Restaurant Review – Anand Seafood

If you ever want to eat the best seafood in Goa, take my advice. You have to step away from the seashore – away from the beach shacks offering assembly line type food at exorbitant prices. Head inland to the eateries that are located near the fields, with tiled roofs and plastic furniture. For a seafood aficionado, it’s a goldmine, as far as fresh fish is concerned.

Anand Seafood is a tiny restaurant in Siolim that is gaining more reputation as the days go by. From being reviewed by patrons daily on Trip Advisor and Zomato, it has been picked up by Listicle websites, who rank it among the top seafood joints in the state.

Nowhere else will you see a flock of waiting people one hour before a restaurant has even opened. Customers start coming in at 12 noon, and by 1 pm, you will find not less than 30 people standing around, eyeing tables and watching people in the hopes that glaring will make them eat faster!

THE AMBIANCE
At first glace, Anand’s looks like a brick house from the front and a run down mill from the side. But the whiff of fresh fish on the fire will lead you in by your nose. The outdoor seating area is rustic – enclosed with a simple wooden railing around the periphery. It is surrounded by trees and faces the fields with breeze is so strong that you would think you’re on the beach. The first time I visited was during the monsoons for dinner. Though it is very dimly lit at night, and the sides were covered with plastic sheets, the breeze still had the place well ventilated.

A small indoor restaurant houses about 4-5 tables and is slightly loud and congested. But at a place where people wait for a table for hours, even sitting inside would do.

SERVICE
The service is lightening fast – A peppy waiter will be at your table to take your order and will vanish before you have a chance to have second thoughts. And should you think of ordering something after the waiter has left, tough luck. You will need to wait until your order arrives to place another one – no amount of hand waving or shoulder tapping will work.

I can’t help but admire the memory that the staff have. With such fast moving table changes and each one ordering 4-5 items, it’s a wonder that they can remember it without a notepad. Or maybe I just have a bad memory

FOOD
Anand’s doesn’t have freezers to store seafood. It comes in fresh, and once it’s sold out, it’s gone. They only recently started providing a menu. I preferred it when they didn’t have one and you had to ask the waiter what fish they had for the day.

None of the fish have prices mentioned, it depends on the size, of course. But the prices are so reasonable, I guarantee you will be surprised once you’ve eaten a dozen things and find an unexpectedly small number on your bill (unless you drank a lot :D).

The fish thali has become a benchmark for all fish thalis in Goa, and rightfully so – because it’s fantastico! A large quantity of rice and a small bowl-full of green coconut-based fish curry will remind you of your grandma’s cooking if your roots are in Goa. It’s homely, consistent in flavor and will have you licking your fingers. This is accompanied by a large slice of perfectly cooked and flavorful rava fried king fish, tangy mixed veg pickle and two vegetable dishes that vary. If you’re lucky, you may get the Goan dried prawn kismur, which beats them all!

Every time someone talks about Anand Seafood, I go into Homer-Simpson mode and drool over the rava fried Xinanio (Mussels). Anything rava fried is great, but the mussels at Anand? Epic!! Definite must try.

The Chonak (Barramundi) was so fresh and tasty, you just can’t stop eating it! Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it is fried to perfection and bursting with flavor.

I ordered the Prawn Crispy, thinking it would be fried, but it turned out to be an Indo-Chinese dish. The prawns were huuuuge and succulent, drenched in the sweet-n-sour sauce.

There are three ways to order fish here – with rechiado masala, rava fried or the Chinese way. They’re all delicious, but everything is better fried, don’t you think?

There’s a lot that can be improved at Anand, but it’s one of those eateries who’s charm is maintained simply by being the way it is – chaotic, buzzing, with mind blowing seafood.

You should know:
Anand Seafood Timings – 11;30 AM to 3;30 PM and 6;30 PM to 11;PM.
Reach early – before 1;30.
Closed on Mondays.

Anything you particularly loved about Anand Seafood? Let me know in the comments below.
That’s all, folks!