SOGO Bar & Grill, Varca – South Goa : Restaurant Review

It is July, and it is pouring in Goa. 

As the pitter patter hits the car roof, the windscreen fogs up and the street lights are a bokeh on the windows. We find ourselves browsing for a pub that carries the night in the same “spirits”.

Guided by the visuals and reviews on Zomato, we zero down on Bar Sogo in Varca. The photos promise an elite bar ambience, and some scrumptious looking bar snacks – just what we were looking for.

Varca is an hour’s drive. But if the place is anything like the promised pub, it might just be worth it.

After traversing the smaller roads of the village, we arrive at an empty parking lot in front of an unidentifiable facade of a building. It is only google maps and the night watchman who are certain that we are in the right place.

We are met with hospitality as we disembark, and are guided inside. The ground floor has the trappings of a typical hotel lobby. As we climb the stairs, the room gets darker and we are told to push a door that is flush against the wall.

We open the door and enter the promised world – a beautiful elegantly designed pub.

Massive glass panels make up for the rear facade of the pub overlooking a field. 

The seating area and the tables have the most elegant set-up, and beautifully dimming lights at the table and the peppy music in the background make for just the right ambience for a night to remember. 

The bar itself is an extravagant spectacle. With all the right check marks, we are extremely pleased with our find.

As we take a table, we wonder if we are too early – we are the only guests so far. But the staff seems to be carrying on in their own stride, undeterred by the emptiness.

Sceptically, we order the first round of the regular spirits, and scroll through the food menu, which is different and smaller than the one we had seen in the images. We warily ask for some fries to test the waters.

As we sip, speak and vibe to the lovely music, the fries arrive. They’re crispy, juicy, fresh, and tossed in peri peri like we asked. We are loving it, and now the chef has earned our confidence.

We order another round of drinks, decide to go for some real food.

We ordered a Mushroom Pate and a spaghetti aglio olio with chicken. And just like the fries, they arrive in a jiffy.

The Mushroom Pâté is beautifully plated – a smooth and creamy pâté in the middle topped with caramelized onions, herbs and olives, flanked by toasted bread sliced paper thin.

The creaminess of the pâté coupled with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the crispiness of the toasted bread is a match made in heaven. And contrary to its appearance, the dish is extremely light.

We then try the Aglio Olio. Spaghetti has disappointed us before in most places. Appearances are deceptive, more so in the case of spaghetti. The key is to cook it for just the right span of time.

As I twirl the first fork into my spoon, I throw in the herbed chicken topping and take my first bite – the textures, the flavors and the aromas make me wonder if this is the first time I had real spaghetti. The spaghetti is cooked to perfection, the parmesan cheese sprinkled on top melts in beautifully and the herbed chicken complements the dish surprisingly well. 

Now we really wonder what other surprises could be in store. So we ask our waiter to recommend a dessert. He recommends the chef’s special which is not listed on the menu – freshly cut mangoes with sticky rice.

At this stage, skepticism has left the building, and I trust the chef more than my own doctor. We say bring it on!

As we wipe clean our spaghetti and pâté, we gulp down our drinks in anticipation. And in a moment arrives the chef’s special.

Just as it was described, there’s mango & there’s sticky rice. On the side is served a coconut milk reduction. Once again, impeccably presented. The mango is thinly sliced, and you already know that the sticky rice is definitely more than what meets the eye.

We pour some of the coconut milk reduction onto the dessert, and dig in.

The first bite widens my eyes with surprise. Who could have known that a fresh sweet mango could go so well with sticky rice! The raw texture of the mango is brilliantly subdued by the chewiness of the sticky rice. The sweetness and tanginess of the mango is perfectly complemented by the saltiness in the coconut milk and the rice.

Tonight, the dessert takes the cake!

It was a gastronomical experience at a bar above and beyond our expectations.

As we clear the bill and get ready to leave, we realise that it is closing time and there are still no guests. But the staff is undeterred, and we are glad it wasn’t us who missed out on a magical night! 

– Guest post by BK