The menu booklet they have placed in their well-known eatery has a picture of the duo on a Harley Davidson set against an idyllic backdrop. Turn a few pages and as you uncover more pictures of Southern India, you might be forgiven for thinking this is more of a travel-cum-culture guide book But then again, given that Suhas and Deepa Awchat are affable foodies, the restaurant — Goa
Portuguesa — which is just an extension of their passion for food and good living, follows suit. It’s quite un-missable — at a Mahim junction one has to pass from while traversing to town. “That was the biggest USP, the food apart of course,” admits Suhas. Deepa, whose recipes fire up the kitchen joins in, “You know, we never intended to start this as a business, it was our hobby and we made an effort to build it.”
That has translated into the place celebrating 21years today. And over the years it has played host to everyone from JRD Tata to Ramkrishna Bajaj, Lata Mangeshkar and Amitabh Bachchan. So what has been their recipe for success?“We love good food and socialising and that is what we brought to the table,” she smiles.
“Also, no one had heard of good home-cooked Goan vegetarian cuisine back then. People just associated Goa with seafood or non-vegetarian fare, I think we de-mystified that. I have also had to upgrade the menu and adapt it to the Mumbaikar’s palate. For instance, we have a dum aloo cafreal, which is actually a base for chicken gravy, so I guess our success is both sweet and spicy,” she laughs.
But that’s not all. Soon, South Mumbai and a few other suburbs might see a chain of Awchat’s eateries, with 22-year-old son Sudesh joining in. “It’s time,” says Suhas, “after all, there’s certainly more to life than butter chicken and palak paneer.”
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