Have you ever gone down the same street for so many decades that it just becomes part of your routine? You don’t look around anymore, don’t notice anything… you’re just on the way to wherever you need to be. The CHOGM Road from Saligao to Porvorim (and all the shops, houses and restaurants that line the street) is like that for me. I stare aimlessly out the window of my car and raise an eyebrow at new constructions, the older ones have faded into the subconscious. That’s why I never noticed Prime Rose, a restaurant in Saligao that has probably been around for longer than I have.
Prime Rose, Sangolda
When I was a kid, it looked like an old-school tavern, with its batwing doors shielding its entry passageway from curious eyes. It had this sort of mystery about it – and not the good kind… like the type of dubious place you don’t want to be seen at.
Cut to modern-day, and it has a new lease of life with a swanky new black exterior – that is even more mysterious, but is sleek and seductive at the same time. While Prime Rose Goa was a book judged by the cover before, I thought it was time to finally flip through the pages.
IRISH PUB FEELS IN SANGOLDA, GOA
Prime Rose in Sangolda is located just after AJ Supermarket if you’re travelling from Saligao. From the moment you set foot inside, it’s cool, dark ambience makes you forget that you’re here in the morning – it has sombre interiors and windows that block out any sunshine, instantly putting you into ‘night at the pub’ mood.
Pictures of music legends from Elvis Presley to the Beatles line its bottle green and bare brick walls, there is an option of bench seating and stiff-looking chairs to sit on, and a bar with high chairs is located the other end – it all screams ‘Irish Pub.’ The only thing missing is the friendly hubbub of chatter. Except for the fantastic old playlist that belts out hit after hit from the time when music was still music, there are no voices that reverberate off the walls.
This handsome resto-pub in Goa is located in a Portuguese house, and most rooms that are converted into seating areas are tastefully done, with sunlight streaming in through the glass panes between the roof tiles like they do at home. The smoking zone (a non-a/c room) seems to be slightly neglected, and in it, a forlorn-looking pool table is in need of repair.
CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS OVER FOOD AND GOOD MUSIC IN SALIGAO
The menu is vast, to say the least, and you will be spoilt for choice. I started with salads – because I feel like going on a health spree once in a way. While all the salads looked phenomenal, I picked the Chicken Pesto Salad with Thai Chilli Dressing and the Pesto Chicken came served with oranges, arugula, mozzarella, slices of green apple, a delicious thai chilli and ginger dressing and plenty of pine nuts. Mind Blown! I mean, if salads were this flavourful, I’d eat them every day!
Next up, we tried the Hummus, but I must confess, I’d already tried it at an event they catered a few weeks before. When I asked the event organizers where the hummus was from and they mentioned it to be a place down the street from where I lived, I’d made up my mind to visit Prime Rose on the double, for another helping. It is worth going here for the Hummus alone or else you can order it online from Swiggy for a lazy evening meal at home.
I can’t resist good ol’ fried chicken and so we opted for Fried Chicken Overdose, which were little rolls of herbed chicken in breadcrumbs, served with a spicy cheese sauce and mayo. It’s hard not to like this delicious snack!
For mains, the staff suggested that I opt for Indian Food but somehow it didn’t feel right tucking in to Butter Chicken and Roti in a place with such a cool retro-pub vibe going on. We skimmed through the Italian, Mexican, Indian, Goan, Chinese and Seafood sections to find another page curiously titled ‘Main Course.’
The chicken section here comprised of dishes very similar to each other, and we opted for chicken stuffed with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, supplemented with mashed potatoes, broccoli, yellow squash and served with balsamic vinegar reduction. Wonderfully fresh flavours make it a healthy, filling, guilt-free meal for one… or for two, if you overload on appetizers as we did.
I absolutely did not have an inch of space for my favourite part of the meal – dessert! I waddled my way out of Prime Rose, this charming little Goan pub, and was home in less than 2 minutes to slip into bed and into a food coma. Because that’s how you do Sunday right!
Let’s hope Prime Rose begins pulling in the crowd and becomes the cracking community asset it is poised to be. Whenever you’re going to visit, holler at me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and I may just hop down the street to join you. Until then, keep eating and keep discovering.
If you like Prime Rose, you may also like these other resto-pubs in Goa. Check out my posts on Soro in Siolim and Black Sheep Bistro in Panjim. In Mumbai, you could always check out Kaitlyn’s Beer Garden, Pa Pa Ya and Hard Rock Cafe! While in Pune, Club 29 in Wakad has one of the coolest resto pubs in the city.