The Food

The 7-course feast at thaal begins with the tasting of a few salt grains, believed to cure taste buds and keep illnesses at bay. Deviating from the norm the Bohri community often start their meals on a sweet note with the creamy Kalamra, a mélange of curd, rice, almonds and raisins garnished with pomegranate and rose petals. The second course gives you an option between several dishes; the Kokum Ke Alloo or the Chana Batata. The third and fifth course can vary depending on the day you visit Thaal as there is a daily change of menu. To break up the piquancy is the sweet fourth course, the rich Malido; cubes of jaggery, ghee, crushed wheat and dry fruits. You can never have too much and this Bohra meal being a testament to this; the Aamras (mango puree) or Jamun Ice cream make for the sixth course, depending on the availability of these
seasonal ingredients or Imli ki Kulfi and Phirni. The menu also features a variety of a la carte options that are just as enticing such as Mutton Nihari is a wonderful marriage of tender meat in a delicately spiced gravy, accompanying with Laccha Paratha. The menu also includes Roghan Josh, Bohra Dum Biryani, Kheema Khichri, Kaari Chawal, Dal Gosht, Mutton Khichra, Masoor Pulao Sarki, and many more intriguing dishes. The piece de resistance is the Raan, a whole roast leg of mutton marinated in mixed of spices and slow cooked for eight hours. The result? A sublimely spiced tender piece of meat that simply melts in your mouth. Given the lengthy cooking time, orders for the Raan need to be placed
24 hours in advance.

The People
Thaal was perceived by Rumana Roowala – an ideator, creator and a fabulous host of the exemplary Bohra restaurant. The woman behind this unique conceptual restaurant, Rumana found an opportunity of introducing Goa to an unfamiliar cuisine, since she grew up eating these delicacies at home. The emphasis remains on following the legacy of the original age-old recipes that bring the distinct flavour out into the dish.