sublime

we visited sublime as i was really craving somegreattacos. the restaurant is very beautifully made and is nestled in a lot of greenery. the food lives up to its expectations both on presentation and taste.
the only issue we had (which is big enough that we may not want to go back) is the absence of hospitality in the place. the owner is cold and even comes across as rude.the chef made conversations with guests he seemed to know as friends but not beyond. the staff goes around mechanically running between tables. there is no sense of being "welcomed" or "warmth". if anything we felt we were over-staying our welcome and rushed to finish our food and get out.

chris is an excellent host. his menu is inventive, imaginative, and extremely creative. he has agreatsense of what might go well with what.

docking a star because his staff sometimes fails to execute his recipes properly. definitely visit when in the area.

a-mazing, was blown away with the simple yet so many complex textures in the food prepped here. the watermelon and feta salad was not something you talk about but the nicely balanced simple dish definitely was my highlight among others. the ambience isgreatand nestled in a old porto goan house they make the experience very serene.. must visit if you are in goa!

i visited goa for the first time a few years back and went to sublime based on a recommendation from a friend. now every time i visit goa, i make it a point to have a meal there during my stay.
 
sublime is the perfect example of fusion cuisine that has been done well. the myriads of flavor pallets, textures, and spices, are perfectly blended without overpowering each other to create a new cuisine of its own. it's a well designed mix of formal gourmet styles with hints of inspiration from across asia and goa.

the focus is on the fresh and organic ingredients which create a lasting impression. the first time i visited the restaurant it was located on the beach which created a relaxing ambience that made you feel like you were truly on vacation. it has now shifted to assagao where they have recreated the same ambience but with a different aesthetic. the vibe is still very romantic with dim lighting, candles, beautiful furniture, it creates more of a polished look than a laid back one as you are eating surrounded by the vivid architecture of the classic portugese style villa.

both times i have gone there for dinner but i know that their menu varies through the seasons and also through the different times of day offering lighter courses during lunch hours and more heavier and decadent ones during the evenings. 

this particular evening we decided to order the following dishes:

1. asian style chicken salad cups; with mint, tamarind, and fried garlic: rating: 3.5/5

the salad cups lookedgreatpresentation wise. the lettuce was crisp and juicy which gave you a nice crunch every time you bit into it. the chicken was also cooked well, not too dry. the only thing that stood out to me was that the marinade was a bit too tangy. it could possibly have had too much tamarind. i felt it needed more of the peanut sauce to balance it out.

2. dynamite prawns: rating 5/5

the prawns were amazing. perfectly crunchy and fiery in every bite. the sauce was not too overpowering as they had coated the prawns with just the right amount of it. they were also cooked extremely well, soft on the inside and a bit of a crisp on the outside. 

3. sous vide cooked belly of pork; with chinese five spice, elephant food yam, carrot puree, green beans, red wine reduction demi glaze and crispy onion rings. rating 5/5

usually i avoid pork belly as it is extremely heavy but this was anything but. there was an earthiness flavor created from the red wine reduction which was absorbed into the meat making it soft and tender. the belly practically melted in your mouth and was paired with crunchy onion rings to balance the texture of this dish. 

4. emperors balls with salted caramel and sesame: rating 6/5

delicious! crunchy on the outside and chewy and creamy on the inside. you would never think salted caramel and sesame would go together but they actually the pair up quite nicely. this desert is not too sweet or salty, well balanced in flavor and texture. 

overall i had a wonderful meal and would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting goa!

fantastic food and service. very high quality ingredients and clever and beautiful preparation. bira on tap andgreatcocktails, and a bunch of tables in the sand. perfect place to spend an afternoon.

rude staff - unfortunate.
made a reservation at sublime for a party of 10 (all looking forward to somegreatfood as have been here a few times before). on getting into the restaurant was seated and subsequently unattended for 15 mins. walked up to the bar to order drinks as we could tell that the place was under staffed. was very rudely told to sit back down and orders are only taken at the table. sheepishly complied with my tail between my legs. another 5 mins go by with no one even glancing at our table of 10. when i asked the server to help us he rudely shouted across the tables to his manager that the manager should have not taken our reservation as they were understaffed. unable to sit through this humiliation we left for a super evening at bora bora next door. good luck and god speed sublime - you can't survive ofgreatfood alone in goa anymore. have to back it up with bare minimum service at the least.

ok, so i've been to sublime a few times now, but i'm still waiting for that perfect meal. chris (the owner) has agreatpassion for his place and that comes through by his good networking with all his customers, but he's somewhat let down by the staff. example - on my last visit, i ordered the clams with goan chorizo, but was instead given an assortment of seafood and shellfish curry. alright, it wasn't bad and it was their last trading day of the season, but that's no excuse for getting an order wrong, especially as they write down the orders. i would go again, purely for its location, but i really think the food needs to step up.

one of the best places to have european food in goa! the place maybe a little difficult to locate but once you do, you're in for agreattime! the place provides agreatview and it is located right on the beach! apparently the owner sleeps on this lofty perch in the restaurant with a view of the beach and sea. coming to the food we ordered mushroom soup which was excellent with an assortment of breads. we also ordered mediterranean seafood bowl which had clams prawns and a gamut of other seafood things but it all tasted good with agreatbalance and all this to go with wine! we also ordered fish and prawn pancakes which received kind of mixed reviews among us 4 but stillgreatnonetheless. all in all agreattime was had by big foodies looking for " hidden gems" in goa!

ps: we got know about this place because it was featured in one of the india today articles. :)