A perfect gün batımı at Izgara
Izgara in Turkish means to grill — and man, could this Chef grill. They serve Halal friendly Middle-Eastern food. I’ll be honest, what pulled me to this restaurant was the roof top, a few photographs (look below). What better way to spend your evening than a beautiful roof top sunset, right? But as I walked in, I was welcomed with this burst of warmth and hospitality. Everyone was so kind. Me & My friend went over to the bar for a couple of drinks (He had mocktails, I of course made use of all the cocktails. Just a tad bit of information, I love Alcohol). If you’re a teetotaller, you know that more often than not, mocktails can be really boring after a point, or is that just what we alcohol drinkers think? I mean I often wonder how a person can drink so much fizz without being intoxicated, but thats just my personal opinion. So we sat at the bar and ordered a couple of drinks, and oh my god — I have never had a tastier Mocktail before. Yes. A Mocktail. It was beautiful. With every sip I took, it had all my senses tingling (I know I sound like I’m talking about a man, but honestly, a Mocktail). I decided I would take back my words about Mocktails being boring after having tried this delicious mix of Watermelon, Pineapple and Betel Leaf. Betel Leaf! I mean, in Paan — yes, but in a drink? Mind blowing. It was absolutely beautiful.
You know usually when a bartender tells you, “i’m going to make you try something you’ve never had before” and you smirk internally thinking, thats what they all say… and then he gives you something you’ve never had — I think in that very moment, you are sold.
On to the food. I would like to admit I didn’t look at the menu much at Izgara’s. I didn’t need to. Confession: I happen to be one of those girls that often after a couple of amazing Cocktails later, cannot concentrate on the Menu. Specially when the Menu is half Turkish and Half English, I found myself trying very hard to read the Turkish bits — maybe that’s my way of showing appreciation to the generous Bartender. Which is why I loved the fact that the staff was so wonderful. They were constantly there to help me out. In fact the manager, Anthony, was so wonderful that I would tell him what I feel like eating and he would give me a smile, and come back with a delicious meal prepared as though it was customised for me. I swear I could’ve been Jasmin from Aladin. My very own food Genie. He knew just what I wanted (which is funny, because even I didn’t know what I wanted, that’s talent).
For Appetisers, Anthony got us Hummus and Pita bread, Greek Salad, Shish Chicken and Lamb Kabab and Tiger Prawns. The Greek Salad was beautifully flavoured. Highlight for me would’ve been the Feta Cheese. It was mouth watering. I am not a big fan of Lamb because unlike Chicken, Lamb is quite chewy, unless cooked exceptionally well — and this Lamb, was cooked exceptionally well. The Tiger Prawns too were a show stopper for me. Everything was just so perfectly done, the ingredients to the service to the marination, that all I could possibly do is enjoy the breeze, sip on my alcohol & enjoy the food. Izgara basically aren’t kidding when they state on their menu that “pick your choice of Sea Food and we will cook it to your taste”. It is an absolute art to know what a stranger wants, and they’ve seemed to have mastered it!
On to the Main Course, My friend ordered a Tenderloin Beef Steak. I once again couldn’t decide what kind of Fish I wanted — I’m a sucker for Sea Food. So Anthony got me the Morrocan King Fish Steak, and he threw in one piece of King Fish & one Basa — now they don’t usually mix the two but they were willing to do it for me & kudos to that. Honestly, a huge appreciation for the chef for experimenting here. I love nothing more than a Chef that’s willing to do something different just to please the customer. And it turned out wonderful. At the risk of sounding extremely repetitive, I’m still going to say this, but everything was just so well marinated. It’s been an extremely long time since I have eaten meat that’s so well marinated that the tastes are soaked in to the very core of the meat.
By the end of the meal, we were all ready to skip Dessert because of how full we were from the delicious meal, but Anthony insisted we try their famous turkish desert, the Baklava, which is a layer of mixed nuts between a filo pastries. It’s sweet and cripsy with lots and lots of mixed nuts. I am not someone who has a strong sweet tooth, but if you love sweets — this is a must do for you. It’s an extremely heavy desert so I would suggest ordering one portion between 2–3 of you. Honestly, I almost considered taking away one for my mom back in Bombay, because she has a massive sweet tooth.
Over all, I’d like to conclude that my experience at Izgara was nothing but special. An over all experience is made up of not just good food, but multiple factors. And Izgara passed them all. From their service, to their warmth, to the friendly staff, the mouth watering food, the tasty drinks and the ambience. Everything was wonderful. I would definitely recommend you visit the place next time you’re in Goa.
What you’ll love: The Watermelon, Pineapple, Betel Leaf Mocktail.
Can’t Miss: Their art of Marination. It’s just beyond beautiful.
Click for address: Izgara
Approx: 1,800 for two people.
