The Mistress Of Spices

Meal for two:

rs Carafina Caterina Pereira was known in Betalbatim for her cooking. So, in the late ’80s, she decided to start a tiny eatery with just one table in a corner of her compound. Legend has it that her early clientele was the tourist taxi drivers who ate here while their passengers were dining at more upmarket places. But as Martin’s fame spread with time, the eatery gradually overtook the entire Pereira home, and compound, until the family finally had to move to a new home across the road.

Our favourites here include the prawn masala fry, pomfret recheado (whole pomfret stuffed with fiery masala) and pomfret caldine (pomfret cooked in coconut milk and green chilli). Mrs Pereira still supervises the kitchen and prepares the masalas, which she claims are the secret of her success, while her three sons help her run the place. Clients include Vijay Mallya, Saif Ali Khan and Sharad Pawar. And Sachin Tendulkar, who has a home nearby, apparently orders the king crab from here regularly. Some say Martin’s has lost the simplicity and charm of the old days. Maybe they’re right. But it’s still a must-do when one’s in Goa.