Goa’s 248 Collective Experience

Amongst Goa's gorgeous lively beaches and green getaways, there is a new hub for people seeking a quality experience. A traditional 110-year-old Portuguese villa spread across half an acre, overlooking fields growing seasonal produce and ringed by coconut and tamarind trees, is home to The 248 Collective. Though it is refreshing and quaint on the outside, brimming with engaging people, the place has a friendly energy on the inside. This makes it a place where you would want to spend eclectic days and nights. It is an oasis of warmth, a space for new beginnings and for collective interactions. The establishment is a curated space where you can connect, work, learn, eat, drink and even be inspired while having fun. The menu is a compilation of dishes sourced from passionate home cooks from all over Goa. After a meticulous process the recipes are handpicked to maintain the authenticity of flavours.  

True to their passion there is always something new brewing on the horizon. Every Sunday they introduce a new themed menu with authenticity at the heart of it. One such menu was the Parsi extravaganza by Suneet with soulful tunes by Gil Mizrahi. With a detailed menu to choose from, it started with the classics chicken farcha – the bawa version of the deep fried chicken with egg and bread and the patra ni machhi – slices of kingfish marinated in traditional spices and steamed in a banana leaf. The vegetarians were surely in for a treat with the vatana aney chutney na ghoogra – green peas and chutney in half moon pastry parcels and the vegetarian seekh roti toll with lagan nu achar. One could choose any of the two as part of the set menu being served. 

After the lovely starters, move over to the mains with the mutton dhansak – cubes of mutton cooked with lentils and vegetables served with brown rice. The prawn patia served in a tangy, sweet and spicy sauce also toped the list with a bountiful serving of rice. There was the vegetarian dhansak and kabab – an assortment of vegetables cooked with lentils served with brown rice. The paneer patia was an absolute delight. Soft cubes of cottage cheese in a tangy sweet and spicy sauce, served with rice was surely something to send you to the higher echelons of gastronomic valhalla. And what better to end this event than the one and only lagan nu custard. Not much needs to be said about this preparation except it surely brought a smile on every face.

Another such menu was from the regions of Persia to Western Kolkata, Priyadarshini Gupta presented a delectable fare bringing to life some lip smacking favourites. The karaishutir kochuri and succulent prawns marinated in mustard and coconut steamed in a banana leaf made up the chingri paturi to satiated the pescitarian in everyone. There was the churmur – Kolkatas favourite street food; chickpeas, potatoes with a few secret ingredients and fish fry. For the mains one could dig into some kosha mangsho (mutton) with ghee bhat and chhanar dalna (paneer). To top it off there was paayesh for dessert on offer, through the À la carte menu. One could also laugh out loud alongside with improv mayhem – an imporv comedy act that made its way from Bengaluru. 

With Christmas conveniently falling on Sunday in the coming weekend, we all cannot wait for the surprise menu 248 Collective will bring. So head over to this paradise of food and joy for Christmas to indulge in some scrumptious food and a very merry time.