sublime

we've been going to sublime every trip to goa. thistimehonestly, the food was good but this place just lost 6 of their loyal customers. not only we were served super late but no body was present at the floor to attend us, we had to go inside to ask for plates. the food that was promised to us did not come as expected. the waiting staff asked us themselves if they should split our steak in six portions and gave us 1 cold steak and then disappeared again. the prawn risotto had only 2 prawns and we're bland.

great location and food!

we have been to goa many many times but never tried sublime. we came here for a "survival brunch" party after a wedding couple years ago. we had a lovelytimeon the beach which is 2 min from the restaurant (beachfront) and then we sat down to have some lunch. 

we tried many dishes from raw tuna, beef carpacio, kingfish carpacio, salads, steak, and their grand dessert ensemble which was delicious! would definitely return back to this place. kudos!

i visited goa for the firsttimea few years back and went to sublime based on a recommendation from a friend. now everytimei 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 firsttimei 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 looked great presentation wise. the lettuce was crisp and juicy which gave you a nice crunch everytimeyou 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!

true to its name! after a few too many beer-and-chip lunches at the beach, we decided it wastimefor some "real" food by candlelight. the encrusted portobello mushroom with pumpkin cream, potato gratin, pesto and garlic crostini was a sensuous explosion of flavors. sublime also gets brownie points for its wonderful staff, super-friendly resident german shepherds and craft cocktails.

truly sublime! best seafood i ve had in a long time. chicken dim sum was delicious and so was the baked camembert salad. the vegetarian mains (lentil stuffed zucchini and the grilled mushroom with potato gratin) was super tasty and on point. we also tried the chinese five spice sous vide pork belly which was disappointing. the pork was tough and over-cooked. another thing that bothered me was the lack of ventilation. at lunchtimeit was about 30 degrees c and the table we got was located in one of the corners (no where near the fans). it was super hot and this made it very difficult for us to just relax and enjoy our meal... but all the other dishes were so good that it made up for that one bad dish and the lack of ventilation.

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 a great time! the place provides a great view 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 a great balance and all this to go with wine! we also ordered fish and prawn pancakes which received kind of mixed reviews among us 4 but still great nonetheless. all in all a greattimewas 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. :)