Goa's Gulaabo Ji is a culinary love letter to India's past

During the silence of the Covid pandemic, many ideas simmered and one of them is Gulaabo Ji, a diner in the heart of Assagao in North Goa that hums a very alag tune (which in Hindi means different).

At the heart of Gulaabo Ji are recipes that echo the flavours of forgotten royal kitchens, which are lost in the contemporary world of fusion cooking and a fast lifestyle. But at Gulaabo Ji one is reminded to step in and slow down.

BACK TO THE 90s

Once inside, you will be transported to a nostalgic era of the 90s and it can all be seen in the retro Indian ad posters, vintage and images on the walls of the diner that are a reminder of a gentler India.

But there is nothing better than listening to the Hindi and English songs of the 90s that play in the background (including ad jingles like washing powder, Nirma), creating a deeply evocative and immersive ambience.

And after spending a little more time, you start realising the place is not only built around but also emotions and storytelling.

DESI HEART: The interiors of Gulaabo Ji will take you back in time.

THE CREATOR AND THE CURATOR

However, food is at the core of Gulaabo Ji, avers Sanjana Anand, the brainchild behind the restaurant. Gulaabo Ji is not about ordinary recipes, but ones that tell stories of richness, she adds.       

Sanjana isn’t your typical restaurateur. Born and raised in Kolkata, a city layered with history and , she first made her mark in Goa’s hospitality scene through boutique accommodations.

“We started hotels in Baga and Calangute around 2016,” she recounts. “A boutique hotel first, then a luxury hostel, followed by a beach resort. So, I had a connection with Goa—but not with food, at least not in this way,” she says.

SERVING SOUL ON A PLATTER: For Sanjana Anand, Gulaabo Ji resonates with the idea of an India people are forgetting.

INTRODUCING INDIA TO GOA

So how did this venture come up? "It was an attempt to make Goans experience the versatility and width of the Indian fare by introducing different cooking techniques, non-curry dishes and lesser-known curry dishes," explains Sanjana.

"We also measured that Goa is slowly developing a cosmopolitan with many people from different states working and residing here. They don't find their kind of food in any of the restaurants. When I say that, I am talking about the authenticity of the food, which gives one a taste of home," she says.

TASTE OF JOY: The food at Gulaabo Ji brings out the flavours of happiness.

RECIPES FROM THE DEEP

Thus, was born the idea of Gulaabo Ji, but with a twist of home and heritage , forgotten street foods and regional delicacies besides its foods meant for royalty.

“Every dish has a story,” Sanjana says proudly. “These are not recipes you’ll find on Google. Many were discovered in Urdu scripts that we had to translate, interpret, and bring to life again.”

TASTE OF HERITAGE: At Gulaabo Ji, one will find everything—from heritage recipes to forgotten street foods.

A CULINARY COLLABORATION

The menu is curated by Sanjana in collaboration with Chef Bapi Roy, a third-generation chef who has trained under the legendary Imtiaz Qureshi, the man behind ITC’s famed Dum Pukht legacy. “Bapi is ex-ITC, Taj, and Oberoi. His food knowledge and food preservation techniques are deep-rooted,” Sanjana shares.

"We came up with 270 excellent food recipes from the past. We have only launched a few of them in the menu right now, but every three months we are going to keep adding and subtracting new dishes," she adds.

CULINARY CRAFTSMAN: At the heart of Gulaabo Ji's kitchen is Chef Bapi Roy, who has trained under the legendary Imtiaz Qureshi.

FROM ROYALTY TO REGIONAL

With dishes like Mutton Pantheras, first created during the British victory ball after the Battle of Plassey, or the Tagore Sandesh, a twist on a Bengali classic that Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore himself once reimagined, Gulaabo Ji will tickle your and entice you to return for more.

Sanjana prods guests to taste Dal Gulaabo Ji. "The dish is slow-cooked in a tandoor for 12 hours and then finished with hand-ground spices and a rich tempering. “No pressure cookers. No shortcuts. Just how it was made in royal kitchens—slow, aromatic, and soulful.”    

LEGENDS ON A PLATE: Tagore Sandesh (left) and Mutton Pantheras (right) are a must-try at Gulaabo Ji.

WHERE MEMORY IS THE MIXER

Then there are the cocktails—imaginative elixirs that blend alcohol with childhood candies like Phantom Cigarettes, Hajmola, and Mango Bite. “Everyone’s doing modern cocktails. We wanted to go backwards—recreate that same sense of joy you had when you unwrapped your favourite toffee as a kid,” says Sanjana.

She credits Bevan Lobo from Colvale, who heads the bar at Gulaabo Ji, for running it with the same precision as Bapi Roy crafts his delicacies in the kitchen.   

RAISING THE BAR: Bevan Lobo from Colvale, who heads the bar at Gulaabo Ji, stirs nostalgia into every cocktail.

A PLACE TO PAUSE

In a world hurtling forward at breakneck speed, maybe we all need a place like Gulaabo Ji—where time slows, food and stories simmer, and nostalgia is served hot.

And Sanjana, who is not even a chef, has taken it upon herself to serve people the foods that tell stories and remind them where they come from.

DETAILS

NAME: Gulaabo Ji

WHERE: Off The Char Rasta, opposite Soro Parking, Badem, Assagao, Vagator, North Goa

CONTACT: +918830833963