Lady Baga Lower Parel Mumbai | Vegetarian Authentic Goan Feast | Food Review | Food Photography

It has been some time since I have been to Goa. And even when I was there, I was in company of some ardent meat-loving friends who were not going to spend any time searching for vegetarian fare for me (I know, I need new friends :P). So literally for the 2 days that we were there, I lazed on the beach like a whale and subsisted on salads. Thus the invite to review Lady Baga brought back those memories with the eternal question-''hmm, as a vegetarian, what would I even eat here?'' I nearly gave up on the idea, but at the last moment my friend convinced me to at least check it out..and boy, was I surprised! 

So strange that I have come to appreciate Goa's vegetarian culinary offerings by tasting them here in Mumbai. First of all, Kudos to everyone at Lady Baga for not just throwing in customary 'paneer tikka' and 'naan-paneer kadhai' combos for vegetarians, rather there is a very well thought-out and put together menu with delicious Goan vegetarian dishes. Secondly, full marks to them for superb Goan hippie ambiance, so much vibrance and positivity in the air, absolutely top-notch service and value for money price points (considering quantity, quality and location!)

Started off with drinks-

Non-Alcoholic version of BAGA BONG- Grapefruit juice, Orange, Passion fruit and sugar syrup, AMAZING, extremely refreshing, not overly sweet.

LEMONADE TWIST- Beautiful to look at, citrusy beauty to gulp down. Orange, Pineapple, Lemon, Soda, Sprite, a lot of Goan charm. Try it.

For food, I got the perfect package-

For starters, had CHARGRILLED PANEER SKEWERS in CAFREAL marination  (high spice level) and MUSHROOM SKEWERS in RECHEADO marination which was simply BAE, this flavor explodes on the palate, MUST-MUST-MUSTT HAVE. 

VEGETARIAN THALI- HUGE portions, in fact 1 Thali is enough for 2 light eaters! Lovely mix of dishes to give a glimpse of Goan spices, vegetables, bread in one meal. There was-

Corn-Cheese Tikki- Yum, could have had more if there wasn't a giant thali to finish :P, 

Stuffed Mirchi- Not spicy at all!, 

Paneer & 3 Bean Roce- wholesome gravy full of protein, 

Channa and Tendli Sabzi- MUST-HAVE, I couldn't believe how Tendli could ever taste sooooo good!, 

Dal- While in Punjabi cuisine, black dal reigns supreme, here this is the more homely yellow dal version, the one I prefer actually :), 

Dry Vegetables mix with chole (prepared in very non-Punjabi way!), 

Poee- Goa's special bread that goes well with any sabzi or dal, fell in love with this, they bake it fresh in-house everyday, 

Steamed Rice -perfect to go with paneer gravy, 

Papad, Pickle, Chaas and Doodhi ka Halwa as dessert.

In one word- PERFECT meal. There is a distinct use of coconut and spices in Goan cuisine that is shown nicely through all the dishes in this thali. LOVED it.

In DESSERT, had the eggless SERRADURA which is a very simple dish - layers of whipped cream, condensed milk and cookies crumble, have all the layers at once and it is very comforting (also has minimal sweetness level, so some people might find it a bit bland, it is a classic though). 

Overall, Lady Baga has enchanted this hungry hippo. Bon Appetit!