fluffy Poi bread (a traditional Goan bread similar to a Pita) with pulled chicken soaked in honey chilli sauce. The Poi was immaculately baked, extremely soft and fluffy, and did not have much of a taste of its own, which was quite the departure from what I had in Goa, where the Poi was slightly harder, and had somewhat of a wheaty taste to it. This should not be mistaken as a complaint. The soft, somewhat tasteless Poi at Goan Bakery goes perfectly with the strongly flavoured and tender Honey Chilli Chicken that fills it.
What I looked forward to eating the most was their Chorizo Pao, the quest of which has eluded me for several months now. A twitter mutual insisted that Chorizo Pao was a must-try on my visit to Goa, but I surprisingly could not find it anywhere, and even got hurled abuses at by a vendor who took great offense to me assuming he would sell it. Months passed by, and I finally visited the establishment that is the subject of this piece, and my eyes lit up once I saw the words “Chorizo Pao” plastered over their display, only for my pupils to constrict in sadness once I realised that they were out of stock. A few weeks later, I returned again, hopeful to get my hands on this elusive dish, and was grateful to see one Chorizo Pao left in the bakery, and quickly grabbed it up before a rival customer could beat me to it. The Goan Bakery’s version of a Chorizo Pao takes a slight break from tradition, and does not feature a “pao” per say, but rather, an incredibly fluffy bun, garnished with black and white sesame seeds and filled with spicy pork sausage. This was one of the more interesting items I had here, and I would definitely recommend it to everyone. However, it is to be noted that the sausage filling is not made in-house, and is sourced from Porky’s packaged Goan Pork Sausages, which they sell in their store as well. Perhaps this would explain why the sausage filling was slightly more sour than expected, presumably because of the excess use of vinegar as a preservative to lengthen the shelf-life of a packaged product. I do not know if the fillings of their other fare is sourced from third parties or not, but it is always quite disappointing to learn that a food item you enjoyed was not entirely made in-house, and often evokes a Ramsay-esque reaction in me (albeit I am much less critical of the restaurants). Regardless, it’s worth trying if in the area.
Lastly, their Serra Durra, a Portuguese dessert made by layering whipped cream and crumbled biscuits. They serve a variety of Serra Durras, including in Biscoff, Caramel and Kunafa. I had the Classic Serra Durra, and it was good, but I felt the flavours were slightly muted from what I had in Goa (I recommend Bhatti in Nerul in particular), although the contrasting texture of the fluffy whipped cream and the crumbly biscuits was absolutely spot-on.
There was a lot more that I could not have, such as their Fruit Cakes, Babkas and Caramel Custard, as well as several to-go items that were too inconvenient to sample, such as freshly-made breads, cinnamon & raisin knots, Poi bread, ready-made Goan pickles, and ready-to-eat Goan curries. I feel it would be helpful to mention the availability of the same for people potentially wanting to visit.
I presume that I am not the only person in the city who fondly misses Goa. For many of us, Goa represents friendship, and the memories of the state are associated with some of the best times of our lives. For Amdavadis who have visited the state, this small bakery can remind us of the days spent with friends roaming around a wonderful paradise — the first trips of our lives with the people we love, the vigour of youth on the beaches and in the hostels, the carefree days of being an adolescent without responsibilities. One small bite of a Babka or a Serra Durra has the power to teleport you back to that fabled land, to a time when you weren’t bogged down by corporate mazdoori. For the Goan diaspora of the city, this bakery serves as a reminder of home — a bite of Poi bread reminding them of their grandmother’s house in the village, a morsel of Chorizo Pao which they would sneakily eat coming back from school or university. This place is more than just a physical space for most of its patrons; above all else it serves a reminder of the cherished times gone by.
Recommendations:
Prawn Puff (9/10), Mutton Puff (7/10), Chorizo Pao (8.25/10), Serra Durra (7.5/10)
Location:
Bodakdev Outlet: Shop No. 1 & 2, Corporate House, Judges Bunglow Rd, near Pakvan Char Rasta, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380054
South Bopal Outlet: Shop No. 3, Stella, opp. Flora Ixora, near Marigold, South Bopal, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380058