If you’re wondering where Caravela Café is, you’d be surprised to know that you’ve most definitely driven past it as you enter Panjim. I have, too! We’ve passed it countless times, and a split-second glance into one of the lanes would have led you to this gem of a place that’s hidden from plain sight and known for serving all-day English breakfasts. A few surrounding landmarks include Marc Brown Café, Hotel Venite, one of Goa’s oldest restaurants, and the small, unavoidable petrol pump beside the Mandovi.
The Caravela Café began to provide the guests residing at Caravela Home Stay, a few seconds away, a place to dine. Even today, guests come to the café to avail of their complimentary buffet breakfast but the tiny café also caters to walk-ins.
Whether you’re looking for a quick breakfast spot on a harried Monday morning or prepping to enjoy a Sunday brunch feast, Caravela Café has something for every mood and occasion, without compromising on quality.
AMBIENCE
This small, cosy all-day café is quite charming, with innumerable knick-knacks, curios and teacups on shelves that look just like those your grandmother used to have. Various posters quip their love for coffee in witty one-liners, providing for some amusing reading material as you sip your brew. The building itself has one of those old Portuguese-style exteriors but the distinct vintage charm is maintained inside in small details like the striped tablecloth and furniture.
4 tables compactly fit in the outer room whereas the inner room is a little larger and spaced out. The juxtaposition of old and new is present here, the new being the sleek coffee machines brewing fresh coffee.
SERVICE
The owner of the restaurant, Carlos, and his father were around when I visited and offered suggestions on what to order. While I was there, another two tables filled up, and I noticed that as each new customer arrived, they found the food on a nearby diner’s table interesting, thus ordering the same. There seem to be a few crowd favourites at Café Caravela and dishes come to the table quickly.
FOOD
The café has a wide selection of brekkie items, the most popular being the all-day breakfasts. You can also choose from among cornflakes, soups served with pao, Snacks (Goan sausage bread, croquettes, potato chops), Sandwiches (BLT, tuna and cheese, ham, etc), salads, pasta, pizza, Goan specials such as Pork Balchao, Chicken Cafreal, Xacuti and Fejoida. Juices and teas were available. Coffee lovers are in for a treat as Caravela Café has a separate menu for coffees, featuring various kinds of beans and their house brand of coffee, Latin Quarter that boasts of deep flavour and rich aroma. You’ll find a tempting array of cakes and pastries, including carrot cake (my favourite!) and Pateis de Nata (egg tarts).
English Breakfasts have stood the test of time, and for me, is synonymous with a holiday. We can’t indulge in them every day, because, they aren’t the healthiest thing in the world – so when you do have one, make sure it’s amazing! The English breakfast features bacon, sausage, a hash brown, baked beans, tomato, sliced bread and eggs, your way. Wash it all down with a glass of juice and a hot beverage which is included. It all comes together to make a breakfast that’s better than the sum of its delicious parts!
Have you even lived if you haven’t tried Prawn Ressois? They are YUM… no, really, they’re YUM!! Addictive, actually! After nice, crispy beef patties, this is my favourite Goan snack (and sometimes the only reason I go to Café Xavier in Mapusa *confession*). So thrilled that I found them in Panjim, too, and they were just as great. This delicate breaded pastry is bite-sized, slightly crunchy on the outside and filled with a delicious melt-in-your-mouth prawn filling inside. I also tried the Bacon and Cheese Rissois, a new addition to the menu… and they taste as delicious as they sound!
While pancakes aren’t written on Café Caravela’s menu, there are signboards indicating that they are served with a couple of topping options. I was tempted to try the Banana and Nutella pancake and was quite liked them – warm, fluffy, tasted homemade and had those nice crispy edges I like.
I got a small bowl full of Nutella on the side – always a good thing, however, I wished that it would have been slightly warm so that it would have been easier to drizzle it on top. I’d order it again at brunch, tea-time, or whenever those sugar cravings hit.
Edit: I recently visited Cafe Caravela again to try out the latest additions on their menu. We started off with a few breakfast items – a plate of bacon and cheese rissois (couldn’t stop eating these!), a butter croissant and sausage roll, paired with two variants of their in-house coffee brand, Latin Quarter. If you like croissants and are in the mood to eat something substantial, their Ham and Cheese croissant is exceptionally good – it is absolutely loaded with fresh, warm ingredients and is so satisfying – you won’t feel like sharing, although you’d probably have to because it is quite large!
I’d highly recommend their glorious seafood pasta, which was the dish of the day for me! I usually gravitate towards pasta in Arabiata or Pesto sauces, but this spaghetti with shrimp in red sauce was out of the world good in its simplicity and flavour. The Omelette Ros was another dish that took me by surprise. A double omlette (with nice crunchy onions), doused in a lip-smacking coconut based gravy and served with Poee is the way to a Goan’s heart.
To balance out the over-indulgence and feel better about over-eating, I tried a Chicken Caesar salad, which again, didn’t disappoint. Would definitely order it again! Lastly, the beef roulade stuffed with tantalizing, spicy Goan Chorizo sausage wrapped up my meal on a satisfying note. Great quality beef (a rarity in Goa) stuffed with fiery chorizo and topped with veggies offered a fiesta of flavours. If you ever thought of visiting Cafe Caravela for breakfast, sleep in a little longer and visit for brunch instead. You will want to get the best of both worlds – breakfast and lunch at this quaint Panjim cafe.
Address: 27, 31st January Road, Panaji, Goa
Cost for two: Rs 700 approx
That wraps up my review of Café Caravela! Stay tuned to my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts for more delicious pictures!
Until next time!
P.S. My meal was sponsored, however, views, as always, are my own