Goa-Doodle-Do

http://goa-doodle-do.com/

Goa-Doodle-Do has been on our wishlist for quite some time, Goan food is definitely something that we wanted to try, particularly L who is a major fan of anything remotely spicy.

So, we were quite excited when we finally found time to book a table. Unfortunately, we were left somewhat disappointed by the whole experience, which is strange as there are some great reviews on Urbanspoon.

Firstly, we were seated in the worst table, despite there being about three other tables that we could have sat at. We were right at the back near the kitchen, and everytime someone walked past (which was quite often when the waitstaff took food and drinks from the kitchen) the whole table shook as there is a strange elevated floating platform in the restaurant. Also, my back was freezing everytime someone opened the fridge (yes we were that close). We asked to move however, and were accommodated with our request. The waitstaff were all generally really pleasant thankfully.

We ordered a jug of sangria, which we liked and was quite delicious, and a bargain at around $15.

Our entrees were a half serve of lentil stuffed pappadums ($6) and a half serve of goan bread ($5), which we also really liked. The goan bread was stuffed with very spicy chorizo and was accompanied by a tangy salsa verde, and was definitely the highlight of the evening. The lentil stuffed pappadums were a bit bland by themselves but when dipped in their accompanying sweet chilli dip were also really good. 

Our mains were unfortunately, not great.

L orderd Goan pork sorpotel ($14). This boasted of being a delicacy in goa and “something you’ve never tried before”. The dish presented itself as being very home-made looking curry, and not something we’d like to pay for in a restaurant. The pork was cut up into tiny pieces which were quite dry and almost chewy. The dish was spicy but otherwise had quite bland flavours and the sauce was quite watery. 

I ordered the Goan spiced lamb ($27.50), and was told that it was rather a large piece so we would have to wait a bit longer for it. When it came out, it was certainly massive, but an extremely unattractively presented dish. I could appreciate the spicy rub all over the lamb as being flavoursome, however the dish was quite overcooked and the meat very dry. Being a lamb shoulder, it was also quite difficult to cut up into edible pieces. The meat was atop a coriander and spinach potato bake, which wasn’t really anything special, and I have to say, I’ve had better potato bakes. There was also a massive amount of greasy oil on the plate.

Was it that we just ordered the wrong dishes? Were they having an off night? I don’t want to be too harsh about Goa-Doodle-Do as we really wanted to like it, but it was overall a bit disappointing. 

Love,

C