Casa Goa

If you’re Mangalorean, East Indian or Goan, or a mix of all the above and are in Dubai, then there is no way that you still haven’t been to Casa Goa. You probably would not know the way to St. Mary’s Church but you sure do know the way to the sixth floor of the Palm Beach Hotel in Bur Dubai.

For those who are not Mangalorean, East Indian or Goan, or a mix of all the above and are maybe even not in Dubai, then let me tell you that Casa Goa is more than just a place that has Goa suffixed to its name. It’s a right of passage for all the Mangalorean, East Indian or Goan, and a mix of all the above and those by chance who are in Dubai to go and let their hair down, dance their worries away when they are quite drunk and get high licking the masala of the dish that probably had pork sorpotel about thirty seconds ago.

This place is easily the first place that I had been to when I first came to Dubai. Just like then, almost 3 years back, I didn’t think too much of the interiors which very sadly bears no resemblance to any sort of character that is remotely Goan. The ceiling is sort of layered with a bit of cross thatch, to probably give you the idea that you are in a village, or give you that feeling that you are at home (this is assuming that all the brethren there have come from thatch houses). Well very frankly it does not work and nor does the arrangement of the tables, which according to me can be a lot lot better. But yet it still works for all the very undemanding and very understanding clientele that come in there. There are no TV screens around except for one, which kind of limits your options of watching any sport games. With movies normally being the popular and unanimous choice to be played on mute, I guess it’s only when there is a cricket match that involves India that there is any sort of sport that is actually shown there.

But what it lacks in interiors and character is very well covered up and taken care of by the wonderful food and the live entertainment that they have to offer. Now the live entertainment is one man, one band, one of a kind show. Going by the stage name of Cajjie (short for Cajetan) and responding to Cajjie otherwise as well when seen on the streets of Bur Dubai, he is Dubai’s very own Stevie Wonder (not blind though). Earlier he would seem very limited by his choice of play list, but he has gotten a lot more diverse and better since the first time I saw him play there. The music does vary on what kind of crowd is present on the night and what kind of requests they have, but there is a good chance you will hear him belt out the all time Konkani classics such as Mog Tuzo, Meera Meera, Juliana and Claudia. And be sure to be brave enough to join the blokes on the floor when he is belting out the ever popular, never say die, baila. Other than the Konkani regulars, there is a lot of English that he sings as well, varying from James Blunt, to Stevie Wonder and the Eagles, to the Beatles as well. So there is something for almost everybody.

Prior to the recession hitting in, the place was one of the most popular places to hang out at and was kind of hard to get a table if you didn’t have a prior reservation. Sometimes you were given a table but didn’t have enough chairs to sit on. The busy schedule and the success they enjoyed sometimes drove the staff there to be quiet cocky and a very big turn off. But post recession, unfortunately the place bears a deserted look where you can walk in on any day very easily and get a table and even manage to get service with a smile with an option of which chair you going to park yourself on.

Now if you’re onto some good goan masala and can handle the spice, then you have to give the food a good try. It’s a welcome change from the usual pub fare that is to offer in most places here. It’s quite relishing to eat a form of pork that has a decent serving of gravy on it. They do serve the butter chicken masala and maybe even a fried rice, but if you going to indulge at Casa Goa, there is no way you can give the pork ribs a miss. Very popular for its Goan cuisine, try out the pork vindaloo, potato chops and also the chicken cafreal all served with either rice or pav (Indian bread bun). Once again, be sure to check you level of spice tolerance, because for the few of you cant handle it, you will be eating more tissue than anything else if you are not careful.

Coming to the prices, over here, most things do certainly come at a price. Both food and drink are priced slightly higher than most other establishments. Many may wonder what keeps them from reducing their prices as most places may be faring better by slashing the prices a bit. Plus there does not seem to be any sign of offers or happy hours on either food or drink. But I do think that it is very smart economic sense that is keeping the prices high. With a table of four easily spending a good 300 bucks on food and maybe a drink each, it hasn’t stopped the footfalls through the door. Offer or no offer it sure does become a habit and does make many a regular. Comparatively empty is what I said earlier but if you have had a taste of what they have had to offer here before, you will keep coming back, so it does have its regulars. The place will definitely burn a small hole in a poor mans pocket, but it’s a nice place to entertain friends, family, visitors when money is not an issue.

If you look back at what’s written you tend to wonder what is it that is so novel that brings people back to this place. Is it the food, is it the drink, is it, or the very apt location? Or maybe and just maybe, it is that one thing where you understand the meaning of casa is being at home and where you do get the feeling that everyone there has come in for the same. It kind of reminds me of the song by Gary Portnoy, where he goes

Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.


Cheers ☺