Review: Art meets food at Goa’s HOSA

It is easily Goa’s favourite fish. Goa’s newest restaurant—“hosa” means new in Kannada—comes from EHV International, the people behind Indian Accent, Comorin and the recently launched Koloman. “We envision it to be a chilled out, casual and not pretentious place, serving slightly elevated south Indian food.” At first glance, HOSA does look fancy, like it has walked out of a catalogue. There’s a pachadi turned into a refreshing and light Bottlegourd Salad with a dressing of cashew yogurt; Wild Mushroom Varuval, a hearty bowl of Mushroom Pongal with black pepper tinged mushroom pakodas; a comforting Spring Vegetables Stew with appams; and Gunpowder Kid Corn packs some serious heat, with a peanut podi dusting faintly tempered by a smattering of Parmesan. Beyond the tiki, some of the drinks make their mark: Make it Clear elevates that favoured gin-basil-cucumber pairing for a neat, clarified drink that goes down smooth and leaves us with a mellow bitterness; Once Upon a Time in Parma is Sharma’s take on the boulevardier with a cheese and popcorn twist; beetroot adds colour and an earthy bitterness to the Bambino Bello; and coriander, chilli and balsamic make a merry trio in Kick the Habit, which has a pungent aftertaste.