TAVERNS OF GOA

MEENALI BAR- CHORAO ISLAND’S HIDDEN GEM TO ENJOY A DRINK OR TWO!

Aditi Malhotra Images by Armaan Malhotra

How exciting can it get when you hop on to a ferry, cross a river, reach one of Goa ' s largest islands, find a small tavern and take a sip of our original jungle juice, urak!

Sounds like bliss isn

't it? Goa is famous for its sun kissed beaches, but most people don 't know that it has a small archipelago of 17 islands rich in flora and fauna. Located on the largest of the 17 islands, Chorao Island is truly a hidden gem untouched by mass tourism. Chorao Island, with its Portuguese-styled manors and churches, is not just naturally picturesque but also home to the offbeat Salim Ali bird sanctuary and some old charm taverns that you cannot miss visiting. You have to take a ferry from Ribandar to reach the island. In the third-fourth century, Indo-Aryans settled on Chorao island and the island' s history begins there. Local legends claim that only 10 families initially settled here, mostly Shenvi Brahmins. It is said that Chodan was the original Konkani name for the island and that Yashoda, Lord Krishna ' s mother, threw away the jewels to create it. While exploring this beautiful island, we came across this small old-world kind of tavern called Meenali Bar. Something about it seemed inviting and we decided instantly to stop by. It is spread across 2 floors, when I say spread don ’t think its very huge and big, it still is a small bar, but with 2 seating areas. While the lower floor is more like a restaurant with benches, the upper floor has a balcao kinda feel to it and looks like an amazing place to chill with your group of friends or family. We visited it right in time for Urak season and what better than to indulge in an authentic Urak drink overlooking the blue skies and mesmerising greens. In contrast to bottled feni, which can be purchased in a liquor store, urak requires you to have great Goan friends or visit local bars & taverns that make Urak cocktails.

Tourists are deluged with its more popular cousin, feni, that they are unaware of this drink. Using ripe cashew apples, urak is the first distillation of these apples. Urak is consumed by Goans throughout the summer and stopped after the first shower of rain in June. Just like summer flowers, it vanishes with the rain and has a short shelf life. At Meenali Bar, the owner himself brought us some fresh Urak, some green chillies, lemon wedges and of course Limca. Urak and Limca are said to be a match made in heaven and you have to try it to believe it. So he poured a generous peg of Urak in a glass, then added a slit green chilli and muddled it a bit, poured some limca over it, a dash of salt and in goes a lemon wedge. Voila, the jungle juice was ready. With a vibrantly painted wall on one side and the balcony overlooking the road and greens, sipping this Urak drink at Meenali Bar was an experience of its own kind. Although at that time, we did not eat anything there, but whenever you happen to visit, remember to ask them for their specials and I am sure their local Goan delicacies will be loved by you as much as you would enjoy their drinks. Truly, these taverns of Goa have a charm of their own that is unmatched. Have you been to Meenali Bar yet?