Remember Vasco da Gama, the famous Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea… Just like he made a couple more voyages to India after this initial journey, I too am dreaming of going back to Da Gama again, the Portuguese restaurant in Century Village, named after Vasco da Gama, obviously, to try the rest of the Portuguese dishes that I couldn’t on my first visit.
Century Village is a village on its own. As I walked through the main gate, it was as if I had reached a different world. Beautiful fountains and flowers adorn the walkway with music playing in the background. The outdoor seating area is perfect when the weather is cool while the indoor area is perfect for the summer.
I was joined by a few friends and as it was Lent season, I stuck to the vegetarian part of the menu while my friends enjoyed veg. and non-veg., we started off by ordering drinks, I had the Naked Colada while they had Shirley Temple, Lady Suzi and Fruit Cup. If there is one mocktail that you must have at Da Gama, then it has to be Naked Colada. Not because I tried it but because that was really yum and delicious with the pineapple and the coconut flavours.
Starters were plentiful with Baked Nachos, Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers and Wasabi Prawns from the Tapas menu and a Spicy Thai Salad. The highlight for me was the crispy fried cheese stuffed jalapenos…. Crispy on the outside and deliciously cheesy and spicy. The baked nachos was a presented as a huge bowl made of nachos itself and filled with nachos, olives, jalapenos and cheese and served with sour cream, guacamole and salsa dips. The salad was refreshing, and the prawns was delish according to my foodie friends.
We were quite full after this but how could we not try their mains when the menu looked so promising. Each of us ordered a dish but little did we realise that the portion sizes were huge and could be easily shared between two. I opted for a Veg. Thai Curry which was a red curry as opposed to the Thai green curry and it was served with steamed rice. It did look very simple but it was loaded with flavours. I initially thought of having just a few spoons but I couldn’t stop, I just kept going on and on.
The situation was pretty similar on the other side of the table too with Seafood Al Forque and Dagama Discovery. The Seafood platter looked tempting with grilled salmon, mussels and shrimps and topped with creamy mustard sauce, on the side were mashed potatoes and grilled veggies. Dagama Discovery is chicken that has been marinated in peri-peri sauce and flame-grilled on a skewer. It is served on a hanging skewer with mashed potatoes, grilled veggies and a dip on the side. According to trust-worthy sources, these were delicious.
Desserts are the best way to end a good meal. Keeping that thought in mind, we had Tiramisu and Lemon Grass Crème Brulee. Fans of tiramisu will enjoy this one but I’m not fond of coffee in desserts. The crème brulee was different from the usual ones in that the lemon grass flavour was quite strong and it does take a few spoonfuls to enjoy but it wasn’t owerpowering.
Overall, a great place to spend some wonderful time in the company of good food, friends and family. It is child-friendly too. They also serve alcohol and shisha.
Lizbethology 