Hey Guys!
I know things have been quiet on the blog for the last month or so, but work at Digitally Scrambled has been keeping me on my toes! I’ve just been in front of my laptop for entire days and nights, and blogging has taken a back seat for the last couple of months. But oh well, business is booming and I can’t complain!
Anyway, I have been trying out a ton of old and new restaurants in Goa and thought I’d start sharing about Pink Flamingo first! Located on the busy Candolim strip, it’s quite close to Sonesta Inns, Artisan Backerei and Andores Resort and Spa, to name a few. The ever-bustling Candolim Main Road is lined with eateries on both sides, from end to end. The Pink Flamingo is located right opposite Fisherman’s Cove. Remember to turn on GPS when making your way to this Candlim restaurant – since there’s no glaring board or sign, it can be easy to miss.
FOOD AT THE PINK FLAMINGO
First off, the menu at this Candolim is extensive! I’d suggest going with a group so you can try a little of everything. And if you can visit for breakfast, even better. The menu features healthy breakfast bowls, and homemade waffles with a variety of toppings. They also have eggs done your way (including Portuguese Ovada which is eggs scrambled with onions, tomatoes, bacon, and chorizo).
Apart from veg and non-veg starters (which are the usual Indian, Chinese, and Continental picks), Pink Flamingo Goa’s menu also spans salads, sandwiches, and steaks. They also have the ever-popular Indo-Chinese Fare, Continental, seafood and meat, pizzas and pasta, Indian food (including tandoori items), and Goan cuisine.
To start with, we chose Butter Garlic Mushrooms and Deviled Chicken. Butter Garlic Mushrooms is fairly common on restaurant menus and we expected them to be served the usual way – tossed in butter garlic. However, Pink Flamingo presented it in a quite unusual avatar – the South Indian way – like ‘Boondas.’ Coated in a batter of rice and gram flour before being deep-fried, these vada-pao-like appetizers were quite filling. The wonderful earthy flavor of the mushrooms couldn’t really be appreciated in this dish. But, if you lean towards Indian food and steer clear of Continental fare, you’d probably find it more suited to your palate.
Coming to the Devilled Chicken, spiced sausages served with a pepper sauce on the side comprised of this dainty appetizer. When dining at restaurants in Candolim, starters like sausages, French Fries, and such nibbles the nice to start your meal with, especially when ordered with a cold mug of beer. How very Goan!
THE DRINKS
Skip the usual cold drinks and spirits at Pink Flamingo Goa and opt for one of their cocktails or mocktails instead. As delicious as they are colorful, their house-made drinks are indeed the stuff that great #GoaDiaries photos are made of!
The Beef Steak we ordered for mains was cooked just the way I asked for it but the portion was too large for me to polish off. Topped with a slice of ham and a fried egg, it also came served with tons of veggies on the side and a trio of sauces. If you like beef, you’ll find this to be a great main course order. My only grouse would be that the fried egg was cooked solid. If the yolk was left nice and runny, it would have added a whole new depth of flavour to the dish when cut into.
On the other hand, the Bacon Wrapped Chicken we also ordered was perfect! Mildly spiced, served with a generous heap of perfect creamy mashed potatoes on the side and of course, a lot of buttered veggies, this one is the way to an Englishman’s heart! With so many Europeans dining at the Pink Flamingo in Candolim while I was there, it’s easy to see why they’ve mastered this dish.
ENDING ON A SWEET NOTE
Can’t leave without dessert, can we? The dessert section of Candolim’s Pink Flamingo had the usual suspects like Ice Cream, Malai Kulfi, Bebinca and Gulab Jamun. That aside, there were some intriguing options like the ‘Fresh Fruit Knicker-Bocker Glory’ and equally tongue-twisting ‘Choc-Nut-Crunch Knicker-Bocker Glory.’ I didn’t opt for that as the server indicated that it was a large dessert, so I went for the Choco-Fudge Brownie with Ice-Cream instead. You could also pick Banana Fritters with Ice Cream, a deep-fried Mars bar or Pancakes – if you have the space for it!
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Have you been to The Pink Flamingo before? Honestly, with so many options on that stretch of road, it can be agonizing to pick a place to eat! Buttttt… if you follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, I’ll do all the legwork for you and offer you my tips on the best places to eat in Goa, the best hotels to stay at, and plenty of insider tips!
Until next time… happy hogging!
