How I wish I was born during colonial Goa. I can only imagine how cool life would have been was I born half a century ago. Living in one of those vintage titled houses, sitting in the verandah in the evening and sampling loads of Portuguese-Goan food. While the former isn't possible, the food part is possible, in 21st century Goa.
Fontainhas (yes, the place I'm raving about all the times. Hope you aren't fed up. I love the narrow streets and the colonial villas way too much to stop talking about them), the Latin Quarter which is a reminiscent of Portuguese colonial Goa, hosts a miniscule bakery which I got to know about only recently! When I say 'Places like these have my heart', I actually mean every bit of it.
An authentic Portuguese-Goan bakery nestled in the narrow bylanes of Fontainhas, on an alleyway that passes through what seems like private property, lies Confetaria 31de Janeiro Bakery. An eighty seven year old bakery, currently run by Gletta, it's one of the oldest bakeries in town. How cool is that? They serve everything from authentic Goan-Portuguese sweets like Serra Dura (yes!), dodol, bebinca and pinaq, to a variety of breads, cakes, pastries, pies, quiches and rolls.
The little bakery has an outdoor sitting, with precisely three tables with two chairs each and a bench. It's decorated in the typical Portuguese style with lanterns, etc. to add to the ambience. Most people ask for takeaways of the awesome breads, patties and cakes, but we decided to sit and sip on some coffee as we soaked in the vibe of the place.
I tried a chicken quiche and chicken pie, probably the best quiche I've ever had along with coffee. I definitely need to go back to Confetaria 31de Janeiro Bakery to try out their pastries and other items. Comment below and tell me if you've visited this place and want me to try something, so that I can try it the next time I visit.
P.S. This place is a little hard to find. Trust Google maps until you're one minute away from the location, and then ask someone there. You'll be guided into a narrow alleyway in between houses (which doesn't seem like a lane at all). We assumed the roads ended there, but there was this imaginary lane that opened up leading to Confetaria 31de Janeiro Bakery.
Text & Photos: Flexcia D'souza
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