Are you looking for a Goan fair on your plate while roaming around Goa? You cannot skip visiting Cavatina by Avinash Martins. It is an innovative restaurant where the chef uses his skills and knowledge to transform locally sourced ingredients and seasonal produce into lip-smacking delicacies.
This small yet celebrated eatery in South Goa has recently made it to India’s Top 50 Restaurants 2024 list published by Condé Nast Traveller and Zomato. After experimenting with Goan cuisine, Chef Avinash Martins added several awards to his trophy cabinet. Now, epicures, locals, and travellers cannot imagine Goa with Cavatina.
Cavatina by Avinash Martins
Started in 2012, Cavatina by Avinash Martins is a small but lively space where locals and tourists arrive to savour the taste of the Goan food landscape. The pandemic on international supply chains forced him to look into sourcing new ingredients locally.
When Chef Avinash Martins started Cavatina, it was a place where people could enjoy Continental dishes. Later, he experimented with Catholic and Saraswat cuisines and brought something new to the table, making the restaurant a hit among natives and tourists. Soon, he introduced customers with his take on the authentic food of Kumbi, Velip, and Gawd tribes of Goa.
For example, Greek spanokopita is presented with red amaranth and cashew butter at Cavatina. Prawn hooman, a Saraswat Hindu recipe for the prawn curry, is served with prawns crumbed into puffed rice with caper berries. One of the most popular creations by Chef Avinash Martins is toranja (tropical Goan fruit) tossed with coriander, bombil, jagger, onions, tamarind, and cucumber.
Image Credit: Avinash Martins/ Instagram
Cavatina by Avinash Martins: Menu And Ambience
While you know that the restaurant is known for bringing creative and contemporary Goan creations to your plate, it is worth taking a look at the menu featuring special dishes like soul coconut, squids caldeirada, duck cabidel, on my olmi, kombo roulade, and baked jaggery cheesecake among others.
The regular food menu comprises salmon steak, smoked duck breast, ros omelette, Cavatina cigars, prawns plancha, red meat delicacies, bacon pao, raw honey flan, etc. You can reserve a table between 12:30pm-3pm for lunch and 7pm-11pm for dinner. But remember that the restaurant remains closed on Mondays.
One thing that separates Cavatina from many restaurants on the top 50 list is the ambience. A gastronome not only gets served lip-smacking delicacies but also can enjoy live music, hip bar scenes, an upscale environment, outdoor seating under the stars, and air-conditioned space inside.
Image Credit: Avinash Martins/ Instagram